How Many Loaves Do You Have?

Mark 6:35-43 (NIV)
³⁵ By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late.
³⁶ Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
³⁷ But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
³⁸ "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish."
³⁹ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
⁴⁰ So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
⁴¹ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
⁴² They all ate and were satisfied,
⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

Jesus continues to teach the disciples. He feeds a large group of people with very little, a miracle which speaks of the sufficiency of God; the One Who can do all things. Remember that Jesus is teaching them a new way of thinking and seeing the world. It takes time.

They see a need and offer a solution that makes sense to them. Jesus replies in a way that confounds them. “You give them something to eat.” They immediately see their poverty and can’t see the abundance before them in the person of the Son of God. They don’t see a way. Jesus then asks them, “How many loaves do you have?”

He takes what they have, blesses and breaks the loaves, and gives them back to the disciples. He divides the fish as well. The disciples take the food from Jesus’ hand to set before the people. The people eat their fill and are satisfied. The disciples end with more than they started with, there is a basket full for each of them.

Jesus is able to use us in miraculous ways. If we give Him what we have, He does things which go beyond our expectation and imagination. He takes the little we have to accomplish His work. Not only does He multiply what is offered to feed the people, the ones who offer what they have end up with so much more. May this word dwell inside us all that we might be more ready to rightly answer when Jesus asks us: “How many loaves do you have?”