John 6:7-15: a reflection

7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may receive a little.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down, likewise also of the fish as much as they desired. 12When they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost.” 13So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. 14When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, “This is truly the prophet who comes into the world.” 15Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The crowd is huge, five thousand men plus women and children, and the disciples are overwhelmed by the math. Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not give each a bite, says Philip. Then Andrew mentions, almost dismissively, a boy with five barley loaves and two fish, and adds, but what are these among so many? It is a fair question. The offering is laughably small against the need.

But notice what Jesus does with the small thing. He takes the boy's little lunch, gives thanks, and distributes it, and everyone eats as much as they want, with twelve baskets of fragments left over. The five loaves did not become adequate because they were secretly enough; they became enough because they were placed in Jesus' hands. What was too little in Andrew's estimation was more than enough in Christ's.

There is encouragement here for whenever you feel you have too little to offer against the size of the need, too little time, ability, money, faith, love. Like Andrew, you may look at your five loaves and say, what is this among so many? But the question is not whether your offering is large; it is whether you place it in Jesus' hands. He takes the small thing given to him and multiplies it beyond what it could ever do on its own. Offer him your little, and watch what he does with it. And note that even in abundance he says, let nothing be lost.

Lord Jesus, my offering often feels laughably small against the size of the need. Help me not to withhold it because it seems too little, but to place my five loaves in your hands, and trust you to make it more than enough. Take my little, and let nothing be lost.