John 6:1-15

Today's reading is the famous "feeding of the five thousand".

We are told that a large crowd gathered "because they had seen His miracles of healing the sick." (6:2) At this point, I think it's fair to say that people came to Jesus expecting to see miracles. The power of Jesus was so strong that he could make a lame man walk, and could heal the illness of a child without even seeing him face to face. Why then, would he do a miracle using something as simple as bread?

The boy has only 5 loaves and 2 fishes. A very small amount of food. Yet, Jesus takes that small offering, and uses it to feed 5000 people. That's the number of people in my Mom's hometown.

Can't God do the same with us? We bring our small offerings of time, talent, and treasure to God, and He uses them in ways we cannot imagine. Our few dollars are added with other people's offerings, and used to build schools and wells in developing countries. I can give an hour to help arrange some flowers for my church, but when ten people give that same hour, we can fill the sanctuary with Easter lilies.

And my favourite example: On my own, I can sing a song of praise. But it's only when I join with the voices of a choir that I can sing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.

The little boy could only contribute a small amount of food that day, yet Jesus did miraculous things with it. He will do the same with whatever we offer Him. As Kittie L. Suffield wrote, "Little is much when God is in it!"