MULTIPLIED!

“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 late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’

“But he answered them, ‘give them something to eat.’ Mark 6:35-37 (NIV).

The disciples were irritated with Jesus. After a busy time, He had planned to spend the day with them out in the country. A crowd arrived and, instead of sending them away, He taught and ministered to them the whole day. By the time evening came, the disciples had had enough. They asked Jesus to send the people away to get food. Jesus refused. Instead, He said to them, “You feed them.” What were they supposed to do? It was late, there were no villages nearby and they did not have enough money to feed such a huge crowd. Jesus had a plan.

We learn some important things about Jesus from this story.

He did not mind interruptions. He did not think about Himself. The people did not irritate Him. He saw their need and did what He could to help them. Not even His weariness or His plan to spent time with His disciples stopped Him from treating them with compassion.

He refused to send the people away hungry. If he did that, He would be telling them that God was not interested in their physical need. He did not want them to find some other source for their need. He had come to reveal God as their Father. Sending them away, as they disciples wanted Him to do, would have given them the wrong message. “Go and find help somewhere else. God does not care about you.”

He had absolute confidence in the character of His Father. He did not have to ask God what to do. He knew that His Father would back up His plan. He took what He had, five barley loaves and two fish, thanked God for them and broke them into pieces to feed the people. As the disciples handed out the bread and fish, everyone had enough to eat and there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets. The boy who gave his lunch went home with much more that when he left.

Jesus had so much confidence in His Father’s love for the people and His power to meet the people’s needs that He didn’t have to ask God to anything. He knew that His Father would do a miracle to provide enough food for everyone.

Jesus says to us, as He said to His disciples, “Follow me.” When we watch Him, we learn to live like He did, with so much confidence in the Father that we don’t have to panic when we are in need. Jesus did not do magic, but He trusted His Father to do a miracle. When we give away what we have, He multiples it and gives it back to satisfy our needs.