This was my favorite Bible story when I was little—mostly just because I was obsessed with big numbers. So the idea of Jesus feeding five thousand people, especially with so little, was an exciting stretch of my young imagination. And then it got better when I learned that was only counting the men; it was probably closer to twenty thousand people overall! Even to the mathematically-minded, Jesus has a way of showing his glory in the most beautiful ways.
With that massive hoard of people, naturally the disciples couldn’t imagine being able to feed them all. Can’t you relate? We may say we have faith in Jesus, but then the bigger the crowd that needs feeding, or the larger the mountain that needs moving, or the harder the heart that needs healing, the more we actually find ourselves doubting that Jesus can do anything about it. Let’s be realistic, we might say. But Jesus questioned Philip to test the disciples’ faith, because if they really knew who Jesus was, if they really understood the unfathomable divine power that the Son of God carried, there wouldn’t have been a doubt in their mind. If they really knew their Lord, that would’ve changed what they considered “realistic.”
If turns out Jesus can do very much with very little—far more than we even think possible. All they had to work with was seven little bites of food. “How far will these go?” they asked. But from one boy’s lunch, Jesus made a feast for thousands. But let’s be clear: he could’ve done just the same with a single bread crumb. No situation is impossible for the Lord to redeem. Even if we are teetering on the slightest imaginable crumb of hope and asking how far it can go, offer it to the Lord who can do the greatest imaginable things with it.
1500 years prior, Moses had written in Deuteronomy 18 about a Prophet to come who would carry the power and authority of God. For 1500 years since, the Jews waited for that Prophet. But after such a numerically astounding miracle from Jesus, one which sent people across Israel witnessing to his power, people began to realize the wait was over. Little by little, throughout John’s gospel, the world has been coming to understand who this Jesus really was. Thousands saw him, and thousands told the true story of who he was, and the truth has not worn out since then. So in case you’ve forgotten to do so today, be astounded at Jesus!
