From Your Abundance

Three days is a long time to be away.

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, "I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way-- and some of them have come from a great distance." His disciples replied, "How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven." Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. - Mark 8:1-10

Mark makes sure we know how long the people have been traveling with Jesus. Three days. So, if they had been carrying food for themselves, it would probably all be gone by now.

That's important because the people hearing this story would expect the people to be carrying food when they travel. Telling them three days had passed sets the stage for this to be a miracle instead of an act of compassion on everyone's part.

Even if they had some food left from their provisions, it would not be enough to share. And they would have shared.

Mark knows how to tell a story.

One thing we don't think about is the condition of the loaves and fishes. The fish had to be salted and dried fish. And the bread would be either stale or unleavened. The meal would be salty and dry, and they would need water.

They are near the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake, so water was not a problem. 

Now Jesus could have asked the fishermen among his apostles to go out and fill their nets, but he didn't. He wanted to use what the people had to feed them.

This, I believe, is the lesson for us here. From our abundance, we share with others. 

Now, you might argue that the seven loaves and a few small fish does not constitute an abundance, but I think this is where we fail to follow our faith.

I have seen the Holy Spirit come to the rescue and provide an abundance of food when I worked for the food pantry. When we went out with what we had and started feeding people, more food came.

God provides when we believe.

Believe in your abundance before you have it, share before you can afford it, and God will provide.

More to come...