Small and Significant

Nadi Nafas

Sep 2

John 6:19 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"

The impossible is always intriguing in so many ways. Perhaps that's why God keep using this condition to speak about faith and His power. When Jesus saw the multitudes of people who followed Him all the way to the end of the day, He found another reason to showcase God's provision. Unfortunately, the faith that Jesus found to be the most profound was not from one of his disciples but from one boy who gave all he had to share with the crowd.

All the disciples, such as Phillip and Andrew, couldn't see the importance of a sincere offering. For them the people were enormous, and it defies any logic to provide them with food in the middle of nowhere within such a short time. If the same situation is presented to us, we would think more like them instead of behaving like the kind lad. We too, would be tempted to believe that any effort would be hopeless and useless. Therefore, there isn't any point in even trying because it won't change anything.

However, that is the exact opposite of what God wants from us. As His children, He expected us to do the impossible by obeying His words and instructions. The one who taught the crowd that a small faith can make big changes was the lad that is willing to share all that he had. Much like the poor widow and her offering at the temple, God looks at the heart's intentions more than any other action. The boy must have a great desire to help others and the compassion to give his only meal, knowing there was a chance he wouldn't get any food after he gave it away. Yet God proved that his offering became a great blessing to many and back to himself, even with excess for people to take home because they were all filled, and there were still 12 baskets of leftovers.

-NM-