BY ROBERT MILLER
OPINION —
Mark 6:41 — “He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves…”
Most of us have experienced that moment when we look at what we have and realize it simply isn’t enough. It might happen at the end of the month when the bills seem to add up faster than the paycheck. It might happen when a problem shows up in the family, and we don’t know how to fix it. Sometimes it’s emotional. Sometimes it’s financial. Sometimes it’s spiritual. But the feeling is the same — “I don’t have enough to handle this.”
I remember a few years back, my wife and I were preparing for a large gathering of friends to come over to our house for a New Year’s Eve celebration. There was so much to plan and prep for. Between fireworks, games, outdoor lighting, entertainment for the children and mowing the grass; at one point we stopped and looked at the kitchen counter and realized something was missing. We didn’t have nearly enough food for the number of people who were about to arrive. What could we do? How could we possibly accommodate everyone. We had spent so much time focusing on the entertainment that we forgot to focus on the necessities. Has anything like that ever happened to you? Where suddenly, you look around and realize that you simply don’t have enough to cover what you need? You start doing the math in your head and ask, “How are we going to stretch this?”
That feeling — when what you have doesn’t seem sufficient — is exactly where the disciples found themselves in Mark chapter 6. Jesus had been teaching a massive crowd of people in a remote place. As evening approached, the disciples began thinking practically. Thousands of people were gathered there, and there was no nearby town to buy food. So, they came to Jesus with what seemed like the most reasonable solution.
“Send them away.”
In other words, let them go find food somewhere else. But Jesus responds in a way that must have caught them off guard.
“You give them something to eat.”
Imagine the look on their faces. Scripture tells us there were about 5,000 men present, not counting women and children. The disciples quickly calculated that it would take more than eight months’ wages just to buy enough bread for everyone to have a small portion. Then Jesus asked a simple question.
“How many loaves do you have?”
The answer was almost laughable. Five loaves of bread and two measly fish. Not even enough to feed the disciples themselves. But Jesus took the little that was offered, looked toward heaven, gave thanks, broke the bread and began distributing it. And then, something truly remarkable happened. Everyone ate.
Not just a small bite or a broken off ration either. They ate until every single person in the crowd was satisfied. And when the meal was finished and the disciples gathered up the leftovers, there was enough food left over to fill 12 baskets. What started as “not enough” became more than enough.
There’s an important lesson hidden in that moment. The disciples were focused on what they didn’t have. Jesus was focused on what He was willing to give.
As cars began to make their way down our driveway that New Year’s Eve, Ann and I were scrambling to come up with ideas on how to feed the amount of people that were about enter our home. But then, one by one, as friends, family and neighbors began to enter our home, each was bringing with them, dishes of food — the makings of what became an incredible, delicious and abundant feast. In that moment, my wife and I looked at each other and saw that, where we couldn’t, God could. And we saw Jesus in the love of each of our friends that night.
Sometimes we look at our lives and see only limitations.
“I don’t have enough time.”
“I don’t have enough ability.”
“I don’t have enough resources.”
“I don’t have enough faith.”
But God has always worked through what appears small. A shepherd’s staff in Moses’ hand, a sling and a stone in David’s hand, five loaves and two fish in a boy’s lunch. The miracle wasn’t in the size of the offering. The miracle was in the hands it was placed into. The same is still true today. When we place what we have into the hands of Christ — our time, our talents, our faith, even our struggles — He has a way of multiplying what we thought was insufficient.
We live in a world that constantly tells us we need more. More success, more money, more recognition or more control. But the story of the feeding of the 5,000 reminds us of something simple and powerful: Jesus is not limited by what we lack — He is looking for what we are willing to surrender.
And when we trust Him with what we have, we often discover something unexpected. What once looked like “not enough” becomes exactly what God uses to bless more people than we ever imagined. Sometimes the greatest miracles begin with five loaves, two fish and the willingness to place them in the hands of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
