A creative rendition of John 6:5-15
She brushed her hair away from her forehead as she concentrated on packing the meal for her son. She carefully sliced the freshly baked bread and I could not help but notice the pressure of getting the perfect slices wrinkling the corner of her eyes. Her son walked into the kitchen and said, “Ma, I am getting late, they have already started!” Her hands started moving faster as she cued ‘Give me a minute’ She tasted the seasoning of the fish and nodded her head in approval. `She segregated the bread and the fish in the wrapper and carefully wound it with some string. She kissed her son goodbye and shouted a reminder about having lunch on time. The boy ran, not looking back, but she stayed at the door until he was out of sight.
I went along with the boy as he ran towards a crowd following a certain man. I heard some calling Him a rabbi, some said, prophet and some others called Him, saviour. ‘His name is Jesus’ said an old lady as she limped her way through the crowd. I could hear the gentle yet firm voice of this Savior as He spoke in stories and parables. I wanted a glimpse of Him but there were at least 2,000 people in front of me. The boy flowed with the crowd and soon there was an uphill climb. I could hear the boy panting but his thirst to hear more kept him going. Finally, we sat down on the meadows and some people pushed past us to get a better view of Jesus. I wanted to go to the front as well but the boy’s little legs were too tired for the climb. I heard a faint growling sound from the boy’s stomach hinting hunger but he did not open the lunch. My guess is that he was sensitive to the others around him who did not carry anything to eat along with them. It made me think of his kind heart and the woman responsible for raising such a child. The stomach’s growling grew louder but it dissolved into the commotion outside. I saw some of the disciples walking into the crowd until they were a few metres away from us. I was curious to know what they were seriously talking about but, more than that I was excited to see the ones who closely walked with Jesus.
The disciples asked the man in front of us about how they could arrange some food from the nearby village and Voila! My boy stood up and extended the lunch bag to them. I wanted to shout out, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ but I saw a faith that radiated right out of him; it was ineffable. We were asked to go along with them and I was thrilled to finally see Jesus in person. He looked magnificent! much more than any description of Him that I heard. I could no longer hear any stomach growling, no restless motions as Jesus looked at us and smiled. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother introduced the boy to Jesus and told Him about the five loaves of bread and two fish. Surprisingly, Jesus did not look perplexed rather He extended His hands towards the boy. He placed the bread and fish in His hands and lifted it to heaven, thanking the Father for the meal. Then He broke it and asked the disciples to pass it on. The disciples kept on passing and the pieces did not stop coming in until it fed the thousands gathered there.
The boy stood flabbergasted at the sight of his lunch being passed on to the multitude; his mother’s lunch was a hit. Then Jesus asked the disciples to gather the leftover food, and it filled 12 baskets. I thought to myself, 12 baskets! How is that even possible? There was not even one when we started off. Little did the mother who packed the boy’s lunch know that her meal would feed more than 5,000 people or feed Jesus Christ for that matter! The boy in his wildest dreams did not think of even meeting Jesus in person or share his food with Him. As for me, I was the paper bag that held the food intact. I had no fancy color or shimmer and I knew that I was bound to go into some garbage bin after use. Although I was thrown to a corner after the food was unwrapped, it did not bother me as I got to witness one of the greatest miracles from the corner of a rock. I held the element that Jesus multiplied. Nobody talks about me though but my role was significant. Jesus saw the little that I held in my not-so-fancy ordinary structure and did something extraordinary out of it. The crowd dispersed and the strong mountain wind pushed me to another corner but no matter what my fate is, I would cherish the miracle that I was a part of and hold on to the Miracle Maker.
The story of Jesus feeding the multitude is one of the most popular records of Christ performing a great miracle in the Bible. Often, the focus is on the five loaves of bread and two fish, the boy, the disciples and, of course, the miracle and the Miracle Maker. However, there were so many tiny elements that were a part of the miracle. The person who prepared the meal, the bag that carried it, the seasoning on the fish, the utensils used to cook it—all played a pivotal role, yet never spoken of.
Yes, Jesus would have performed a miracle even without the bread and the fish instead He chose to give value to the humble meal. This was also a way of demonstrating the importance of giving even when one has little. Sometimes, God uses the unexpected to open our eyes to His power. While the disciples—who walked with Him and saw the miracles that He previously did—did not believe Jesus, a little boy, without question, doubt or a pint of selfishness, extended all that he had to the Messiah. The boy sure does teach us a big lesson of having faith.
A note from the balcony writer:
You are part of a miracle every single day. Whatever you do stirs up something radical when you let God work on it. No matter where you are or what you do, you are very significant in the sight of God. He does not look at what you see yourself as rather He sees you as a Miracle; unique, amazing and important. People may not talk about you but your role is necessary to keep the story going. Let God take you in His arms, lift you up and break you to feed the thousands. Your brokenness is not your weakness rather it is a testimony on the mountaintop.
Consider this:
There are times when we question our worth or talk about how little we have and how little we can do for others. Know that Jesus adds value to all that you are. The little bread and fish in your hand can feed a multitude when Jesus it. Have FAITH:
F – Fearlessly give out of your nothingness. God never looks at the quantity you bring before Him but He looks at the quality of one’s heart. As rational human beings, we tend to save up for ourselves first before we even think of giving to others.
A – Actively reach out to God for the big and small things of your life. Often, we only look up to God when major things in our life seem down. The best part about our Father is that He is also our friend and our brother. We can talk to Him about our small worries as well. That nasty zit, first grey hair—He loves to hear it all.
I – Ignore belittling statements by others. People will always talk especially when they cannot do something that you can. These negative statements sometimes affect our faith as well. Be vigilant and just keep holding onto God’s promises.
T – Trust God even when everything seems to be against you. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes in ways that we think are not right. Remember that He sees, He hears and above all, He knows what you need.
H – Heed to His Word. The Word of God is called a double-edged sword—no weapon is more powerful than this. Stand firm in His Word to fight the battles of this world.