Charles Oloo, Kenya
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
John 6:5–6
Many people may seem desperate, but they have faith in Jesus. The Lord stretches our faith in many different ways. The disciples are a good example of this during the feeding of the five thousand. They were asking Jesus where to buy food for the people at such a late hour, and how they were going to feed them all. This shows how our commitment and our faith can sometimes go up and down.
Philip in particular couldn’t figure out how they were going to feed everyone. However, when the Lord saw the problem, He already knew how to solve it. The Lord always sees our problems before we do. Nothing takes God by surprise. Instead of Philip focusing on the problem, he should have focused on the power of Jesus Christ and had faith. With God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
Andrew found a boy with some food. Unlike Philip, he was finding a solution. The boy shared his five loaves of bread and two fish—the only food he had for lunch. Yet this was all that was needed to feed five thousand people who were hungry.
I believe the little boy had abundant faith in God. He has often used small things to bless many. The boy is a symbol of faith, different from those who worship big names and titles, but who don’t give to the hungry. What can we learn? What can we do to bless others? When we give Jesus what we have, He multiplies it a thousand and one times over.
We must be willing to obey before we are ready to be blessed. When the disciples make the men sit down, they are humble and waiting. Obedience takes place as they get ready to be fed by a child’s lunch. This shows the power of God in Jesus Christ at work.
Jesus humbled Himself and gave thanks for the food, and the disciples distributed the food in an orderly manner. Nothing can go wrong when we are with Jesus. He always brings order to our lives.
What was the effect of the miracle? There were 12 baskets left over. Perhaps a portion was given back to the little boy. The people knew that Jesus was the Promised One.
There are hungry souls all around us who need the Bread of Life. Jesus wants to use us and what we have to feed them. Sometimes we should ask ourselves, Why do we throw food in the trash can or discard our clothes, yet there is one person out there in need? Where is our faith? Jesus is asking.
Let’s strengthen our faith, not through seeing miracles or as a result of being given some gifts. When we are faced with problems, all people—the rich, the poor, all of us—should turn to the Lord in faith.