GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 6:38
How Many Loaves
I needed to change an exhaust sensor on my automobile (I know—a little technical stuff), and it required a tool specifically designed for that purpose. I knew I had the tool from a previous job, so I searched through the tool drawers. I was about to give up and go purchase another tool when I looked at a pegboard—there it was, hanging, where I couldn’t miss it! Among my three sons and me, it is often said that the fun of beginning a new job is the excuse to go buy another tool. Sometimes we duplicate tools because we didn’t search diligently through what was at hand.
In Alice’s kitchen (notice the possessive noun), she has a tool drawer. I needed to tighten a screw, so I searched through the drawer to find the tool I needed. When I finished, she made sure I put the tool back where it belonged so it would be available the next time it was needed.
When Alice begins to cook, she searches for everything she needs—ingredients and hardware—and lays them out on the counter. That way, she tells me, she is always sure she has everything needed for the recipe.
In Mark’s account of Jesus teaching a multitude, the disciples urged him to send the crowd away to buy their food as evening approached. Jesus, however, told the disciples to feed them. Surprised, the disciples asked Jesus where they would get enough money to buy food for them. In other words, “We don’t have the resources to do that.” “But he said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go see.’ When they found out, they said, ‘Five and two fish.’” (Mark 6:38) John said these were barley loaves, the coarsest type of bread, and two small fish, similar to sardines, belonging to a little boy. “But what are these among so many?” they asked. (John 6:9)
The question is not quantity or size, but what is available for the Father to use.
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