GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 8:5
Seven Loaves
One of the great religious events in the United States occurred in August 1801 at Cane Ridge, northeast of Lexington, Kentucky. Usually referred to as the Cane Ridge Revival, it began on Thursday, August 6, 1801. Estimates of the number of people attending the revival over seven days range from 10,000 to 20,000, a significant number for that era and that location. After a week, people began drifting away. The meeting was outdoors, and the weather in August was likely hot. The days were long, sunup to sundown, and people grew weary from the physical and emotional strain. In his history of religion in America, author Sydney Ahlstrom says another reason the revival ended was the “failure of provisions for such a crowd.” They ran out of food.
Alice and I were at a restaurant recently, and she ordered an item from the menu. The waitress said, “I’m sorry, but we’re out of that.” Fortunately, there were other items on the menu. However, there were no restaurants or catering services at Cane Ridge. People ran out of food. A similar experience occurred in the countryside in the Decapolis. Mark said there were about four thousand people with Jesus for three days, a huge number for that time and that location. Some people came from afar. (Mark 8:3) They used up their food provisions, and Jesus said he did not want to send them home without food, because they might faint on the way. His disciples asked where one could get enough food to feed them in the wilderness. “And he asked them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ And they said, ‘Seven.’” (Mark 8:5) These seven loaves appear to be what was left of their personal supply, and they were holding on to them. It was a meager amount for thirteen people—Jesus and the disciples. They were scraping the bottom of the cupboard.
Mark does not mention it, but it’s possible to imagine that these twelve men wondered why Jesus would think about taking their small amount of food and giving it to thousands of hungry people. Surely not, Jesus, because this was all they had left between them and starvation! This is a picture of offering everything to Jesus—even the seven loaves.
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