I know you’ve heard of the story with the five loaves and the two fish from the Bible. There’s one thing I’ve noticed; there are lots of fish stories. And I don’t like fish, but when you put Jesus in the mix, it gets much easier to digest this text. Take this story found in Luke 9, where we tend to focus on the miracle of how Jesus multiplied the food and fed not just 5000 men but possibly 5000 women and a whole bunch of children and cousins, so perhaps 15,000 people.
We usually spend more time looking at the idea that when Jesus is involved, things multiply and people are nourished. I will take the spiritual element into account now by jumping back to the beginning of that chapter, where Jesus calls his disciples, gives them power and authority, and sends them out to share the gospel. Those twelve men share the good news with people in their region.
Now they return and give Jesus a report, only for the crowds to follow Jesus and the disciples. Then it gets late, and the disciples ask Jesus to send the crowd away because everyone’s hungry. But Jesus tells them, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.” So they offer to go buy more food. Now, remember that first, the multitude is before them. And they wanted to send them away. But that didn’t work, so the disciples wanted to send themselves away. But that didn’t work. Jesus had a better plan. So I want to challenge you concerning who you meet today. Yes, he or she or that group is your multitude. And you are a missionary for Christ. Remember, you’ve been called, given power and authority, and are sent to share the good news. We are vessels for Jesus. Don’t send those the Lord places before you away. And don’t send yourself away. Share the good news. Those you encounter are in your path for a reason. So shine for Jesus. Nourish their soul. And in return, your joy will be complete. In this story, we see how Jesus looked to heaven, blessed the food and, gave thanks, then passed out the bread and fish.
