Happy Monday, everyone,

 

I’m excited to share week two of our Loaves & Fishes series with you! If you’re just joining us, we’re looking at stories of God’s provision in the Bible. This week, we’re stepping into the story of Jesus’ feeding the 5,000, which inspired this series. Today’s devotion focuses on how Jesus confronted the disciples’ scarcity mindset. If you tend to worry about where resources will come from, this devotion is for you – or you can share this with someone who needs encouragement! Next week, we’ll look at how Jesus prepared the crowd to receive God’s miraculous provision.

 

Did you know that all four gospels cover Jesus’ feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, John 6? It is an impressive story! However, since Jesus had a hand in creating the entire universe, feeding a large group of people wasn’t a stretch. But, Jesus’ disciples were stressed!

 

Today, we’re using the gospel writer Mark’s account for our time together. The disciples had returned from ministry work, and they’d been so busy they didn’t have a chance to eat (Mark 6:31). Jesus invited them to go away and rest, but crowds of needy people showed up. So, he stopped to teach the crowds and heal the sick. This meant the disciples had to stick around, too. By the end of the day, the men approached Jesus with a “wrap it up” request:

 

 

 

 

Did they need some cheese to go with that “whine”? Seriously, I have compassion for the weary disciples. They’d worked hard and needed to rest, but needy, hungry people were everywhere. Then Jesus asked the disciples to do something they didn’t have the time, energy, or money to pull off.  

 

Here’s what’s wild: The disciples had just finished a ministry tour where Jesus sent them out and told them not to take anything other than a walking stick. They’d personally experienced God’s miraculous provision throughout that tour. Yet they panicked when Jesus told them to feed the crowd.

 

When we’re tired or stressed like the disciples, it’s easy for the scarcity mindset to creep in. We begin thinking in negative absolutes, such as:” I can’t ever do that,” “I’ll never get ahead,” “Why do they always seem to have it, but I don’t,”  or “It’s always so hard.” This is the language of a scarcity mindset. These phrases reflect how we’ve either put God in a box or we’ve ignored everything that God has already done to show His faithfulness.

 

Jesus doesn’t get upset with the disciples. He didn’t shame them for their scarcity mindset. Instead, he asks a question that initiated a faith-growing moment.

 

 

Jesus asked them to tap into reality: “What do you have?” Then, he sent them on a quest to find out what was available, not obsess or fret about what was missing.

 

Friends, when we’re overwhelmed or running short of time, resources, or energy, it’s so easy to criticize ourselves for what we don’t have. What if we shifted from shame or judgment and started with: What do I have?”  Let me ask you: What do you have?

 

The disciples came back with five loaves and two fish. That wasn’t enough to feed 5,000 people, but it was a starting point.

 

Then, the disciples surrendered it to Jesus.

 

But that didn’t mean everyone let go of the scarcity mindset. John’s gospel recorded Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples:

 

 

Let’s pause here. I appreciate that the Bible shows us how people could be with Jesus and still struggle with faith in Jesus. How many of us have walked with God for months, years, or even decades, and still we worry that God may not provide for whatever is in front of us?

 

I could be wrong about this next part, but I think Jesus performed this miracle for the disciples’ benefit, even though the people in the crowd were blessed. Even though the disciples saw Jesus perform miracles and he authorized them to perform miracles, they still lacked the spiritual vision to trust that God would provide. How many of us get tripped up on that, too?

 

Now, we arrive at the part where Jesus does the miracle! (Note: I’m skipping the curious part of the story where Jesus put the people into groups. I’ll come back to that next week.)

 

Read this verse carefully. Note how the miracle happened:

 

 

Two things here: First, in Jesus’ hands, not enough became everything that was needed. Second – and don’t miss this: God’s provision wasn’t apparent all at once. He could have produced a giant pile of bread and fish, but He didn’t. Instead, Jesus kept breaking the bread and giving it to the disciples. 

 

This means miracle multiplied in Jesus’ hands as he broke the bread again and again.

 

Then, the disciples participated in the miracle as they returned to Jesus for more bread to pass out again and again. They saw how a little became much when given to God. 

 

This moment stands out to me because there have been times when I’ve carried the expectation that God’s miracle should look like everything that I need all at once. If I’m being honest, I prefer to see the entire provision because I hate uncertainty, and patience is hard! Often, God’s provision arrives at a speed or scale that requires us to keep looking toward God rather than trusting in it. (Whew! That preached to me as I wrote it!). The blessing is witnessing the miracle of God’s provision over and over again. If you know what I’m talking about, can I get an amen?!

 

Here are two takeaways from today’s devotion for you to reflect on, pray about, and hold onto: