“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people? Jesus said, “Have the people recline to eat.” Now there was plenty of grass in the place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were reclining; likewise also of the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.” (John 6:9-13 NASB)
There are many lessons in the five verses above, but that’s no surprise to you because you know the depth and breadth of God’s word. As you read, I’m sure one specific lesson stood out for you, but make sure not to overlook the boy in the passage.
One could focus on the fact that the Lord will take care of you or He will put food on your table. Another person may focus on the “so many people” who were in the multitude, and be reminded that we ought to be in the presence of Jesus and that our presence counts. Still another individual could focus on how the Lord can take small means and bring about great results or maybe that same person will focus on the blessings that come when you follow the instructions of Jesus. Probably somebody at this very moment is thinking that the Lord, if He chooses, can bless you beyond what you expected. And how about the lesson that we should give thanks for the food we are about to receive, before the first bite? The prayer that we usually say is, “Thank you for the food we are about to receive” without the addition of the words “and the food we have already received” because we started eating before giving thanks. Oh there are other lessons. For instance, being a disciple of Christ means doing some work and if you can’t see the end result of the work, keep doing it anyway. I like the one that the old preacher used to teach, “And Jesus looked out for the future needs of His disciples, because there were twelve baskets leftover; twelve take-home-a-sacks; one for each of them.” I’m not sure about that lesson, but I do know if they didn’t take away that lesson, they took away a lesson about the Lord’s power to do great things in your everyday living. There are great lessons in this passage, but make sure not to overlook the boy.
Here is this boy with five barley loaves and two fish. We don’t know if he was with an adult who was going to the Passover and he had hopes of selling them to someone in the crowd. We don’t know if he was coming prepared to have a meal for himself and a couple of others. The Scriptures don’t tell us. But we learn some valuable lessons from this unidentified boy. Lessons such as: (1) When you give a little, it will make a difference for others. (2) Our children, boys and girls in our families, need to be taught about giving. (3) You are never too young to give. (4) The Lord not only wants the children to come, but he wants to use them in their youth. Thus service is learned at an early age. (5) Children are not too young to be in the special presence of the Lord. We call that special presence “church.” (6) What you do is more important for others and not to draw attention to yourself. You see, the lad is just referred to as the boy. (7) In the context of the story, we see that the boy was more willing than one of Jesus’ disciples who was ready to send the people home. Read the story for more lessons, but make sure you don’t overlook the boy.
I may go beyond my self-imposed word limit, but I just have to tell you that is an awesome sight to see the toddlers in our church walk around proudly to deposit their own, not their parents’ or grandparents’, but their own offering envelope in the collection basket! Thank God for the parents and grandparents who are teaching them about giving. This past Sunday, the one after Christmas, both my wife and I were handed envelopes by my son. They were from two toddlers, our great-grandson and great-granddaughter. Nice cards, but the gift inside the cards; nearly $100 was such a surprise. Still it was their lesson of giving that was really priceless.
Time for you to get bust today, but listen, think about the story about Jesus feeding the multitudes, the many other lessons in the passage above, and make sure you don’t overlook the boy. Be blessed!
“Direct your children onto the right path,and when they are older, they will not leave it.” (Proverbs 22:6 NLT)