Good to Focus

Mark 8:5-9 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present.
 
YOU usually focus on Jesus’ actions here, don’t you? Of course you do as you should. This is God’s pattern for offering a meal: Give thanks. Break bread. Distribute it. Each time we receive a meal we must remember God’s grace has delivered it to us.
   And we participate in bringing the meal to one another, don’t we? We don’t go to a table to wait for the food to come down from heaven. The Lord wants us to work for our provision. This is his first instruction to Adam: Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden. 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Good work in God’s commands allows us to participate in God’s generosity.  
   That was the disciples’ privilege that day. When he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus wanted them to say, “Seven.” to essentially confess, “We have very little.” Seven loaves for 4,000 men? They are 3,993 short!
   But then Jesus puts them to work. Practically speaking, who else would do it? God works with an orderly process. But something else is happening here. As the disciples give food to each person, they are piece-by-piece experiencing the Lord’s multiplying power. Each time they gave a piece of bread to someone, they would see that their bread basket remained full. The disciples became the physical expression of God’s abundance. Jesus wanted them to know they were not mere bystanders to his glory. He had called them to be essential workers in the kingdom of God.
   Their work continued. When all were fed they pick up the leftovers! They had more after the meal than they had before the meal. Their hands literally grasped God’s abundance.  Do you think the disciples could now more faithfully focus on Jesus’ multiplying power? If they encountered thousands of hungry people again, would they say to Jesus, “Let’s feed them!”
   You can apply the disciples’ work to Jesus’ promise to disciple the church. He gives us his gospel to distribute. When we join in the work to share our “gospel basket”, it remains full to overflowing as more people receive its life-giving benefits. As gospel workers we have the opportunity to experience God’s goodness as we see the Spirit satisfy people’s hunger for God’s redeeming love. The more we work with him, the more faithfully we know Jesus will fulfill his promise: Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.