No Room for Me or You

“And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people…And they all ate and were satisfied.”
Mark 6:41-42

Mark chapter 6 starts with Jesus being rejected from his hometown due to the people’s lack of faith – they didn’t want Jesus around. 

Later in the chapter, the disciples show their lack of faith by the way they respond to the crowd of 5,000+ – they forget Jesus is around.  

The disciples show their indifference toward the hungry crowd by telling Jesus to “send” the people away.  The disciples know that they don’t possess food themselves nor have enough time nor money to buy food. The disciples’ immediate reaction is to send the hungry people away – revealing their doubt in what Jesus could potentially do. 

Consequently, the men find five loaves and two fish.  They give the food to Jesus.  Jesus thanks God.  Jesus gives the multiplied bread and fish to the disciples in order for them to distribute to the people.  Notice that God uses people to accomplish His purposes.  

Jesus oozes compassion. He sees these hungry people as lost sheep without a good shepherd. Jesus tells his disciples to use the resources they can find – in other words – he’s saying “look around”.  

The culmination of the story – all the people are not only fed, but completely satisfied and there are 12 baskets of food leftover!  

Not only did the flock of people walk away with full bellies, but their souls were full because they had sat under hours of Jesus’s teaching!  Can you imagine?!

When we look to ourselves for answers, we won’t find them. Even after we have spent time in God’s Word, we can walk away forgetting all of what we read.  

Our faith increases as we think less of ourselves and more about who God is and what He can do in, through and around us. 

Jesus commands the disciples to give the people something to eat, but they look to themselves trying to figure out how they are going to feed the people when humanly speaking it is impossible.  

Jesus tells them to “go and see” how much food is around them.  Jesus is gently teaching his followers that when it looks impossible, make no room for what you can do, but make room for what God can do.   

In God’s economy there is no room for me or you. We often look to ourselves for help and ignore what God can do through the resources that He has provided within our reach.  We must practice taking the time to look around – outside of ourselves – in order for our faith in God to increase.

What are you doubting God will do in, through and around you?  Have you looked around?  What do you see?  How has your faith increased or decreased? 

If you are in doubt, remind yourself of God’s character.  As a result, your faith will increase and you will be completely satisfied as you remember Jesus is in you, working through and around you.