Food for the Journey

Mark 8: 8-10 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

I guess I knew that there were these two different stories of Jesus feeding people in the Gospel of Mark. However, today as I was reading these passages from Mark 6 and 8, the stories really caught my attention as to the common dynamics of each and the impacted lives which were touched in what Jesus did with so little food for so many people.

In each story, there were great hunger and need. In each account, there were bread and fish. In each story, the disciples were unable to meet the need on their own. In each description, thousands were fed. In each story, Jesus performed a miracle, and there was an abundance left over.

I have found that to be the way of my own journey most of the time. When I am in great need and unable to meet that need with my own resource, Jesus is willing to meet me at my point of need. However, certain things are always apparent at these times. The first is the awareness of total dependence upon Jesus. At times like this, either Jesus meets the need, or we perish. Now that is dependence.

A second awareness is the all-sufficient power of Jesus to meet the need. We must believe that Jesus can do it. Our human nature is much like that of the disciples who, even after the first feeding in chapter 6, still had doubts about how to feed the thousands in chapter 8. What did they learn? Hopefully, that Jesus is able and willing to meet our needs if we allow Him.

The last thing is this. Jesus always blesses in abundance. I believe this happens in the context of our receiving His blessings; He is at the same time allowing us to be a blessing to others. As we are blessed, we have opportunity to demonstrate our understanding of the stewardship of blessing in our sharing with others what we have been blessed with.

This, my friends, provides us a chance to share our Jesus story with others.