Being Willing...

August 15, 2011

John 6:7-9

V 9 “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish…”

This is certainly a well known story where Jesus preformed an amazing miracle, and as I sat down to read this morning I had a totally different spin on this morning’s passage. Yet, as I read verse 9 I had a sudden thought about the boy who had the original food. All we know is that scripture calls him a boy, what age that might mean is uncertain, at least to me. Yet, this boy willingly gave up his only food so that others might be able to eat. The disciples, even living and following Jesus daily and seeing all his miracles, never gave a thought to what Jesus might be able to do to feed so many. Yet, this boy just gives over his food. I wonder did he have faith so strong that he knew Jesus could miraculously produce food for so many and that being the case was confident he would not go hungry or was he just a kindhearted boy who didn’t want to have food while so many around him was without. Either way I think it speaks volumes that this “boy” whom we know so little about played such a pivotal part in Jesus’ miracle. Of course, Jesus could have produced the food from nothing, but in His sovereign wisdom He chooses not to. The same is true today; Jesus can choose to work alone to produce His Father’s will but often times He chooses to use us. Are we as available and willing as this boy to give all we have?