Jesus
called His disciples to Him and said,
“I’m concerned about this crowd. For three days
they’ve stayed with me without anything to eat.
If I send them away
hungry
to their homes,
they’ll faint on the way – and some
have come a great distance.”
The disciples replied, “How can anyone
feed so many people, here
in this desolate place?”
But Jesus (who relied
on more than evidence) replied:
“How much bread do you have?”
“Seven little loaves,” they said.
So Jesus ordered the crowd
to sit down on the ground,
and He took the seven loaves
and gave thanks
for what they had.
Then Jesus broke the bread
and gave the food
to His disciples to distribute.
And they also had a few little fish,
which Jesus blessed
before His disciples distributed that food too.
And it was good.
And it was blessed.
And the little became
more than enough
to feed 4,000
with food left
to fill seven baskets
full.
©2013 Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of today’s Daily Bible Reading in the Gospel, Mark 8:1-9
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Thanks, Mary. Beautiful reminder, and a favourite of mine! I still have the old Sunday school paper with the coloured photo and story.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, there are so many ways to interpret this miracle, and yet, I like your suggestion the most. Jesus thanks God for what he has. I think I feel the same thanks for what I have after rethinking this story, for in the midst of what may seem impending crisis, I lay the bounty of life upon the table and realize what blessings lay before me!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this post, Mary. It made me realize that giving thanks in the small things allows God to do big things.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason my email didn't notify me of your lovely comments, so I just saw them. Thank you all for taking the time to read and respond. God bless!
ReplyDelete