The Stories of Christmas | What Do You Have?

But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" "How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

Mark 6:37-41 (NLT)

Have you ever been in a situation where what you had was nowhere near enough for what was needed? Maybe you're trying to pay bills with money that just doesn't stretch far enough. Maybe you're trying to help a friend through a crisis, but you don't have the right words or resources. Maybe you're trying to serve others, but you feel like what you have to offer is so small it couldn't possibly make a difference.

That's where Jesus' disciples found themselves. They had thousands of hungry people and only five loaves of bread and two fish. The math just didn't work.

In first-century Palestine, it wasn't uncommon for large crowds to gather around popular teachers. But typically, people would bring their own food or return home for meals. The problem in this passage is that Jesus and his disciples had gone to what Mark calls a "deserted place" to rest, but the crowd followed them there. Now it's getting late, everyone's hungry, and they're miles from the nearest village.

The disciples' solution seems reasonable: send everyone away so they can buy food. But Jesus doesn’t agree. Instead, he tells the disciples, "You give them something to eat." 

Can you imagine their reaction? New Testament scholar R.T. France notes that the amount of money the disciples mention, eight months' wages, would’ve been an astronomical sum for this working-class group. In other words, the disciples are saying, "Even if we had the money, which we don't, we couldn't afford to feed this many people."

But Jesus doesn't ask them about their bank account. He asks them about bread.

Jesus doesn't focus on what the disciples don't have. He doesn't dwell on the impossibility of the situation. He doesn't lecture them about poor planning. Instead, Jesus asks a simple question: "What do you have?"

Not "What do you need?" Not "What do you wish you had?" Not "What would make this easier?" Just "What do you have?"

And when the disciples bring him five loaves and two fish, an amount that's laughably inadequate for the task at hand, Jesus doesn't send them away to get more. He doesn't tell them it's not enough. He simply takes what they have, gives thanks for it, and uses it to feed thousands of people.

That's how God works. God takes what we have and uses it. 

But here's the thing we often miss: The disciples had to actually bring Jesus what they had. They had to take those five loaves and two fish and put them in Jesus' hands, even though it felt inadequate. Even though it seemed pointless. Even though the math didn't work.

And that's what God asks of us too. God asks us to bring what we have and trust him with the rest.

Maybe you've been holding back from serving because you feel like what you have to offer isn't enough. Maybe you've been hesitating to give because you think your contribution is too small to make a difference. Maybe you've been afraid to start because you can't see how your limited resources could possibly meet the overwhelming need.

But that's not your job. Your job isn't to multiply the loaves and fish. Your job is to bring them to Jesus. Your job is to offer what you have, even when it feels inadequate, and trust that God will do the rest.

Because here's the truth: What you have might not feel like much. But in God's hands, it's more than enough.

Prayer

Jesus, I look at what I have to offer and it feels so small. Like five loaves and two fish in the face of overwhelming need. But you didn't ask the disciples to have enough—you just asked them to bring what they had. So today, I'm bringing you what I have. My limited time. My small resources. My imperfect gifts. I'm placing them in your hands and trusting you to multiply them in ways I can't imagine. Help me to stop focusing on what I lack and start offering what I have. Amen.