John 6:11 – And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
John was very descriptive when describing the handing out the fish and the bread. He used the word diadídōmi which means to hand out the bread from hand to hand in succession. This is a beautiful way to describe what happened here, they gave the boy’s lunch to Jesus, He looked into heaven and blessed the bread, then He handed it out piece by piece into the hands of the disciples. The miracle happened as they took the bread and fish from the Lord and passed it from hand to hand to the people. Did it multiply when Jesus put in the disciples hands? Did it multiply as they shared the meal from hand to hand with one another? Apparently it was a continual miracle that kept happening as the people were passing out the food. Here is how Matthew Henry described this miracle.
“The dividing of the food. The Master of the feast was himself the head carver, for he brake, and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. Ministers can never fill people’s hearts unless Christ first fills their hands, and what he has given to the disciples, they must pass on to the crowd. And we bless God that no matter how great the crowd, there is enough for all and enough for each. Only the increase itself is noticed here, not its cause or the way in which it was done. No mention is made of any word that Christ spoke. The purposes and intentions of his will and mind will take effect even if they are not spoken. Yet it is significant that the food was multiplied not when it was all together originally but when it was distributed. This shows us that grace grows by being acted on and that while other things perish when they are used, spiritual gifts increase as they are used. In this way, there is that which scattereth, and yet increaseth.”
This miracle speaks to all of us on a daily basis. The needs surrounding us are immense, none of us can come close to solving the problems that consume our world. Take the problem of homelessness for example, there are several thousands of homeless people living all around us in the New Orleans area. None of us have the resources to fix this problem. As a matter of fact we know finances alone can’t fix broken lives. What can we do? Start with one person and take them some ‘fish and bread’. God’s ways are unlimited and His ways are not our ways. It’s not only the homeless but there are unlimited people living in desperation all around us. Abandoned and forgotten children trying to make it through life. Confused and addicted young people trapped by the false promises of the pleasures of this world. The list is endless. What can I do? Just start right where you are, get some bread and fish from Jesus and reach out to one of His lost sheep.
