John 6: Are You Broken?

Over 5,000 people crowded around a hilltop to hear Jesus. In John 4:1-14 Jesus asked the disciples what they should do to feed them. Jesus knew what he would do, but he wanted to prove or test the faith of the disciples. The disciples had no idea how to feed all these people. Philip doesn’t think 200 pennyworth of bread could feed them all. As recorded in Mark 6, they even suggest telling the people to go away and feed themselves.

A lad had a small lunch of five barley loaves and two small fishes. Jesus takes the food, blesses it, breaks it and distributes it. He feeds the multitude and the disciples take home 12 baskets of leftovers. The theme of the book of John is “believing that we might have life” and the miracle definitely encourages someone to trust in Christ.

But what is powerful to consider is noticing exactly where the miracle took place:

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.

The disciples put 2 small fish and 5 loaves into the very hands of God. They took the little that they had and put it in the very hands of God and it was there in his hands that the little they gave was multiplied over and over and over again – Jesus kept breaking the bread and he that made life made more bread and more fish and an impossible need was met because a few people were faithful enough to entrust what they had to the very hands of God. Then the disciples got their baskets and the lad that gave the lunch didn’t go hungry either. It’s amazing to consider what the Lord can do with what little we give him.

But remember the purpose of the miracle: Jesus sought to prove the disciples. As that bread needed to be broken before it could be used, so the disciples and their way of doing things needed to be broken before they could be used. Their plan was to send the people away or buy them all bread. They considered the loaves and fishes too little among so many, but it was all they had. But that small amount was the very will of God for their lives at moment. And it was multiplied over and over.

We must surrender our plans, our power and our way of doing things to the hands of the Master. We don’t have to have all the details figured out and have all the answers, but God does. Our ideas of parenting or having a great marriage need to surrendered to His Word. Put your life in His hands, let Him break us of our will and use us in magnificent ways we never thought possible.