An event occurred in the Bible which never fails to amaze and to give me hope. This event reminds me time and time again that everything belongs to God and He will do whatever He wishes to with it, regardless of what our finite minds can wrap around.
When Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes, I’m sure his disciples were amazed… I know I would be! The Bible tells us there were about five thousand men in this multitude. Some might argue that this refers to mankind and that the sum total was five thousand persons. I would argue not.
Throughout the Bible, it is a repeatedly observed event to number the adult males, usually between the ages of 20-65, and use that number to record. I think only once were women and children included in the total count. So here, in this situation, if we assign one woman per man and two children per couple, we end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 people!
That’s a LOT! Can you imagine seeing that many people covering the hills as they listened to Jesus preach? Can you imagine what kind of voice Jesus must have had so they all could hear him? What an amazing following and no wonder Jesus had to leave the cities and go into the open spaces… people followed him around in HUGE numbers.
And yet, in the desert, Jesus fed this enormous crowd with five loaves and two fishes. I would have loved to see that event. Additionally, I know that Jesus continues to work in this manner today for those who have faith and believe that he can and will. I have seen things multiply where they shouldn’t have. I have seen and heard tales of money multiplying and income being stretched supernaturally to cover expenditure.
God still works in this way… He is a provider and exists outside the realm of space and time as we know it or even can conceive of. He is God. Everything belongs to Him, He created everything, He can tweak any aspect of His creation He desires… and He loves His people.
This miracle in the desert is a constant reminder to me that I only need believe to receive the bounty residing at His fingertips.
Praise the Lord!
