"Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”"  John 6:5-9

Jesus and his disciples have hiked up the mountain to relax and have some time away from the crowd. Some of the people in the village get word that Jesus is in the mountains. This news spreads like wildfire and 5,000 of them head out to find him. As Jesus looks up and sees them coming, He could have said to Philip, "I'm tired, please tell the crowd to wait for me at the bottom and I'll talk to them then." But Jesus doesn't say this, His first response was concern for the people. He was concerned for their physical needs, but more importantly He was concerned about their spiritual needs. The man in Jesus wondered how so many people would be fed with the conditions they found themselves in, so He asks Philip a practical question. A practical question with a profound answer, because the God in Jesus knew what He would do. Philip looks around and within himself for the answer. He assesses the current situation by what he can physical see and with the data he has collected answers Jesus. "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little." This was a nice way to say, "Sorry Jesus, but it's just not possible."

Before Jesus has a chance to answer Philip, Andrew walks up just tell Jesus that there is a little boy here with several loaves of bread and a couple fish, "but what are they for so many?".  Can't you just see Andrew's face a bit twisted as he breathes out these words of unbelief? He has underestimated that power of the One who he is talking too. Jesus does not rebuke Andrew, he simply says, "Make the people sit down." Jesus' actions are about to speak louder than His words ever could.

Often Jesus asks us questions not because He doesn't know the answer but because He wants us to know the answer. Whenever Jesus looks at me and asks a question, I have two options. I can either try and come up with the answer myself or I can look to Him and admit that I don't have an answer but He does. Because Jesus is never puzzled by any situation that comes to us unexpectedly. You see Jesus wants to show Himself mighty in ever situation of life but often we hinder Him because we simply don't believe. I am like Andrew and wonder what good can a few loaves of bread and a couple fish do for 5,000 hungry people. And it would be quite crazy to think of such a thing happening, but when you have Jesus as the host this changes everything.

So let's watch Jesus take the messy and impossible in our lives and make it into something beautiful. Let's answer each question that He asks us with, "Jesus I only have five, or four, or two loaves and a fish or two, but do whatever You can with them, they are yours." May we never underestimate what Jesus will do when we give what we have to Him. Size doesn't matter, it's our faith that matters!