“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9)
If you’ve read any of the first 4 books of the New Testament, you would’ve come across the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Yes, it is the account of how Jesus multiplied 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish to feed thousands. Last Sunday, a guest preacher at our church illustrated the chain of giving in this miracle. A mother gave the bread and fish to her son, the son gave it to the disciples, the disciples gave it to Jesus…
Although his emphasis was on the giving part of this miracle; what struck me most, was how it began. This was something I hadn’t thought of before. Although it’s not mentioned in the Bible, a mother probably gave the bread and fish to her son. Did you get that? A mother, packed her son 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish for his lunch.
Was that where the the miracle began? A seemingly small gesture of a mother packing her son lunch?
I wonder what was running through this mother’s head that morning…
Was she in a frenzy trying to get all the household work done, while taking care of her kids?
Was she worn out, wondering how on earth she could possibly get everything on her to-do list done that day?
Was she questioning the worthiness of her mundane tasks at home?
And when her son asked her for a picnic lunch, maybe she was a bit annoyed…
Oh great! just what I need…
My son’s running off to hear some man, and leaving me to tackle all the chores alone…
Do I really need the additional task of fixing him a picnic lunch?
Why can’t he come back home for lunch? Or grab something on the way?
And yet, we know that the son had his lunch with him when he went to listen to Jesus. The mother had packed a small meal for him. And you probably know the rest of that story. {If you have no clue about the story, you can read all about it here.}
I wonder what the mother’s reaction was, when the son explained the miracle to her when he got back home. I can imagine her filled with awe, humbled that Jesus would choose to use her meager offering to perform a mind-blowing miracle.
If you, like me wonder at times if the mundane tasks you do at home really matter… Take heart, my friend. The simple things you do for your family, are no different from the 5 loaves and 2 fish that another mother, in another era, packed for her son. And that was where the miracle began.
That mother received almost nothing in return, no glory, no acknowledgement; save the knowledge that God had used her little offering to bless thousands. Can we be content, knowing that the little things we do in our home – those pesky, mundane chores that drive us crazy; are indeed an offering to God? Yes, they are! Now off to fold a pile of laundry! 😉
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)
Photo Credit: Phil Roeder
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What I also find bewildering is this: the boy gave up his lunch -where did he learn that? It’s surprising to note this little character pop up in one of the greatest miracles that Jesus performed. The narrative also makes note that the disciples, perhaps, had food plans and they asked the rest to “make their own plans” (Matt 14:15). However, this little, inconspicuous lad was the chief instrument for Christ’s miracle, and he believed and came forward to give up his whole lunch so that Jesus could use it to feed the hungry. I now wonder how many such mothers can teach their children these gospel truths at such an early age.
I’m amazed that a small boy would choose to share his lunch, instead of devouring it himself. As you said, his parents must have trained him well. What a lesson about instilling Christian virtues in our children. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Sarmishta.
This is really neat, I have never thought of it this way! Great post! 🙂
Loved this post…what a great reminder. Thank you for sharing.
I don’t think I’ve ever thought about the mother behind the boy. Very interesting. Makes me think of the old saying “the hand that rocks the cradle . . .”
What a wonderful, thought-provoking post! Makes me thankful I am able to do these small things so they can be used of the Lord to bring Him glory!!
Wow – I got tears in my eyes while reading this. I have never thought of this story from the mother’s perspective. You are being featured for my Weekend Roundup this week. Blessings from Croatia! Thanks for linking up at Mommy Teaches Friday Blog Hop
Eye-opening perspective. Thanks I shall use this as focus for encouragement to mothers as we consider sacrificial living.
the takeaway I got from this story is all about SURRENDER. Grownups find surrender challenging but the little boy -born in a grown ups world wasnt influenced by their worldview.
Jesus wants it – He can have it: Wow. and remember it was returned back to him – he too enjoyed the fruit of his sacrifice as Jesus multiplied that offering and fed the multitude including him.
This is marvelous to hear. The boy’s Mom is not mentioned in the Bible but we can insinuate she prepared the package for her son. And this turned out to enhance the miracle of Jesus, feeding the five thousands.
This is a lesson to all of us, especially ladies in the church. Your role is too great and powerful