Really?

# 415 - Today's Living Word comes from Mr 6:35-37, “When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. "Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat." But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"

It's interesting to read John's account of this event because he includes a detail not found in Mark. Listen: Joh 6:5-7, “Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."

Jesus brought the matter up of feeding these people BEFORE He began to teach, and He did it in order to test Phillip and the others. They failed. They looked at the size of the crowd, (5,000 men, not counting women and children) and declared that even if they had 200 days wages, it would not be enough to feed this crowd!

How soon they had forgotten how He had sent them out with nothing and supplied their every need. How soon we abandon obedience and faith in time of crisis. Jesus' command was simple, “You give them something to eat.” They delayed because they didn't believe.

Perhaps there is a lesson here for the church today. The physically and spiritually hunger are ever before us. Their numbers are astounding. Nonetheless Jesus tells us, “You give them something to eat.” But we delay because we start to reason that we don't have the resources...............really?

I'm Duane Matz and that's Today's Living Word.