Good Morning Friends,
Today’s telling of the feeding of the five thousand from Mark reads like a Kingdom‑minded sacrament—an earthly glimpse of the heavenly feast. It is more than a miracle of food or a memory of Moses organizing the tribes. It is Jesus offering an invitation to salvation. And when we hold this story alongside John’s letter, one question arises: Will We Take God’s Inspirational Math To Heart?
Scripture: As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
Mark 6:34-44 (NRSV)
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:7-10 (NRSV)
Message: Jesus has a remarkable way of taking the traditions of the past and revealing their deeper truth. Today’s scriptures remind us that success is not measured by what we possess, but by who possesses us. It is measured in love—what we are willing to borrow, share, and surrender for God’s purposes. If Christ possesses us, we are already standing on the highest rung that matters. When we learn to love the life God has placed us in, we become fruitful regardless of status or circumstance. Jesus teaches contentment, but also the joy of flourishing in God’s abundance. And part of that wisdom is knowing our limits—setting boundaries so that we can share generously with others. The backdrop of the feeding of the 5,000 is full of tension: John the Baptist has been killed, Jesus has been rejected in his hometown, and the disciples are weary. Yet Jesus responds not with anger, but with compassion. This compassion becomes the setting for the miracle. The Israelites once struggled with wanting more, and we share in that struggle. Our world constantly tells us we need something else to be happy. But Jesus teaches a different math: gratitude for what we already have. Five loaves. Two fish. Not enough—until they are placed in his hands. Jesus multiplies what is offered. Everyone eats. Twelve baskets overflow. This is the miracle of the Kingdom: God takes what we lend and turns it into abundance. Jesus borrowed boats, borrowed loaves, borrowed a donkey, borrowed an upper room, even borrowed a tomb. What he borrowed became a blessing. The calculation of the Kingdom hinges on the heart. Love is the true measure. When Jesus sees the crowd, he sees their hunger—spiritual, emotional, physical. Before the bread is multiplied, compassion is multiplied. And then he invites the disciples into the miracle: “You give them something to eat.” They see scarcity. Jesus sees possibility. He asks them to look not at what they lack, but at what they have. This is where 1 John 4 meets Mark 6: “Beloved, let us love one another… for God is love.” Love begins not with us, but with God’s initiative. God loves first. God multiplies first. And we are invited to participate.
And So, God meets us today where we are and God knows we often feel like we only have “five loaves and two fish”—limited time, limited energy, limited courage. Yet Jesus still asks us to bring what we have. Not what we wish we had. Not what someone else has. Just what is already in our hands. Compassion begins with seeing. Love begins with offering. Abundance begins with surrender. And God does the multiplying.
Pray that we recognize we were loved into existence by the Holy Spirit, who weaves our moments together for the sake of love. Pray that we become more relational and start with what we already have. Pray that we experience the joy of lending our time, energy, and creativity to Jesus. Pray that our desires align with God’s timing and God’s purposes. Pray that we trust God’s provision and refuse to reject God’s sufficiency. Pray that we learn godliness with contentment. Pray that we appreciate the abundance of God’s compassion. Pray that we loan our lives to Jesus—our voices, hands, smiles, and eyes—so that God may live through us. Pray that we let Jesus define the measure of our love. Pray that we see others with compassion and offer what little we have for God to bless, break, and multiply. Pray that God’s love flows through us to feed, heal, and restore. Pray that we live in God’s abundance, knowing we are loved and that in Jesus we live on.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 