There are two problems that those of us who claim to follow Jesus face. We tend to be too lazy to do what Jesus calls us to. We also try to get out of our responsibilities. We want to blame other people.
The disciples, like so many of us, tried to get out of their responsibilities. They knew that they could not afford to feed everyone, so they tried to find someone else to make responsible. They were looking for someone else to blame.
There was a young boy- apparently the only one in the crowd who came prepared- who was willing to share what he had. This boy appears in the parallel account of this story in John 6.9.
- He did not believe in "helping those at home first."
- He did not offer his leftovers.
- He exercised faith in Christ and obedience to his word.
Jesus merely prayed for the meal and broke it.
The disciples distributed/shared what Jesus blessed.
- They did not take for the leaders first. They served those who had come.
- They obeyed what was essentially a "ridiculous" command of Jesus. (By now they were used to "ridiculous" commands?)
Everyone did something.
For prayers to be answered, sometimes we have to act. We have to pray and do.
Over the coming year, we are going to be asked to
- serve more
- love more
- live more
- give more
- study more
- pray more.
