17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
When Jesus gets involved, our little is enough. The disciples are worried about the gathered crowd’s hunger. It has been a long day in a remote place, and they are concerned. The concern is a real concern. In a desert climate, refreshment is necessary. They need some food in order to complete their journeys home. Their motives are good. They want to be helpful. The one problem is that they are limited in their understanding of who Jesus is and His capacity to provide. They want to help, but they can only see what is in front of their faces. They only see the five loaves and the two fish. They don’t see the power of Jesus to do something with that seemingly small amount of food. Their eyes are on the natural. Jesus works in the supernatural world. His ability to provide is not tied to this world. He does not need a millionaire to give money to complete a building project. He takes what they have and multiplies it. There is no doubt when this is complete that it was Jesus who did the work. There was no way to come up with an alternative explanation. He made the five loaves and the two fish feed them all, an impossible task. They would break the bread and the piece in their hand never seemed to get smaller. Same with the fish. The food just kept coming until they were all fed. I have not seen this happen in my ministry, but I have heard about it happening with a friend of mine. I have read reports of this happening on the mission field. God’s provision is not limited to earthly resources. He can and does move outside the natural realm when He provides.
The Arnold Journey 