Jan 16 - Jesus Provides

Read Mark 6:35-44

Context: Mark, the author of this book, was not one of the 12 apostles, but there is evidence that he spent a lot of time around them. Some believe that he was very close to Peter, and that this book is actually Marks account of Peter's recollections. At the time our text begins, Jesus has spent all day teaching to a large crowd of people.

Text:
35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
37But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages[a]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish."
39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketful's of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
Footnotes:
Mark 6:37 Greek take two hundred denarii
I love this story -- it not only shows how Jesus will provide for our basic needs and desires, but that he frequently uses the least of us to show his glory. I wonder how this story would have been different today if the boy had a typical snack of potato chips and Pepsi!