Just Begin
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jul 11
- 2 min read
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. (John 6:5-14)
What would you do if you had to feed 15,000 to 30,000 people (including men, women, and children) with no prior notice? Like Philip, most of us would have sought a natural solution, but when Jesus asked him what to do, He wasn’t looking for a good plan; He was looking for faith. Then, Jesus operated in the spiritual gift we call the working of miracles. He took a little, thanked the Father for it, and told His disciples to start handing it out. Don’t worry about how many there are to feed; just begin! They obeyed, and when faith and obedience work together with thanksgiving, miracles happen!
Practical Application
This miracle opened people’s eyes to the fact that Jesus was sent by the Father, but Jesus didn’t perform miracles because He was God. He walked the earth as a man anointed by God (Acts 10:38). Therefore, we can do the same. Miracles occur through faith, obedience, and action. Sometimes you must take the first step before you understand how God will work it out!
