Little is Much in the Hands of the Lord

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text:  Mark 8:1-10

Mark 8:6-8

And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. ⁷ And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. ⁸ And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

(ESV)

When we take time to reflect on what God did for us in sending His Son to die for our sins, we realize that none of us has much to offer to the Lord.  Thankfully, God is a gracious God and only asks people to believe in Jesus and enjoy eternal life (John 3:16).  Since John 3:16 is a verse many can recite from memory, we typically recite it without taking time to consider what the verse means.  Therefore, let us take a moment to look closely at the meaning of John 3:16.

God so loved the world, a world that would welcome His Son as long as they received a miracle but that would turn on Him calling for His crucifixion.  John 6 begins with the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-15) but ends with many turning away due to the hard teaching of Jesus (John 6:60, 66).  Yet, God still loves them and sent His Son to die for them.  That He gave His only begotten Son, letting us know of the generosity of God, even towards them that might reject Him when the going gets tough.  That whosoever believes, the only requirement is to believe, but those choosing not to believe are not saved but condemned.  (John 3:18).  Jesus death on the cross means everyone has the opportunity for salvation and reconciliation to God but to receive it, they must believe.  Shall not perish but have everlasting life.  This is the reward for those that believe with those choosing not to believe incurring condemnation and judgment from God. 

The text of Mark 8:1-10 records Jesus feeding of the four thousand.  This account resembles Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand recorded in Mark 6:30-44.  While we do not know how much time transpired between these two miracles, we do know they happened during the three and one-half years of Jesus’ ministry and most likely occurred closely together.  Both miracles illustrate Jesus’ compassion for those in need and demonstrate His ability to take what little people have to offer and multiplying it to meet their needs (John 6:11-13; Mark 8:6-8).  However, both accounts also show doubt with the Disciples focus on the apparent impossibility of feeding such a large crowd (John 6:4-9; Mark 8:4).  Both accounts also show obedience with the Disciples obediently doing what the Lord commands in both accounts despite their doubts (John 6:10; Mark 8:6-7).   

Honest reflection and assessment of our lives will reveal we have little to offer to the Lord.  Thankfully, all God requires of us is to believe that He loves fallen humanity so much that He did not hesitate to send His only Son, Jesus, to die for their sins (John 3:16).  There is also the ongoing process after giving one’s life to God of obedience and transformation of our thinking from secular conformity to the world to thinking according to what is contained in the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2). 

In both accounts of Jesus feeding a multitude, the Disciples had doubts.  However, despite these doubts, the Disciples also demonstrate obedience and belief through their obedience to what God told them to do.  Using the metaphor of one driving a car, living for Christ involves getting out of the driver’s seat and sitting in the passenger seat allowing Christ to drive the car of our lives.  I personally do not like being in the passenger seat of the car and feel more comfortable when driving and in control.  When in the passenger seat I can get nervous about how the other person is driving, but since I have never died or been injured in a traffic accident, these other drivers were good drivers even though I was nervous about how they drove the car.  Letting Jesus drive the car of our lives can be scary as we may not always like how he drives the car of our lives but the destination is for our good (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28).  However, rather than taking control of the wheel ourselves, we must like the disciples, surrender in obedience and go along for the ride for like the outcome in both Mark 8:1-10 and Mark 6:30-44, the destination was good. 

However, the process of belief begins with one surrendering their life to Jesus through belief in the finished work of salvation provided by Jesus’ death on the cross.  One can look at this work as us giving Jesus control of the car of our lives and crashing the car, with us not in it, to take the death penalty for sin and providing a new car or life (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 3:1-14).  The process begins with the initial surrender of one’s life to Christ through a profession of faith in Jesus as savior (Romans 10:9-10).  If you are reading this and have never made this profession of faith, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Congratulations, Jesus has destroyed the old wreck of your sinful life on the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21) and you now have a new life in Christ.  You now have eternal life in Christ but to enjoy the abundance of life in Christ (John 10:10), it is necessary to begin the process of transformation (Romans 12:1-2).  This process is ongoing, occurring through regular prayer and study of the Bible both individually and as part of a church teaching the Bible or a bible study.  The important thing to remember is to allow Jesus to drive the car of our lives and even when it looks like He is an incompetent driver, obediently let Him drive knowing the destination is where he wants us to go. 

Struggle and trials are a part of life and something Jesus warned us would happen (John 16:33).  Therefore, when we give Jesus control of our lives, it does not mean our lives will be free of trouble, just that the driver of our lives, Jesus, knows the best way to navigate through these troubles.  Just like what the disciples did in Mark 6:30-44 and Mark 8:1-10, we must resist the temptation to allow doubt to take over in the driver's seat and obediently believe Jesus knows the best path through the troubles.  May God bless everyone reading this.