Five and Two

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Mark 6:35–44
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Five and Two
Jesus knew what he was going to do, but he tells them anyway, "you give them something to eat." He knew that they couldn't take care of so many people. The immensity of the gift was insurmountable. Two hundred denarii wouldn't be enough. In our depravity, Jesus gives us everything that we need. He supplies everything for this body and life. He gives us our daily bread and he daily and richly forgives all our sins. He gives us life and salvation because he loves us. They were all satisfied. Jesus took five loaves and two fish and fed them all. But even in the gift and the daily bread, the Lord Jesus gives thanks to the Father. May we learn from Jesus to know that every good and perfect gift comes from the Heavenly Father out of love for us and give thanks, too. Jesus' promises never fade. They are always kept. He gives you everything you need.