Mark 6:37-38 37But in answering he did to them, “You yourselves give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Going out should we buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
We used to sing a song in Sunday night services called, “Little is Much when God is in It.” The story of the crowds following Jesus and his disciples continues to the point of a crisis. The people were so excited to see Jesus and his disciples. The disciples must have made quite the impression among the people with in their mission to preach and heal like Jesus. Now, the one who sent them out had arrived. He was the real power behind all that happened. The crowds were tired and hungry. Their focus had been on following Jesus and not taking care of some of their basic needs. The disciples had learned an important lesson that Jesus is the source of life, so they turn to him at this crisis moment.
Jesus’ answer to the problem is surprising when he tells the disciples to feed the people. Obviously, he is testing their faith with his response. Had they learned anything on their mission? They traveled with nothing but faith, a walking stick, and the clothes on their back. Yet, they had thrived and even had attracted a large crowd. Their response indicates that they still “did not get it” when it came to Jesus. They were thinking from an earthly, human perspective. Mark points out the faulty response of the disciples (see 6:52; 8:14-21). By their response, they still had not recognized the power of Jesus. Their response in verse 37 shows unbelief and selfishness. They thought they had to come up with a lot of money and take the time to buy food for all the people. A denarius was about what the average laborer would have made in a day. This was a lot of money for disciples who had nothing with them.
Jesus’ response in verse 38 almost rings with exasperation, but he gives them another opportunity to trust him and see how God provides for those who seek him in faith and submission. Jesus was confident that they could solve the problem through the eyes of seeking faith. It must have taken some effort to look around and find a little boy (John 6:9) with five loaves and two fish. The loaves were likely more like biscuits and the fish were likely dried and small. This was not a substantial amount of food, even for a grown man. Jesus challenged the disciples to look for available materials and trust God for the results. God had given them just what they needed to solve the problem, but it would take faith to go look. The answer required all they could find, but God blessed it and multiplied it.
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