How many loaves?

I can't help but think that Christ already knew in His mind the thing He was about to do.  So when He speaks to His disciples and asks them the question, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see," I believe that he was giving them opportunity to enter into the miracle He was planning. Christ surely could have clapped His hands and made bread rain down from heaven. However, there was value in having the disciples grasp the helpless situation.  Five loaves and two fish will in no way feed the thousands assembled on the hillside.

Contrary to some assertions this was not a "miracle" of community sacrifice wherein everyone, after seeing the young boy's generosity, suddenly shared bread they had hidden.  God through Christ made bread and fish miraculously appear.  It can be no other way or else Mark 6:52 makes no sense.  It says that the disciples did not understand the loaves and therefore were utterly astounded by the miraculous walking on the sea and the calming of the storm.  If this were not a true supernatural miracle then Mark would have no reason to criticize the disciples.  It was exactly because they had just seen an amazing supernatural miracle that he was able to do this. 

As for the experience of scarcity and helplessness in our lives, Christ uses this to highlight our need for Him.  It is not as if somehow we are getting along alright and Christ suddenly appears to cause suffering so that we love Him in some narcissistic way.  We in fact are continually upheld, fed, protected by our Lord.  It is just at these times of teaching that we see it.   I think this is why He sent the disciples on the errand of gathering the meager loaves and fish.  Hands on they experience  the need and as they ate, were satisfied, and gathered leftovers in abundance, they understood how generous God and His Christ were.
 

Created over 1 year ago