Gather the Fragments and Fill Your Basket
By Rev. James May
In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, there is the story of one of the greatest miracles that Jesus performed while he ministered among the Jews. Jesus always looked upon the multitudes with compassion. Though he loved each person he encountered, and he made it a point to reach out and touch each one that came to him in faith, believing in his power to heal and deliver, Jesus never forgot that there were multitudes around him that were still wandering in spiritual darkness and in distress over the cares of life.
We often tend to focus so inwardly, or to have such a narrow view of life that we often miss the big picture. It’s challenging enough for some of us to be concerned and show compassion to those within our little circle of friends and family, much less to gaze with compassion upon the multitude of people around us. I think the reason that many people never get involved in reaching out to the multitudes is that we are often overwhelmed by immensely great needs of everyone around us.
There’s not a day goes by that some new tragedy is brought to our attention. When you being to think of the numbers of people who are caught up in drugs, alcoholism, and the sinful lifestyle of this world; and then add to that the vast numbers who are stricken with physical diseases that threaten to take life, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and so many others; it seems to drive you almost to the point of despair because there’s just so little that any of us can do to really make a difference in so many lives.
But Jesus still focused in on the needs of the multitudes. He didn’t ignore them because their numbers were great and their needs were many. He still tried to reach out to them in every way he could.
Jesus came and died upon the cross for the multitudes. “Whosoever will” includes every one of the nameless faces lost in the sea of humanity. There’s not one of that multitude that He doesn’t care for, not one that he would allow to be cast aside and be counted as unworthy of his mercy and grace. The compassion of Christ reaches out to all men, everywhere, in every nation, tribe, tongue and people. There is no one soul that will pass into eternity without God knowing it, and every one of them will have felt that somewhere in their innermost being, there was something needed; something that only their Creator could fill.
In John Chapter 6 we see that Jesus looked once again upon the multitude with compassion. He was acutely aware of their needs; always focused on being the Provider for the entire human race. The heart of God is always inclined to bless his people whenever His people will have faith to accept it.
Matthew 9:36, "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."
Matthew 14:14, "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."
The miracle that was about to happen, of course, is the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish.
Is there a significance in the fact that these were barley loaves? First of all they must have been pretty small, after all this little boy carried five of them in his basket. They probably were not much larger than a biscuit that you would eat at breakfast.
It was about the time of the barley harvest in Israel, and the time of the Passover was drawing close. At the feast of the Passover the priests would take a sheaf of barley and use it as a wave offering in the temple as a form of praise for the harvest and of a giving of the first fruits of the gathering of the grain.
But barley wasn’t the favored bread of the people. It was made into bread because sometimes that was all that was available to make bread, but the bread was not the best of tasting or quality and was more often used as feed for the horses and camels. Only the poorest of the people would live on barley bread because of its very coarse texture. Those who could afford it would prefer the bread made from flour that came from the wheat harvest.
Perhaps this was the Lord’s way of saying, “Though the bread that I will offer may not seem to be the most favored thing in your life; it will be more than sufficient to meet your need and provide the sustenance you need for life.” Many would not partake of this barley bread, often rejecting it as too hard, too coarse, and hard to digest. And so would they reject the Lord himself; that Bread of Life that was sent down to us from Heaven.
Often that which we need the most to help us grow spiritually, is the hardest thing to swallow. The trials and tests that build our faith are seldom pleasant to the flesh. Yet we must not reject that which the Lord gives lest we miss the great blessing that comes as a part of it.
And what about the fish? It’s a cinch that these were not 30 lb catfish that had been fileted, fried and wrapped in gallon plastic bags for this young man’s lunch. Neither was it a bag full of “Goldfish Crackers that has been “flavor blasted” like a few of the students in one of the classes had today. I’m sure that what this young man carried in his basket was only meant to be enough for him alone, or perhaps his own family, but not enough to be shared with so many. More than likely, they were very small fish, more like sardines or a perch that had been pickled, salted, or broiled and dried in the sun.
The Size of our talents doesn’t matter; quantity doesn’t matter; and even the quality didn’t matter to Jesus. All that mattered was that at this point in time, at this place where he was, there was a source of food and an obedient young man that Jesus could use to perform a miracle. And it was not by coincidence that this young lad stood right there beside the disciples at the exact moment he was needed. It was all by God’s design.
The Holy Spirit caused this boy to have the curiosity to follow Jesus. The Holy Ghost woke his parents up, and caused them to put together this lunch for this boy. The Holy Ghost led him every step of the way, for young children were often shoved aside or forbidden to go near the great teachers. Yet here was this boy, at the right place and at the right time to be used in making a miracle. Praise God that He is in control of every circumstance.
I’ve often wondered what this boy thought when the disciples reached out and snatched his lunch right out of his hand. I guess that boy didn’t have the same attitude of so many today, “That’s mine! Give it back!” Or maybe he did! They would just have ignored him anyway. Kids didn’t have the right to refuse what their elders did or said. All he could do was just give it up and watch what happened.
Jesus took those barley loaves and fish and began to break them into pieces and satisfy the needs of the people, and he gave out what each one needed, but the source never ran dry. No matter how many times he broke that biscuit in half, there was always another half to give. No matter how many times He took a sardine out of the basket there was another sardine to give. What a miracle that must have been! How great would it have been to be able to stand there and watch Jesus perform that miracle!
I don’t believe that Jesus blessed the basket with the loaves and fishes and suddenly there was a mountain of barley cakes and bushels of sardines. It was one by one, one piece at time as the need arose. It was a miracle in the making and in the serving, not just in speaking it into existence. One piece at time, one fish at time, the basket never ran dry unto every single person on that hillside had been fed.
Isn’t it great to know that the well of provision from which our Heavenly Father supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory will never run dry! Our God is Jehovah Jireh – our Provider; He is Jehovah Elohim – Our God of power and might; he is Abba Father in Romans 8:15; He is my Advocate, my legal defender in courts of Heaven in 1 John 2:1; He is my All in All in Colossians 3:11; He is the Author of My Eternal Salvation in Hebrews 5:9;; He is Bread of God in John 6:33; Bread of Life in John 6:35, He is my Breath of Life in Genesis 2:7 and Revelation 11:11; He is my Buckler in Psalms 18:2; He is the Captain of my Salvation in Hebrews 2:10; He is my Comforter in John 14:26; He is my Counselor in Isaiah 9:6; He is my Deliverer in Romans 11:26; He is Emmanuel, God with us always in Matthew 1:23; He is Faithful and True in Revelation 19:11; He is King of Kings and Lord of Lord; and there are over 200 plus other descriptions of who Jesus is and what He has done for me in God’s word! JESUS TRULY IS ALL I NEED!
God’s blessings and his provision are constantly there, always ready for each of us to take hold and consume whatever part of it we desire to have. Jesus offers it; it’s there for the taking, but we have to reach out, take it and instill it within ourselves for it to do any good. God’s well never runs dry; but how much of that well we receive depends upon our level of spiritual hunger; our faith to reach out, take and receive; and our spiritual maturity enough to digest what God gives. If we are spiritually thirsty, hungry and dry; it’s not God’s well that’s lacking; it’s our own hunger and desire and commitment to following Jesus that is the cause.
The disciples were commanded to give out what Jesus gave to them. Give it all to the people first. Let the needs of the multitude be met; let those who sat upon the hillside; who were not a part of the inner circle of followers of Christ; let them be the first to be fed.
Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. Those who are well don’t need a physician. Do the will of God by reaching out to those in need and your needs will be met in time in an even greater measure than you could imagine.
2 Corinthians 9:6, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
Luke 6:38, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
What about those disciples? Do you think they were hungry? I wonder if the thought crossed their mind, “I’m giving it all I have. I’ve given everything away. I’ve been obedient; met the needs of the people; watched the miracle happen; seen the people filled; - NOW WHAT ABOUT ME? Where’s my portion? When will I be filled and blessed?”
Jesus didn’t give the loaves and fish to the disciples first and then say, “Eat yours now! Consume all you want before you go out! You get the first and the best!” No, He said, go and feed the people in need first, and never mentioned what the disciples needed until all the people were filled. Only then did Jesus turn to those who were serving him and see to their heart’s desires.
John 6:12, "When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost."
What was left after all the people ate everything they wanted? This was an “all you can eat buffet”! Everybody was filled. While the disciples worked, and probably got hungrier and hungrier, the multitude gorged themselves with everything given to them. All that was left was fragments of the blessings that Jesus had provided!
Fragments – pieces of bread or fish that were unused, partially consumed, broken in little pieces, perhaps crushed into the grass, stepped on and left behind unwanted, cast aside as something worthless, - but they were part of God’s miracle of provision and every fragment had value! NONE WAS TO BE LOST!
Give your best to God to use in his kingdom and in his work; you might feel like there’s nothing left, but give what you have. So what if you feel inadequate! So what if you feel unusable! So what if you feel trampled on! Give your fragment to God and watch him use it to bless you!
John 6:13, "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."
The disciples then grabbed their own basket and started picking up the fragments that were left lying around. These were things that nobody wanted or needed, but they were everywhere upon the ground.
There were 12 baskets full left over, more than sufficient for each of the disciples, not just for the moment for some time to come. Their baskets were filled to the top with more than enough.
Among the Jews there is a word called “Peah”, which means “residue”. The “peah” is what is left over after a meal; and the” peah” becomes the property of those who served the meal. Whatever is left belongs to the disciples. Whatever is left belongs to you if you’re serving God’s people. You get all of the leftovers, everything that no one else needs; but its all part of the same blessings that God gave to the multitudes! It’s all yours! Just fill up your basket!
There is a little side note to the fact that there was 12 baskets already there to be filled.
It is taught by some scholars that the Jews in those days usually carried baskets with them, much like you and I would carry a satchel, a briefcase, a piece of luggage or a purse. This was where they kept all of their belongings as they traveled on foot.
The baskets served as a constant reminder to the Jews of the time that their nation spent in slavery down in Egypt. While they worked under the rule of Pharaoh, each Jew had a basket in which they carried straw,
stubble or hay to make bricks. These baskets usually were made to hang around the neck.
The Jews carried baskets wherever they went, according to some teachers of Jewish tradition, because whenever they were to travel into the places where the Gentiles dwelled, the Jews always carried their own provisions. They did not want to become polluted by eating food that the heathens had that could have been offered to idols. And they always carried a little hay, or straw, to make their sleeping places a little more comfortable.
The real point of all this is that each of us has our own “basket” to carry everywhere we go. It is nota basket that you carry in your hands, but a basket of the heart. In that basket we are to carry every fragment of God’s blessings that we can possibly hold. We can’t allow the miracles of God in our lives to go unnoticed, unseen, unappreciated and unused.
Jesus said, “let nothing be wasted”. How many of the fragments of God’s blessings in our lives are we leaving on the ground? How full is your basket? How hungry are you for the fragments that are left behind when God begins to move?
Help us, Lord, to never take for granted that which you have provided for us. Though we may give all that we are in your service; we know that all it will take is just the fragments to meet our every need. Help us Lord: help us to keep our baskets full. Help us to gather up your mercy offerings. Help us to pick up every scrap of that which comes from the miracle working power of God and leave nothing behind.
Every piece, even the smallest part of that Bread of Life, is given for me. Every piece of that broken fish, that meat that is given from the hand of Jesus for the nourishment of my soul; all of it, I want! Let me be a good steward of all that you have for me and let me leave nothing behind.
AMEN
