Planning a Picnic: John 6:1-15:
This scripture is one of the few scriptures about Jesus' miracles that appear in all four Gospels. In it he feeds 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. The references in the other Gospels are: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17.
In each of the Gospels, Jesus is teaching his disciples and a crowd follows them. Soon they realize that it's dinner time and the crowd has nothing to eat. In John's version a small boy has 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. In Matthew, Mark and Luke it is the disciples themselves who have this small amount of food. In each case, Jesus takes what is available, blesses it, and multiplies it so that everyone can eat their fill. Also in each case, the disciples collect 12 basketfuls of leftovers.
Although it appears that the crowds spontaneously followed Jesus out into the wilderness, it is clear that Jesus had a plan for this picnic. The plan was to show the people that he is the Bread of Life - what better way to show this than through a miracle of providing actual food? Jesus is the Bread of Life who takes whatever we offer him and multiplies it for the benefit of all who are in need.
In what ways has Jesus blessed and multiplied what you've offered him? Blessings can come through our finances, our health, our relationships or just being in the right place at the right time to witness a miracle. Jesus performed this miracle by multiplying bread and fish, but the greater miracle is the miracle of life all around us.