Mark 6: 1-13 “Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 5000 MEN + WOMEN & CHILDREN = 20,000VIDEO OF 20,000 PEOPLE WALKING ACROSS A FIELD 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. JESUS ALREADY HAD THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. HE ALREADY HAD THE ANSWER. THE MIRACLE HAD ALREADY BEEN ALIGNED. WHAT WE SEE AS A PROBLEM, JESUS SEES AS A POSSIBILITY. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” BARLEY BREAD WAS THE COMMON FOOD OF THE POOR. EACH LOAF WAS THIN AND SMALL, MUCH LIKE A CRACKER, NOT A LARGE LOAF OF FRENCH BREAD. TWO SMALL FISH – WE’RE NOT TALKING KING SIZE SALMON, MOST LIKELY A SMOKED FISH THE SIZE OF SARDINES. LITERALLY A LUNCH. 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. THE DISCIPLES HAVE TO TRUST THAT JESUS IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING THEY CANNOT DO. THEY ARE INSTRUCTING THIS MASSIVE CROWD TO SIT DOWN IN EXPECTATION, KNOWING FULLY WELL THEY ONLY HAVE THE LUNCH OF A BOY TO OFFER. THE BOY HAD TO SACRIFICE THE LUNCH HIS MOTHER HAD MADE HIM. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. GOD IS ALL ABOUT MULTIPLICATION! OUR GOD IMAGINES, HE MANIFESTS, HE CREATES, AND HE MULTIPLIES. BUT, GOD’S MULTIPLICATION IS A RESULT OF 3 THINGS: * TRUST THE DISCIPLES HAD TO TRUST JESUS WAS REALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING TO FEED THIS HUNGRY CROWD. THEY WERE TELLING THEM TO SIT DOWN IN ROWS AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE. THEY STEPPED UP TO LEAD OUT OF TRUST. GOD’S MULTIPLICATION IS A RESULT OF: * SACRIFICE OUT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THE CROWD, YOU CAN’T TELL ME THE ONLY PERSON WITH FOOD WAS THIS ONE BOY. YET, WHEN THE DISCIPLES SEARCH THE CROWD FOR WHAT COULD BE OFFERED, ONLY THE BOY’S LUNCH WAS AVAILABLE. GOD ASKS FOR SOMETHING TO START WITH. HE DOESN’T CARE HOW SMALL IT IS. HE DOESN’T CARE HOW INSIGNIFICANT IT IS. HE ASKS FOR SOMETHING. ONLY THE BOY’S LUNCH WAS OFFERED, SO IT WAS THE BOY’S LUNCH THAT WAS USED. IMAGINE BEING IN THE CROWD, BEING ASKED BY ONE OF THE DISCIPLES IF YOU HAD ANY FOOD TO HELP FEED THE CROWD, AND KEEPING YOUR OWN LUNCH IN YOUR BACKPACK BECAUSE YOU KNEW IT WAS INSIGNIFICANT. THEN YOU SEE THE MIRACLE. THEN YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T GET TO PARTICIPATE AS GOD’S VESSEL FOR MIRACULOUS PROVISION BECAUSE YOU DID OFFER WHAT YOU HAD. NOW I WANT YOU TO THINK OF SOMEONE NEVER MENTIONED IN THIS STORY, YET SOMEONE WHO PLAYED AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE MIRACLE WE STILL READ ABOUT TODAY. THERE WAS A MOM.