Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.
— Mark 6:39-40 (NKJ)
As we continue to look at the humanity of Jesus, let’s look at a familiar event in Mark 6, the feeding of the 5,000+. There was a crowd of people who spent the day with Jesus and instead of sending them home he decided to feed them.
In verse 38 we read they have a very limited supply of food. To be exact it was 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish which was originally in a little boy’s lunch. It had been packed with the intent to feed one person maybe two at most.
In verse 39-40 Jesus says to organize the people in groups of 50 and 100 and have them sit in the fields. Can you imagine how long this took? Think about it. It would be like organizing a crowd in a football stadium and telling them to sit in alphabetical order regardless of which side they were sitting on! Jesus had 12 disciples to organize the crowd and what he needed was 12 moms! Think about how long this would’ve taken…hours!
So what had Jesus been looking at for the last several hours? He and the disciples had been looking at the huge crowd of people. They were very aware of the vast need.
What happens when you focus on something for a long time? That something becomes VERY BIG and it is all you can see. The available supply is nothing compared to the need. I mean, really?!? The 5 loaves and 2 fish would feed 2 people not 10-15,000. Jesus had spent the last several hours focused on a hillside covered with thousands of people stretching out across the green fields.
After the people were settled into groups we read what Jesus did next in verse 41. ”And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.”
In the Greek “looked up” means to recover sight, to regain sight. Why is that here? What does that mean? Jesus had been seeing the huge need and the lack for the past several hours. He saw that there were 10,000+ mouths to feed and a very meager supply – not even in the the same ball park.
What did he have to do? He had to recover his sight. He had to look up to the Father and realize there is no lack in the Father. He is the all sufficient one. He is Jehovah Jireh. He is provider. He is the abundant one who supplies liberally. He had to remind himself of the Father’s ability, His goodness, who He is. He had to get his mind and eyes off of the need, the lack, and onto the Father.
Jesus has been there when the lack is screaming so loud and when the demand is so high. Jesus knows what it is like to face the seemingly impossible. He showed us what to do. In the midst of an overwhelming situation, we need to stop and look up. We need to regain sight, to recover our sight and get the focus off the situation and onto the goodness of the Father, His provision.
“He came into my humanity to wrap his arms around me.”
He Grew