“Setting the Stage for a Miracle”

Does God still do miracles, like back in biblical times? If he does, why don’t we notice more of them. Can miracles be explained scientifically? Do some people fake them? Again, if God is the same today as he was yesterday, why don’t we notice more miracles?

The Bible tells about the miracle of the loaves and fishes, probably Christ’s most famous miracle.

There were 5,000 men, around 20,000 people including women and children. All day long they’d been listening to Jesus out in the middle of nowhere, and they were hungry.

Jesus asked a disciple, “How much money would it take to feed them?” The disciple calculated it would take what most workers made in half a year. Unfortunately, the disciples didn’t have that kind of money. Even if they did, there weren’t any stores nearby with enough food for 20,000 hungry mouths.

So, the disciples couldn’t buy their way out of that problem. They needed a miracle. Lo and behold, they got one. Somehow, there was plenty of food for everybody, even leftovers! What happened?

Of course, only God, or God’s Son, can perform miracles. But there was more to the story, because Christ’s miracle didn’t come out of thin air. People played a role in it.

First, one of the boys there had a sack lunch. It was a typical meal for poor people—a few dried fish and some barley loaves. The boy donated it to the cause. Although it wasn’t much, it was a start, something for Jesus to work with. That measly meal, given with a generous heart, helped set the stage for a miracle.

Secondly, the twelve disciples also pitched in. Their contribution was their organizational skills. participated. God doesn’t seem to work as well in chaotic situations. Large crowds tend to get rowdy, so Jesus had the disciples do crowd control, dividing the people into smaller, more manageable groups. Perhaps the disciples didn’t understand why they were doing it, but their efforts helped set the stage for a miracle.

Thirdly, some people in the crowd had brought empty baskets. Remember, not only did Jesus feed the 20,000; there were 12 baskets full of leftovers! Why would they lug around empty baskets? Maybe they trusted that the Good Shepherd would fill them to overflowing. The faith of the people helped set the stage for a miracle.

Before Jesus did anything else, he turned to God and gave thanks for all who had helped set the stage. Jesus thanked God, in advance. He was thankful for the little boy’s lunch, and for how the disciples got the crowd ready, and for the faith of at least twelve people who brought baskets. Jesus blessed all of it, and then he started multiplying. That’s what happens when we give to Jesus what we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.

How often do you hold back from God what you have, thinking it’s too little? How often do you deprive God of your capabilities, even though they might be few? How often do you come to Jesus full of yourself, and end up leaving empty, instead of coming empty and leaving full?

It seems to me like that’s our takeaway from this story. Yes, God performs miracles, but that doesn’t mean he likes to do them in a vacuum. We should give what we’ve got and do what we can, even when we don’t think it’s enough. That’s called setting the stage.