And they did all eat, and were filled. Mark 6:42
During the second world war, an American bomber, a B-29 on a solo mission, ran into difficulties and the pilot had to ditch the plane in the Pacific Ocean. The ten men who were in the plane, including World War 1 American flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, managed to scramble into two small inflatable rafts. For three weeks, they drifted according to the whims of the wind until they reached an island and were rescued. During those three weeks, their scanty rations ran out, and they became very hungry. In their emergency kit was a fishing line, and one of the men tried to catch a fish. He succeeded only once. The small fish was carved up into ten equal portions, which the men ate raw. One of the men observed that the small tidbit served only to make them feel more empty than before. Much of life is like that; it takes a meal served by the Lord Jesus, as in our text, to satisfy our hearts.
Remember when we were still in our sins, when we tried desperately to find satisfaction in this activity or that entertainment, only to come up empty. The pleasures of sin last for such a short season. It was only when we turned by faith to the Saviour that we found something to satisfy our starving souls. And we have learned, since then, that the things of the world are only emptiness while the things of our Lord are fulfilling and satisfying. The lesson is still hard for us to learn, though, because our flesh still seeks those things of the world, and we are so often tempted to sample those empty wares.
Nobody left that great repast hungry that day, as Jesus broke the bread and fishes, and the disciples served. The people had become hungry; it was a long day and there were no coffee shops or restaurants about. So their appetites were keen when they sat down to dine. From what seemed like a tiny resource, Jesus was able to satisfy them all. If if took a second helping, the second helping was available. Every need of every stomach was met, with a dozen baskets to spare. The same Lord Who satisfied the hunger of thousands on that day is definitely capable of satisfying our needs today. We often forget this, and struggle in our own strength to meet our needs, or try to fill our belly with the husks from the world’s trough. But our Lord would have us to be like those who ate of the bread and fishes that day: sit down in His presence, and in the presence of His people, and allow Him to fill us.
Few lessons in our Christian experience are more valuable to learn that this, that Jesus is able to feed our souls and to fill us with all that we need. -Jim MacIntosh