”Go and see”

27Jan
‘When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’

-Mark 6: 35-38


My mother has a piece of advice which is not always easy to follow. She will say, “don’t rush forth to meet disaster”. We hear about many anxiety producing events in the world today and sometimes face unforeseen daily crises in our personal lives. It is easy to identify with the disciples’ reaction when Jesus responded to their question about feeding the huge crowd which had followed them into a deserted place. Although I have heard this story many times since childhood, it struck me this time that the disciples had come to this place, on Jesus’ recommendation, to get some rest after being very busy with ministry. It was also late in the day. It is not surprising that they saw a disaster in the making. They certainly could not afford the time or the money to go and purchase food for the huge crowd who had unexpectedly followed them to hear Jesus when they expected a rest. Often today we may also feel that we can’t possibly find time or resources to address one more crisis.


Jesus response to the disciples here is instructive. “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” The disciples followed his advice even though it seemed impossible, and we know the rest of the story. Every one was fed and there was an abundance of food left over. Moreover, Jesus then sent the disciples on ahead to Bethsaida for that much needed rest while he stayed behind to dismiss the crowd. It is difficult, but important for us to remember that we too may find seemingly impossible situations can be resolved if we can step out in faith and follow Jesus’ suggestion, “go and see”. If the result is anything like it was for the disciples, it will be far better than we can imagine. Amongst other unforeseen blessings, we may even experience that much desired rest and rejuvenation.


Musical Reflection - Be Not Afraid - John Michael Talbot


Gracious God, help us to shift our perspective to see the gifts that are offered. We may find that we have all that we need. Amen.

New TestamentGospelParable

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