Five Barley Loaves and Two Fishes - John 6:9

The apostle John wrote how, “Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he said unto Philip, Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said unto him, ...”, and in chapter six and verse nine of his book, John shared how Andrew said, “there is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes” where we read:

There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes:

but what are they among so many?

The verse reads, “There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes:”. John began with the words, “There is a lad here” or “there exists a little boy in this location or place”, “which has five barley loaves” which means “who holds, owns and possesses five flour with water loaves of bread made of barley”, “and two small fishes” or “and two tiny fish which are usually salted and dried as a condiment”. John shared how Andrew told Jesus there was a “small boy” where they were located who possessed “five loaves made of barley” and “two tiny fish”.

The verse continues, “but what are they among so many?” John added the words, “but what are they” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover what are the five barley loaves and two small fishes” “among so many” or “for such a great quantity of people”? John shared how Andrew wondered how “five barley loaves” and “two tiny fish” would be of any significance toward this large multitude.

When we think through John's words in this verse, we learn how Andrew, Jesus' disciple, discovered a “little boy” with “five barley loaves and two tiny fishes” among the crowd. He presented this finding to Jesus, but he wondered what that amount of food would be for the large group of people around them. God is able to do “impossible” things with very small amounts, and when the idea of this “small amount of food” was presented to Jesus, we shall see what He will do with it. Jesus came to the world to prove He has more than sufficient supply even when there does not seem to be much at hand. Second Kings chapter four tells the story of God supplying the need for a woman with a small amount of resources, and those who are wise will not only think about what God can do with small amount, but also yield to His miracle working Son Jesus to be their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time John shares how Jesus says, “make the men sit down … in number about five thousand” began to respond to Jesus, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".