What Are They For So Many?

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee… 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. … 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” John 6:1-9

I remember the early years of our Vietnamese ministry, when we were doing much the same sort of things CFNA is doing now. We collected food, clothing, household goods, and other necessities, and distributed them to newcomers who needed them. We taught classes in English, citizenship, and home health care, so that our people could learn as quickly as possible how to get what they needed in their new country. And constantly we faced the question: “What are these—these few resources we have—among so many?”

As you know, Jesus answered Andrew’s question by doing a great miracle. He multiplied the bread and fish, so that everyone in the crowd got enough to eat. While we rarely see obvious miracles like this today, we do see God’s provision in quieter ways—as he sends the gifts, skills, and people needed to meet the huge need for care among newcomers to America.

But still Andrew’s question echoes among us who care for refugees: “What are these, among so many?”

Could you be one of the answers to this question?

By Dr. Kari Vo