Seemingly Insignificant
When you put the word “Just” in front of another word, there is a tendency to view what you are talking about as insignificant.
Let me explain.
If I said, “Oh, that is just the middle school students,” your tone might portray that the middle school students don’t matter. Or, you can describe someone as, “Oh, that is just Jay.” The word just tends to make something not matter as much as it should or does.
One person in the Bible, whose name is neither given nor mentioned, could be described as “Oh, it’s just a boy with some food,” as mentioned in John 6:9.
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
The only mention of this boy is found in one verse, while the story in which he is involved is mentioned in four books.
John 6:1-14 is John’s account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Actually, John 6:10 tells us that there were about 5,000 men there. It is possible that women and children were also present, increasing the total number of people to more than 5,000.
The problem on this day was that thousands of people followed Jesus, heard His teachings, and watched Him perform miracles. After a long day, the people grew hungry, but there was no food.
Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples, offered a solution by presenting the young boy and his food to Jesus. This young boy likely offered his help instead of Andrew choosing him.
He is Not Just a Young Boy
Can you imagine what the scene must have been like for this young boy? Thousands of people surrounded him. They were begging for food, but had none in sight. The people were tired. In that moment, the young boy offered what he had. Little did he know that we would still be talking about him thousands of years later.
Sometimes it is easy to miss the boy’s faith and act of service when explaining this story.
It might be easy to think the young boy is seemingly insignificant. But he demonstrates an act of faithful service. The young boy is also an example of how Jesus sees us.
Jesus knows us
Jesus can use us in ways we would not think possible
Jesus is writing our stories
Each of us has something to offer
The young boy is an example of surrendering to Jesus. You are not just another person. You are a part of the story God is writing. He knows you and sees you in a crowd, where you feel lost.
Are you feeling insignificant?
God works in ways that we cannot comprehend. He uses what little we have for incredible things. A young boy, surrounded by a crowd of people, shows us what God can do in our lives.
A seemingly insignificant young boy played a role in one of Jesus’ miracles. What little he had was used to help so many people.
That young boy was not insignificant, and neither are you.