Jesus Knows...

I can just see it, in my mind’s eye of course. There’s Jesus with His disciples, sitting on the mountainside. He’s teaching them, laughing with them, smiling sweetly at their innocence and wonder, really just enjoying their friendship. Then, as if He knew that someone else was approaching (and He did), Scripture says that He “lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?’”

He saw them. Jesus saw the “great multitude,” thousands of people trudging up the mountain – men and women holding the hands of their children, almost dragging them along to see the Teacher. Jesus saw the elderly, struggling to get up the mountainside. He saw the crippled…the sick…those who seemed healthy on the outside, but He knew – yes, He knew - their hearts were crying out for help...for salvation on the inside.

He saw them…and He had compassion on them. “How shall we feed them?” He asked Philip. What are we going to do for these people? Do you have food for this multitude?” Seeing the enormous responsibility, Philip shook his head. “There’s no way, Lord. Not even if we had two hundred denari worth of bread it wouldn’t be enough. We CAN’T do it.”

Yet, Jesus knew.

I wonder if Christ had a slight smile on His face when He asked the question. I wonder if there was a glimmer in His eye. I can almost just see it! Can’t you? He wasn’t concerned about HOW to take care of these people. He already knew what He was going to do. He knew the miracle He was going to perform. He knew they would be amazed…I wonder if it tickled Him a little…the anticipation.

With Philip still standing there shaking his head in unbelief that even a question was asked, Christ moves. With a wink of the eye and the grin no longer hidden, Christ picks up the bread and fish that were available, gives thanks for it, and watches as the disciples hand out piece after piece of fish and loaf after loaf of bread.

I can see Him grinning largely now…watching their amazement as they reach in the basket, hand someone a piece of bread and fish…only to see another appear. Christ probably broke out into laughter at some point...watching their amazement and enjoying their discovery of His provision.

Do you see it? Can you see the disciples looking back at Him in unbelief, laughing all the way down the mountain? I hope so, because it’s a beautiful picture to behold…in your mind’s eye, of course.

This begs the question though. Which position – which person - does your life seem to emulate in this narrative today? As you picture this Biblical story, are you one of the disciples as they shared the bread, constantly filled with awe and joy as they see first-hand the provision of the Father for His followers? Are you one of the people accepting the provision, not even knowing what was done or how impossible your situation was before Christ “saw you?” Or, is your placement in the story back toward the beginning? Are you Philip standing there looking at Christ in utter hopelessness at the task at hand, wondering what in the world you are going to do? The need is too great. The crowd too large. The impossibility…well, it’s endless.

If that’s where you find yourself today, then let’s take a last look back at the narrative. What’s Jesus doing in the midst of Philip’s distress? Is He anxious as well? Is He pacing back and forth wringing His hands? Nope. Christ is…well, He’s He’s waiting. He’s testing. He’s watching…for He already knows what He’s going to do to provide for ALL those people…and it thrills Him at the thought that the disciples get to see His provision in the realm of the impossible.

Guess what? He knows ahead of time how He’s going to provide for you, too…how He’s going to meet your need. He knows what to do and how to do it. He knows ahead of time the steps you need to take in order to make His provision a reality within your impossible. He knows. Yes, Christ knows what “He would do” for the multitude then…and what He is going to do for you now.

So, I’m going to challenge you (and me) today. Rather than see yourself as Philip in this narrative – stuck in the emotions of the impossibility of the situation - let’s change the picture, or at least our view of it. Let’s look in faith and see ourselves as the disciples whose needs were met as they met the needs of others. Let’s choose to believe…choose to have faith that we are already on the other side of “this”…already provided for…already cared for…the needs already met in an impossible way. Let’s choose to trust Him ahead of time, smile back at Him, and be amazed at what He has planned for our provision in the impossible. For in our situation, just as in theirs, He already knows…what He will do.