Juice box miracles
by Sal Huckel
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Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do (John 6:5b,6).
Read John 6:1–21
If you have ever given a juice box to a small child, you know they are filled to the brim and that, within seconds of handing it to a toddler, their immediate squeeze of the box is going to go everywhere. I fixed this by telling them I was ‘just taking the top off first’. As our family grew, so did my little ‘freebie’ drink and I could give six children a drink without buying one for myself! The older children knew exactly what I was doing, when I still ‘took the top off’ theirs long past the age of needing to avoid spillage. This has progressed to the dinner table. Last week when my husband was away, and all six children (some now young adults) were home, I served six dinners instead of seven – only to be asked where my own plate was. This has happened before, and we know the drill. I took a polite spoonful of rice and beef chilli off each plate, and all seven dinners still looked perfect – this time with some for me. You never would have known!
I pondered this experience and the loaves and fish miracle. My version is just simple ‘mum economics’, though of course the Lord provides through those. However, no matter of mum economics could feed 5000 people with the loaves and fish from one lunch as we read in all four gospels.
Jesus’ question to Peter was to test him. Jesus already had in mind the miracle, but he was testing Peter’s trust and knowledge. I have two thoughts today on this passage. Firstly, we cannot underestimate or discount the miracles of God – and we cannot do them in our own strength. Secondly, it might seem crazy to give the very little we have to the Lord, for his kingdom work. ‘My plate isn’t enough to share’, or ‘I can’t give much so it’s pointless me giving anything’. Let us remember that what we give to the Lord, he multiplies as he chooses. It might be a loaves-and-fishes miracle. Or it could be a home-style beef chilli or juice box miracle in which the smaller sums work together for a larger effect. Consider your time, your talents – and your dollars. How can we contribute our little, or a little more, to the Lord’s work?
Lord God, you are our ‘Jehovah-Jireh’, God our provider. You allow us to participate in your kingdom work. Help me to be a good steward of all that you generously provide to me, and to be willing to contribute to your work. Help me to trust you and to consider those around me who may also need to share in what I have, whether I can only give a little, or whether it be a little more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Sal is married to Pastor Matthew Huckel and they live in Victoria with their six children. Music, theology, literature and languages are passions the family share and explore together. Sal loves writing, speaking and walking to the beach at every opportunity.
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