How should we respond to those opportunities that interrupt us? The disciple’s initial response was similar to the way many respond today.
“Philip replied, ‘Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them’” (John 6:7, NLT). In today’s language, Philip would have said, “I’ve sharpened the pencil on this, and we can’t afford it.” Some translations specify the amount Philip had in mind, 200 day’s wages, or about eight months salary. He simply couldn’t wrap his mind around what it would take to feed the multitude. The disciple’s personal resources were inadequate to meet the need.
The next verse details another common response. “Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd’?” (John 6:8-9, NLT) In other words, Andrew had taken an inventory of existing resources, only to discover that the people didn’t have enough to feed themselves. The crowd’s resources were also inadequate to meet the need.
Sharpen the pencil! Take an inventory! While the disciples earned an “A” in Business Administration, they received an “F” for faith. Although they felt inadequate when the opportunity to meet a need presented itself to them, who said they had to be?
Tomorrow I’ll post Jesus’ response to the disciples inadequacy and how He demonstrated the way to respond to the opportunities that interrupt our lives.
