Little people in a big world

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down”… John 6:5-10

If you surveyed a group of Christians to find out their favourite Bible stories I suspect the boy with the loaves and fishes would be well up there.

There’s a simplicity about the story which gives it a charm. The central figure is a child whose name we are not told: he could be anybody. So he could even be you or me.

Somehow he has spotted that the disciples have a problem: how are they to feed a big crowd in a remote place? Presumably he comes forward with the rather touching offer of his packed lunch. Whereupon…  the whole crowd is fed, with plenty left over.

The boy is a nobody; his offering is next-to-nothing; but Jesus takes it, prays over it - and turns it into a miracle.

Most of us, like that boy, are very little people in a very big world. We might once have had dreams of achieving something really significant in the world’s eyes, but that only happens to a tiny minority. We have to settle for sheer, down-to-earth ordinariness. Yet in God’s eyes there is no such thing as an ordinary person.

This has been brought home to my wife and me especially recently. For one thing, we are retired, after having both had busy full-time jobs. But we have kept ourselves active, determined to make some kind of contribution in our little world. And that has seemed fine for several years now.

But just last week we both tested positive with covid. Nothing too serious, fortunately, just like a nasty cold. But of course it meant that life became even more shrunk as we tucked ourselves away. And we have found ourselves feeling – well, actually, a bit bored! After all, there’s only so many books you can read, or chess games you can play, or tv programmes you can watch, or jobs you can find to do – or even, dare I say it, praying you can do. To come to this at this stage of our lives is a bit of a shock.

Don’t worry, I’m not looking for sympathy, certainly not. We’re only too aware how fortunate we are in the overall scheme of things. Life remains good! And no doubt it’s a good thing to swallow a healthy dose of humility in the form of a reminder of our own insignificance.

The lesson God seems to have been teaching us is the very basic one that he loves to use insignificant people to carry out his purposes. Think of Mary, the Palestinian peasant-girl. Think of David, last in a line of big strapping brothers.

The other morning we were reading in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. What great words these are! I invite you to soak them up…

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 

When God chooses, he knows what he is doing.

And today it was the boy with the loaves and fishes.

The lesson seems very simple: when you really can’t do much, well, don’t go agonising about it, just get on and do what very little you can do. My wife is particularly strong when it comes to making contact by various means. And I dare to hope that my little blogs might be of encouragement to somebody, even if I never meet them.

Little people in a big world: that’s most of us. But by the grace and power of God we can in fact be big people in our own little worlds. Whatever you’re doing today, can I encourage you to think “I can achieve something today! I can make a difference to someone today! It may be forgotten tomorrow; but it will be remembered on the Last Day”.

I wonder what the boy in the story told his mother when he got home on that memorable day?...

“You know the pack-up you gave me this morning?” “Yes, of course”. “Well, I gave it away”. “You gave it away!” “Yes: you see, Jesus seemed to need it”. “What! Was he hungry?” “No, but he did something very wonderful with it…” “Tell me about it!”

Let’s leave mother and son together – mother looking at her son in wonder as she digests what has happened that day. I wonder what became of them, little people, yes; but with a big place in God’s world…

O use me, Lord, use even me,/ Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,/ Until Thy blessed face I see,/ Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share. Amen. F R Havergal (1836-1879)