Master of Multiplication

By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO

The great truth of Jesus’ miracle recorded in Mark 8:1-9a is: Jesus in the “great satisfier” and the “great multiplier.” Through this feeding of the four thousand we discover the “master of multiplication.”

As the crowd gathered around Jesus had compassion for them and expressed to his disciples a concern for all the people in the crowd. He did not want to send them away hungry. How did the disciples respond? The same way you and I would have responded, and too often do respond today when faced with challenges beyond our human comprehension. They responded with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. They responded “where in this remote place can anyone get bread enough to feed them?”

But what did Jesus do? He asked the disciples how much food was available. They replied, seven loaves of bread. Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down; he blessed the loaves and fed all the people. There also were a few fish, which he blessed and the disciples distributed among the people. Then Mark’s gospel recorded this: “The people ate and were satisfied.” And, there were seven basketfuls left over. So, the lesson for us is when we focus on Jesus, he satisfies our hunger and multiplies our potential. He takes what we give him and multiplies it to impact people in need and who need what Jesus has to offer. He truly can multiply our little into a lot. He is the master of multiplication.

Like the disciples, we too often focus on what we do not have, what we cannot do and why we cannot help. Remember this: when the disciples put the little they had into the hands of Jesus, he multiplied it to become a lot. As Dr. Paul Powell observed in his stewardship book some years ago, “Jesus takes our insufficiency and makes it sufficient; he takes our inadequacy and multiplies it into an abundance.”

As you prayerfully ponder what Jesus would have you to do in the use of the resources entrusted to you, remember the master of multiplication can take your little and make it to become a lot. And, in the process you will be blessed with contentment and satisfaction.

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The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.