It is said that team work makes the dream work. Bees can show you something about teamwork. On a warm day about half the bees in a hive stay inside beating their wings while the other half go out to gather pollen and nectar. Because of the beating wings, the temperature inside the hive is about 10 degrees cooler than outside. The bees rotate duties and the bees that cool the hive one day are honey gatherers the next.
John 6:8
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people?
One of the lessons we learn from the story of feeding the 5000 is the power of team work. The disciples want to send people away because there is no money to feed them. Jesus on the other hand says no do not send them away, instead feed them. The only thing available is a little boys lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves. One of the things that jumped out to me is that all the ingredients needed are available but unless the characters work together then the multitudes will not be fed.
Jesus the miracle worker is there but he needs something to work with. The disciples who have the connection and close proximity to the miracle worker have nothing. The only one who seems to have something is a boy but it seems so little, besides it is his lunch. If he gives it away what will he eat?
The disciples have to humble themselves enough to realize that though they are the ones walking with Jesus, they do not have all the solutions and they have to seek out a boys lunch. The boy on the other hand has no idea what he is holding in his hands and he also has to be generous and humble enough to sacrifice his lunch, hand it to the disciples and believe they know what they are doing. When this kind of sacrifice and unity is achieved then a miracle happens and the multitudes are fed.
We all have to come to the realization that we do not know everything and we need each other. I see two different generations working together for the purpose of having the multitudes fed. I see the disciples as the older generation that has experience and the young boy and the young generation that may lack experience but are very resourceful. The two must work together if the multitudes are to be fed.
No one can do it all alone. God has gifted us differently thus we need each other and we must learn to work together for us to be effective.
Remember where there is unity God himself commands a blessing.