While fixing our girls’ lunches one morning, my mind wandered to the time Jesus fed thousands stranded without food, using only 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish.

This miracle is recorded in all four gospel accounts, but only John—the disciple who wrote God is Love—bothered to include this detail: the bread and fish belonged to a little boy who’d brought it for lunch.

John the Beloved knew Jesus cared about this detail.

So Jesus fed every single person, with plenty left over, using only the boy’s lunch.

That’s nice and all, but He was all the time doing miracles like that.

The more I learn about Him, the more I realize Jesus is always up to more than the obvious.

As a mother, I read that story a little deeper…

I imagine a mama early in the morning, feeling insignificant and unable to change the world, packing a lunch for her adventurous son who wants to go hear the Messiah for himself.

She tucks 5 pieces of bread and some fish in his satchel, kisses his head and sends him off.

Then she turns back to her housework.

Her dishes.

Her sewing.

But she doesn’t yet know that the Messiah her son is about to meet is truly God, and He has already seen her pack the lunch.

 

You are the God who sees me…

~ Genesis 16:13

 

I imagine the boy finally returning home, breathless with information about how awesome and good Jesus is, and, Oh! By the way! He used that lunch you fixed me to feed five thousand people!

Surely her knees felt a bit weak as she processed what she was hearing. Surely the breeze stirred outside her window, breathing a message to her, Well done…

To me, that miracle isn’t just about Jesus feeding people; that seems kind of easy for Him.

I suspect that miracle is about Him making a stay-at-home mom feel like she just helped change the world.

 

So let us not become weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

~ Galatians 6:9