PROVISION!

We took a tour of the ship’s galley when we were on a cruise a couple of weeks ago.

134 people work in it. 3,000 dinner plates, 7,000 dessert plates, 2,000 side plates, 5,000 glasses, etc. are washed daily. 4,000 dinner rolls, 800 croissants, etc., baked.

And an average cruise on the M. V. Oosterdam, consumes 12,000 lbs of meat, 3,900 lbs of poultry, 3,000 lbs of fish, 2,600 lbs of seafood, 13,800 lbs of vegetables, 23,000 eggs, 5,600 qts of dairy, 3,000 lbs of sugar, and 1,200 gallons of ice cream. Not to mention a million gallons of potable water. By 2,200 guests and 900 crew.

What an operation!

There’s an interesting story in Mark’s Gospel about a grander operation. It happens after Jesus had fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish (Mark 6), and after another episode where he had fed 4,000, this time with seven loaves and “a few small fish” (Mark 8). Jesus and his disciples are on a boat.

And they had forgotten to take bread,

and did not have more than one loaf

in the boat with them.

Mark 8:14

Yeah, but they did have one loaf. For 13 people.

They began to discuss with one another

the fact that they had no bread.

Mark 8:16

The 12 are worried. No bread. They could starve. They could wither away and die. Life is tough!

And Jesus, aware of this, said to them,

“Why do you discuss that you have no bread?

Do you not yet see or understand?

Do you have a hardened heart?  …

And do you not remember,

when I broke the five loaves

for the five thousand,

how many baskets full of broken pieces

you picked up?”

They said to Him, “Twelve.”

“And the seven loaves for the four thousand,

how many large baskets full

of broken pieces did you pick up?”

And they said to Him, “Seven.”

And He was saying to them,

“Do you not yet understand?”

Mark 8:17–21

Nope, they didn’t understand. They didn’t understand that though they didn’t have any bread, they had the Bread of Life on board.

Well, they did have one loaf. But, nope, they didn’t understand that with that one loaf, their ratio of loaves:people was way better than 5:5000 or 7:4000 that Jesus had successfully fed. And that’s not calculating the residue and leftovers.

Forgotten. Not remembering. Ignorant. Faithless.

We, too.

But, the promise of God stands firm:

And my God will supply all your needs

according to His riches in glory

in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

All our needs! All!

Jesus explained it well:

“For this reason I say to you,

do not be worried about your life,

what you will eat or what you will drink;

nor for your body, what you will put on.

Is not life more than food,

and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air,

that they do not sow,

nor reap nor gather into barns,

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not worth much more than they? …

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’

or ‘What will we drink?’

or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’

For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;

for your heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things.”

Matthew 6:25–26, 31–32

We have a Father who is aware. And so, instead of worrying we trust.

“But seek first His kingdom

and His righteousness, and

all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

Give us this day our daily bread …