Overflowing Baskets: Trusting Jesus with the Little You Have – Mark 8 v 1-10

1 In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days, and they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way, and some of them have come from a great distance.”

A large crowd has been with Jesus for three days, and they’re hungry. Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations where our need seems overwhelming, and all we have is a little.

4 His disciples answered him, “Where can someone get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.”

The disciples express concern about how to feed such a large crowd in a desolate place. They’re looking at the impossibility of the situation. It’s okay to acknowledge the challenges, but Jesus invites us to bring what we have to Him, no matter how small it may seem.

6 Then he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. After he took the seven loaves and gave thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples to serve. So they served the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish. After giving thanks for these, he told them to serve these as well.

A few loaves and fish is offered. Jesus takes what seems insignificant and uses it for something extraordinary. Our small offerings, when placed in His hands, become part of something much bigger.

Jesus takes the loaves, blesses them, breaks them, and gives them to the disciples to distribute. Jesus’ blessing and breaking often precede His abundance. Sometimes, our situations may feel broken, but it’s part of His process.

8 Everyone ate and was satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 There were about four thousand who ate. Then he dismissed them. 10 Immediately he got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Miraculously, everyone eats and is satisfied, with baskets of leftovers. When we trust Jesus with the little we have, He not only provides enough but leaves us with overflowing blessings.

The crowd started with hunger and scarcity, but through trust, they experienced abundance. Trusting Jesus with what little we have opens the door to His abundance in our lives. Jesus invites us to trust Him with the little we have, and in that trust, witness the abundance of His provision.