Monday 6 July 2026
- Bible Book:
- John
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" (v. 9)
Background
About 15 years ago, I sat beside an elderly man at a bus stop in Bristol. He looked tired and unkempt, and it would have been easy not to give him a second glance. Yet we got talking and I discovered that he had come from the Caribbean in the 1950s. He had become one of Bristol's first black police officers, and was carrying the grief of losing his wife the previous day. I never learned his name, but I have never forgotten him. I will always tell his story.
Perhaps that is why one detail in today's gospel story catches my attention. In a crowd numbering thousands, we are told about a boy carrying five barley loaves and two fish.
Many commentaries, and preachers, pass quickly over the boy and move on to the miracle. Yet he is included in the story, and I find myself wondering why. The miracle is remarkable, but so too is this small detail. Why are we invited to notice the boy?
Perhaps it is because it matters what we notice. Jesus notices the crowd. Philip notices the scale of the problem and immediately begins calculating the cost. And Andrew notices something Philip has overlooked: a boy carrying five barley loaves and two fish. Each sees something different.
The more I reflect on this passage, the more I wonder how often our response to a situation is shaped by what we notice first. Philip sees a problem that needs solving whereas Andrew notices a possibility that Philip has missed. I find myself wondering what I would have noticed had I been there. The crowd? The problem? Or the boy?
The loaves themselves seem insignificant. Barley bread was the food of ordinary people, often associated with the poor. There is nothing remarkable about the boy or his lunch. Yet somehow both become part of the story.
How often do we fail to notice the person sitting alone, the quiet voice in the meeting, the child with something to offer, or the opportunity hidden within a problem? What we notice – and what we fail to notice – can make a profound difference.
Perhaps today's invitation is simply to look again. To notice the people around us. To be open to possibilities we might otherwise dismiss.
To Ponder:
- Who have you noticed recently that others may have overlooked?
- What opportunities or possibilities might you be missing because you are focused on the size of the problem?
- Where might God already be at work in your life or community?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us eyes to see the people around us as you see them. Help us to notice those who are overlooked and to recognise the possibilities that you place before us. Open our hearts to your work and teach us to trust you when we cannot yet see the whole picture. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Stuart Reed
Stuart is Acting Superintendent Minister of the South East Cornwall Methodist Circuit and will become Superintendent Minister in September 2026. He lives in Looe with his wife and their labrador. He is father to two and grandfather to one, and enjoys walking the Cornish coast. He is still conducting extensive research into where to find the best pasties and ice cream in Cornwall.