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JESUS & the 5,000

I continue my year-long series with preschoolers, telling them stories of Jesus. We're memorizing John 3:16, because the reason Jesus had any of these conversations and performed any of these miracles is love. 
What did you pack for lunch?
What is your favorite food to pack for lunch?

A long time ago there was a young boy who heard about a great crowd going out to see a famous person. You might have heard about this crowd. And you have undoubtedly heard about the famous person. The crowd was an unnamed mass that you know by number.

5,000.

This young boy was just following the crowd to see this famous person. This famous person was Someone who did miracles. He healed people. He walked on water. He told great stories. Do you know who He is? Of course, it’s Jesus!

But this young boy did what nobody else thought to do. He packed a lunch. This was smart, because back in those days, you could not simply go to a grocery store or stop at a McDonald’s.

This young boy was listening to Jesus teach and watching Him heal people. Then one of Jesus’ friends came up to the boy and asked him about his lunch. Would he mind sharing? He only had 5 small loaves of bread and 2 small fish. ‘If Jesus wants it, I’m willing to share.’

Jesus prayed over the food, which is what you should always do before you eat. Then Jesus started breaking it up into pieces and handing it out. He kept passing out food until all 5,000 men, plus their wives and children, had something to eat. This was no small snack. The Bible says that everybody ate until they were satisfied. I think that means some people probably had seconds.

Could you imagine if Jesus shared your lunch with 5,000 people? What if He took your peanut butter sandwich and your goldfish crackers and was able to feed 5,000 people with just that lunch? It would be awesome.

This tells me that Jesus can do great things, no matter how old we are. As long as we are willing to share, Jesus can take care of everyone.

Why would Jesus do something like this? Because He loves us.

What I didn't tell the preschoolers was why Jesus was in a remote area in the first place. We have heard about Jesus wanting to talk with His disciples after they came back from their field trip. We know Jesus wanted some time alone after his cousin John the Baptist was killed. But Mark 6:31 tells me all I need to know. 

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat.

They were on a lunch break...which became a working lunch. 

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