My dear flock,
Five thousand men had been fed. Not one was turned away, for “They were filled.”
After this miracle Jesus said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”
Why gather up the small lost pieces? Nature would gladly devour them. Plus, the One who had multiplied loaves, could easily do it again if needed. But the same One who gave freely, commanded it. Evidently, abundance did not render them worthless.
There is some simple application here.
In our times of extremity, we pray more earnestly. When deliverance comes, earnestness fades away. A providence keep us, a sermon touches us, heaven answers us...
then the moment passes.
Within a day or two, mercies lie ungathered over the ground of our soul.
Christ says, “Gather up the fragments.”
Grace leaves breadcrumbs.
Some breadcrumbs are only found after the plate is taken away. Little leftover blessings. Morsels you can only see now that all else is gone. They may seem small, broken off even. But the fragments are precious because of the Hand through which they passed.
Communion season usually begins by looking forward. Perhaps we should also look backward at our blessings. What became of what Christ gave you then? Where is the truth which appeared so clear? What became of the evil we promised to forsake? Where is the obedience I deemed so necessary?
“Gather up the fragments.”
This does not mean we should live upon the past, far from it. Old bread cannot replace present communion. Yet forgotten mercies can impoverish the hungry soul. We ask the Lord to speak afresh, while His former blessings are scattered all around.
The multitude returned the next day seeking Jesus for more bread. Christ called them out: “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” They remembered the fullness, and missed the message contained. Their stomachs remembered, but their souls forgot.
How easily this can happen to us all. We remember being moved while forgetting Who moved us. We remember comfort, but have forgotten the passage that carried it. We remember stillness at the Table, and lose the Christ who stilled us. Soon we desire the feeling again, while the means that produced, is left scattered behind us.
“Gather up the fragments” is an exercise of spiritual memory. Go back over your ground. Recover the text, the admonition, the promise, the unfinished thing. Ask what remains from former seasons.
Once collected, there were twelve baskets filled with fragments. The disciples began with less than one basket, and ended with one for each. Christ’s miracle left them carrying home more than they had brought. Isn’t that the Lord’s way?
We have received far more than we know. Some mercies are ignored because they are scattered. Gathered them all up together, and they may fill a basket. The fragment-gathering soul will find that Jesus has left many fragments to bless us later.
Before coming again to the Table, walk over the whole of the path you’ve taken. Gather up what remains. Gather the little evidences of His goodness and patience. Remember what He showed you of your sin, and what He showed you of Himself.
You may find that the road to the coming feast, is marked by crumbs from the feast before.
Your friend and pastor,
J. Lewis