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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, January 17, 2009

Faith is belief without seeing

"Mom! Mom!" Jeremy called as he rushed through the door.

His sandals slapped against the hard-packed dirt as he raced around behind the house. He broke into a run as he spied her walking toward him.

"Mom, you'll never believe what happened! I gave my lunch to a man. They were looking for food to feed all of the people who had come out to hear Jesus. Jesus took my lunch, held it up to God and gave thanks. Then, he fed everybody there!"

"Oh, my, Jeremy. I've told you about stretching the truth and telling tales, son. You must always tell only what is true," his mother said.

"Rachel, the boy tells the truth," said Amoz, her brother. He had heard Jeremy shouting for his mother and stepped outside his house.

"Oh, Amoz, this cannot be true! You see, I only packed two tiny fish and five small loaves for him. It is all we had. That would not feed a grown man, much less a group of people," she explained.

"Yes, Mom, I watched as the man called Jesus gave thanks to God, broke the loaves and fish into pieces and put them in baskets. He told some of the men with him to pass the food around. Each person took all they wanted. The loaves and fish just kept being there as the baskets were passed."

"That's right," Amoz affirmed. "I took quite a chunk of bread and a good-sized piece of fish myself. I had some left over."

"Yes, Mom! They had 12 baskets of leftovers!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"I have never heard of such a happening," his mother declared.

"Rachel," Amoz said, "there were over 5,000 people who ate from the food that was passed. The man called Jesus has worked many miracles as he taught about God's kingdom. I believe he must be the long-awaited messiah of the Jews."

"Yes, Jeremy said. "If my lunch can feed thousands and have all of that left over, he must be really powerful. Don't you think so, Mom?"

"Son, I don't know what to think," she replied. "I will go with you tomorrow and see him, hear him teach. Then I will decide."

"Then I will get Samuel and we'll go catch some fish for my lunch for tomorrow just in case he needs it!" said Jeremy as he dashed off to find his friend to tell him what had happened.

On the way, Jeremy wondered, "Will he believe that Jesus is the powerful Son of God or will he be like Mom and need to see for himself? Will he believe after he sees miracles, or will he find a reason to doubt?"

What about you? Do you find the Son of God too good to be true?

Do you believe?