When The Task Seems Impossible

John 6:1-15

In a TV commercial a woman was asked, 'What is the worst four-letter word your child uses.' Her response was 'can't' … 'I can't spell. I can't do maths.'

One of the worst four-letter words a person can use is 'can't' because it helps to convince individuals that something is impossible. Before we can accomplish any task we must, at the very least, have some hope that it can be done.

That truth is played out in today's Gospel reading. Jesus and His disciples were in a rural place with more than 5,000 people and He took upon Himself the role of host. He asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these to eat?" Philip was no help. Andrew did a little better. Somehow he had found a boy with a small lunch. "But what good is that little among so many?"

Both disciples started with a presumption of despair. They faced a task that needed to be done and concluded that it was impossible. All of us know that feeling. For us it may be something as personal as losing weight or overcoming a bad habit. Or it may be something on a global scale like ending war or eliminating racism. What are we to do when a task seems impossible?

Realistically some things are impossible for us. We cannot feed a crowd of 5,000 with one small lunch, but Jesus can. The New Testament credits Jesus with doing many things that we can't do. He opened blind eyes. He straightened twisted limbs. He unblocked deaf ears. We can't. The word 'impossible' is part of our vocabulary for good reason.

But the same was true of Jesus. Some things were impossible, even for Him. Jesus had some enemies who hounded Him to the day of His death. Try as He might, He could not win their friendship. They were determined not to get along with Him. There was nothing He could do about it. Even He had to deal with failure.

We need to be careful, however, in the application of the idea that some things really are impossible. Properly used, it is wisdom. Wrongfully used, it can become a lame excuse for laziness. Some things only seem impossible but, in reality, are only waiting to be done.

The main point of today's Gospel is that a task that seemed impossible got done. It was not impossible after all. Could that be true of the challenges we face today? Is peace possible? Can wars cease? Can the races learn to live together in harmony? Of course not, say the cynical doubters. But one little boy, with five barley cakes and a couple of fish, might prove that ancient bit of wisdom to be false.

There are a lot of things in this world that ought to be done, and for a person of faith, to say that a thing ought to be is to say that it can be.

Lord Jesus, may we be one of those who have the faith, and the courage, to give it a try.