In John 6, Jesus is about to miraculously feed (at least) 5000 people. Before He does, He asks Philip to suggest a solution. Philip replies that even 8 months wages wouldn't buy enough bread for each person to get a little. Peter brings a boy with 5 barley loaves and two fish, think of some stale bread rolls that have been marked down in price at the supermarket and a couple of small pickled fish. Every human solution to this problem was ridiculously insufficient. The boy's packed lunch wasn't going to make a difference. Even if someone turned up with a massive financial donation of 8 months wages, that
wouldn't be enough for each person to get a little, never mind satisfy their hunger.
When Jesus miraculously multiplies the loaves and fishes, we are told in verse 11 that everyone ate as much as they wanted. Again in verse 12 we are told that everyone ate their fill and then in the next verse, 12 baskets of leftovers are collected.
Our biggest problem is sin, our rebellion and separation from God. Like the disciples faced with thousands of hungry people, our solutions to that problem are insufficient. We can't just hope that by trying hard, we can sort ourselves out. If we somehow had more resources, more money, time or relationships, that wouldn't make us into better people. We need Jesus. And when He gets involved, there's more than enough grace to restore our relationship with him and give us life in all it's fullness. We
need to recognise that we don’t just need a bit of assistance from
Jesus. We need saving. We have nothing to offer. The christian life
isn’t taking on a co-pilot, it’s admitting we have nothing to offer and
accepting what Jesus has done.