Jesus had been preaching to a large crowd (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15) of roughly 5,000 people in a remote place. In Biblical times, there were no fast food places, nearby restaurants or even spur of the moment caterers. Jesus knew that many of his listeners would not have sufficient strength to return to their villages and towns without collapsing. Jesus was in touch with human bodies and recognized their physical limitations.

The apostles were concerned and inquired if perhaps they should go into one of the neighboring towns and buy food for the crowd. The gospel doesn't specifically tell us, but the apostles were also probably worried about the amount of money needed to feed such a large crowd.

When Jesus heard them, he instructed them to feed the people themselves. The Lord's comments must have shocked the apostles. The apostles appeared to be clueless and astonished. "We have only five barley loaves and two fish. What good is that with so many?" they asked.

Jesus commanded that the loaves and fishes be brought to him; he blessed the food and then asked the apostles to distribute it. After everyone had eaten their fill, the apostles gathered up 12 baskets of food.

In life, sometimes we encounter what seems like a hopeless situation. But perhaps, we partially missed something in the retelling of this story. Did the apostles not realize that Jesus is the bread of life?

The apostles exhibited a lack of understanding of the principles of faith and how knowledge, skill, persistence and opportunity work in sharing and promoting the gospel. The apostles acknowledged that their food was inadequate to feed a crowd that size, but sometimes the teachings of the gospel fly in the face of reason. The hopelessness was the part of the story I have missed countless times.

In modern terms, it demonstrates how there is a general lack of resources available to teach, reach out to others and promote the gospel. Upfront, it always seems that our resources are inadequate, even hopeless. Rationally, we are always overmatched and helpless in reaching out to those in need, teaching the gospel and gospel principals and in doing the work of the Lord.

Interestingly, the gospel writers never idealized Christ's followers even though they were the first generation. The apostles and early Christians were always portrayed with their weakness, frailties and shortcomings. Such a depiction also gives us hope as they parallel our own weakness, frailties and shortcomings. We already have what we need. We have the bread of life and the restored gospel to overcome our hopelessness. We share Christ's ministry by divine command.

In the Gospel of James 2:17, we are told "...faith, if it hath not works, is dead." With so much need in the world, how can we remain inert and fail to reach out to other sons and daughters of God?

Our resources may be few, but through faith and persistence service to others gives us the opportunity to emulate God, and to literally become his face, his hands, and voice in the world.

We are called to follow him, to be close to him. We are his living image. He does not guarantee our success, but he calls us to be like him, to share in his ministry and do what he does.

Jesus calls us to use wherever meager resources are available - no matter what we think the odds are for our success. God works his miracles, often mysteriously, through us. We are quite literally his mortal angels.

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In the Harry Potter series, young Harry is famous among his peers by virtue of his legendary, but deceased, parents. He must choose between good and evil and, in the process, find his own way. His adventures are emotionally and physically risky. Failure and death constantly threaten, but Harry, like a hero, struggles to prevail. His adversaries are considerable. Harry delivers.

The good, the bad and the politically correct

Fairy tales, including traditional tales like Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and many others, at one time or another have been considered too dark for parents to tell their children in their original form. Many fairy tales have been modified to reflect a more sanitized and politically correct version of an original fairy tale.

Author Terri Windling has said, "Disney's well-known film version released in 1937, was based on the German tale by the Brothers Grimm. 'Snow White' is a darker, chillier story than the musical Disney cartoon, yet it too had been cleaned up for publication, edited to emphasize the good Protestant values."

The collected works published by the Brothers Grimm and others are making a comeback in their original forms. In National Geographic,Ā 12 of these unvarnished tales are retold based on earlier versions first published in 1914 and are much darker than those we tell our children today. Which leads us to ask, is this a good thing?

Over the years, many authors and experts have weighed in with their own perspectives.

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories, has said, "I ... feel that we're not giving children enough credit for distinguishing what's right and what's wrong."¯

Fairy tales help children face fears

Child Psychologist BrunoBettelheim theorized in his critically acclaimed work, The Uses of Enchantment, that the darkness of abandonment, death, witches, and injuries, (all found in the Harry Potter tales, as well as many others) allow children to grapple with their fears in remote and symbolic terms.

The book won the U.S. Critic's Choice Prize for criticism in 1976 and the National Book Award in the category of Contemporary Thought in 1977. It is still widely available on Amazon.

He says by engaging children with socially-evolved stories, children go through emotional growth that will better prepare them for their own futures. He advocates allowing children to read and interpret fairy tales in their own way, gaining a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

"¯Children need to be given the chance to understand themselves in a complex world and learn to cope...they need to be helped to make some coherent sense out of the turmoil of their feelings," Bettelheim writes.

Why kids love fairy tales

Many young people recognize elements that make fairy tales so appealing almost effortlessly even if they are toddlers. Grammy award-winning country musician Taylor Swift has said, "When I was a little girl I used to read fairy tales. In fairy tales the bad guy is very easy to spot. The bad guy is always wearing a black cape so you always know who he is."

Bettelhiem writes, "For a story to truly hold the child's attention, it must entertain him and arouse his curiosity. But to enrich his life, it must stimulate his imagination; help him to develop his intellect and to clarify his emotions; be attuned to his anxieties and aspirations; give full recognition to his difficulties, while at the same time suggesting solutions to the problems which perturb him. It must ... give full credence to the seriousness of the child's predicaments, while promoting confidence in him and the future."

Few parents have the talent of J.K. Rowling or the psychological expertise of Bettelheim, but many would do well to study the lessons found in both the un-sanitized and politically incorrect fairy tales of the past and the modern fairy tale of Harry Potter. The result might be a surprising, albeit unquantifiable, benefit to their children as they grow.

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