“Then
Jesus called the disciples and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because
they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I
don’t want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way.’ The
disciples said to him, ‘Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to
satisfy so great a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many
loaves do you have?’ They replied, ‘Seven—and
a few small fish.’
“After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven
loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving
them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were
satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
Not counting children and women, there were four thousand men who ate. After
sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of
Magadan.” —Matthew 15:32–39
In these verses we see that Jesus felt deep sympathy for the crowds He was ministering to. Being fully aware that His audience was both helpless and harassed like sheep without a shepherd, Jesus desired to do more than simply heal their diseases. He wanted to meet their need of hunger as well. Isaiah tells us our Lord is a tender Shepherd who gently and carefully leads and carries the weakest and helpless members of His flock:
“Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along.” —Isaiah 40:11
Human reason dictated the disciple’s response to their Master’s desire to feed this huge crowd. Isn’t that also typically our response. It is so easy to resort to human abilities and reasoning! However, God is looking for servants who are willing to believe that He can do great things; things beyond the bounds of human expectation, reasoning, or power.
It is God’s desire for us to depend on Him alone. We need to trust His provision. Relying solely on Him—on His sure sufficiency—this is the way of rich blessing, even though it may lead us down difficult paths we would not have chosen. Being content with His provision for us will keep us from being plagued with fear and anxiety. This means we are able to leave the results in His very capable hands.
Jesus wants our focus to remain on Him. He wants us to break free from being preoccupied with ourselves. He wants us to soak in His presence, power, and love. It is His desire for us to cease striving and know that He is God. When Jesus tells His disciples that He wants them to feed these hungry people, they are immediately overwhelmed. That is so human nature! And yet, Jesus was about to teach them the lesson of His sufficiency. He wanted to them to rely on His leading and power. He was preparing them to be His instruments in His world. Jesus is to be our sustaining strength and His peace is to ever fill our minds. He desires to do the miraculous through us!
In this story, Jesus takes the meager portion of food that is available, blesses it, and satisfies all. There is always enough mercy and grace with Him to fill our greatest desires with satisfaction. We are never at a loss in our Master’s company. It is important to remember our past experiences with Him to keep us from present doubting.
“I am the LORD, your God, the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!” —Psalm 81:10
Become More
“And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,” —Romans 8:28
“All the resources of the Godhead are at our disposal!” —Jonathan Goforth
Further Reflection
“Everything looks to you in anticipation, and you provide them with food on a regular basis. You open your hand, and fill every living thing with the food they desire. The LORD is just in all his actions, and exhibits love in all he does. The LORD is near all who cry out to him, all who cry out to him sincerely. He satisfies the desire of his loyal followers; he hears their cry for help and delivers them. The LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked.” —Psalm 145:15–20