Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15
The story is familiar to those of us who spent time in Sunday school growing up; Jesus takes 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and feeds five thousand people. Of course that head count only included the men that were there that day, and if you added the women and children who were also in attendance the count would have most likely soared to over ten thousand people! It is a miracle of epic proportions recorded in the Gospels. In fact it is the only miracle recorded in all four of the Gospels. When we see something repeated in scripture then it is a clear signal to pay attention. There is something important that God wants us to see, know and understand.
So what is it that God is speaking to us through this miracle? What was He speaking to the people of that day that were there to witness it? The message today is much the same as it was then: God’s ability to provide for our every need is beyond anything that we can imagine. The Gospel of John records a question that Jesus asked of Peter, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
Jesus did not ask this question because He was looking for an answer that was unknown to Him. Scripture records that He already had in His mind what He intended to do. He asked Peter this question because He wanted Peter and the other disciples to fully understand who He actually was and what He had come to do. Peter’s response to Jesus only confirms that in spite of the time he had spent with Jesus he was still pretty clueless in his understanding.
Jesus had no intention of letting these people leave His presence hungry. He knew that they could not receive the spiritual food He longed to give them if their physical needs were not met. Not only did His plan include feeding the multitude, but His plan also included doing it in such a way that demonstrated not only who He was, but how much He loved and cared for everyone around Him.
After everyone ate, scripture states that Jesus told His disciples to gather up any leftovers. It is hard for us to imagine that 5 loaves and 2 fish could stretch to feed some ten thousand people and pretty much beyond our comprehension that there could be leftovers! The leftovers were not gathered until everyone had their fill. In other words, no one left that day hungry and scripture says that the disciples gathered twelve baskets full of pieces left over from the original meal of 5 loaves and 2 fish. This is not just love and provision, but this is extravagant love. Jesus showed the people that were there that day a love that is more than enough to meet their daily physical, spiritual and emotional needs. And throughout history, He has continued to show us over and over that He is more than enough, and He is all we need!
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:25-26
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