Seeds of 09/26/2023 - Matthew 14:13-21
Scripture: When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.
As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to me,” He said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Observation: As it turns out, Jesus’ solitude didn’t last a terribly long time. But, moved by compassion, Jesus healed the sick from among the crowds who tracked Him down. Evening comes on eventually and the disciples point out a practical problem—they are a long way from the nearest place to procure something to eat. The solution is obvious: Dismiss everyone now so people have time to walk to the villages for dinner.
Jesus, however, counters this clearly sensible proposal. Further, He presses the responsibility onto the disciples: “You give them something to eat.”
An interesting momentary aside: Many stories occur in multiple Gospels, but a version of the feeding of the 5000 stands alongside a handful of others, including the clearing of the money changers from the temple courts, Peter’s denial, the trial before Pilate, the crucifixion, and the resurrection as events attested to in all four Gospels, hinting at its significance in the life and ministry of Jesus.
It is the disciples’ turn to counter Jesus now, pointing out an obvious obstacle—the inadequate supply of food.
It isn’t that the disciples see problems where Jesus sees possibilities. The disciples accurately see the limitations of their situation—less food than what is needed to feed the number of people present.
Jesus doesn’t see possibility they can’t, He is possibility they aren’t.
If He only sees possibilities they (and we) cannot, then He’s no more than another wise human guide who provides greater perspective, opening our minds and hearts to what more we are capable of. He’s like Buddha, Lao Tsu, an ancient Stoic philosopher, or someone with a personal motivation podcast and productivity social media account today.
In a turn that His disciples could not have foreseen, Jesus multiplies what little they are able to scrounge together. As we preachers are fond of saying, He makes much with their (and our) little.
The disciples are exactly correct about the obstacles and impossibility of their situation… but that doesn’t stop Jesus. He is more than enough when they are not.
Application:
What little do you have that you need to entrust to the hands of Jesus?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, show me how to trust in your sufficient power when my obstacles are all too real. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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