Loaves and Fishes
When we read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, we often focus on the miraculous feat of feeding more than 5,000 people with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes. And we should because this is a truly an incredible miracle.
However, there are a few more lessons buried in this well-known Bible study that I’d like to explore.
We find this story in all four gospel accounts. Matthew 14:13-21. Mark 6:30-34. Luke 9:10-17. John 6:1-14.
The story goes like this.
Jesus had been preaching and sought to go to a desolate place to be by himself and rest. The people of the time had no intention of allowing that to happen though. Word got out of where he was going and they followed. Soon, there was a crowd of more than 5,000 surrounding Jesus and he had compassion on them and healed many of their physically sick and spent time teaching them. This work lasted throughout the day and into the evening and the disciples began to worry about the people’s hunger and suggested that Jesus send them away to find something to eat. Jesus responded with a suggestion of his own: YOU give them something to eat. The apostles believed they didn’t have enough food as they only knew of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes that a boy in the crowd had. Their solution was to go and purchase the food with what little money they had. Jesus asked them to bring the bread and fish, gave a blessing over it, and told them to distribute it to the people who were sitting in groups of fifties and hundreds. Not only did every person receive enough to eat, but they ended up with 12 baskets worth of food left over! A multiplication miracle indeed!
At first glance we can certainly see a miracle where the Lord not only provides, but gives more than what was needed.
We also see that the disciples were concerned about the people. They realized that the crowd was likely hungry from being there all day and suggested that Jesus send them away to go find food. Jesus’ response was not that they shouldn’t be concerned for the physical needs of the crowd since they were feeding their souls. He simply said “They need not go away. You give them something to eat. He wanted them to take care of their hunger, but not keep them from the spiritual feeding to do so.
Jesus wanted his followers to attend to the physical and spiritual needs of the people. Both were important to him.
While helping them, Jesus didn’t just give the them something out of nothing, he asked for them to give him something to start with. And they still had to put work in by distributing the food out to the crowd after it had been multiplied. He provided (more than!) what was needed while also asking them to give something, too.
We are not called to have a passive faith, but to have an active faith! That looks different for all of us, as we all have a different gift we can use to serve (1 Peter 4:10), but whatever we do, we are to do with all of our heart and for the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). The Lord is able to work with what we have ad do more than we can imagine, but we need to be willing to give him something to work with.
Give God your loaves and fishes and see what miracles he can accomplish!
Here is a printable version of the graphic below to print and insert it into your Bible or hang it on your wall to remember that God can (and will!) use you if you’ll just give Him your loaves and fishes.
