Transcript

Matthew 14:16-20 · NOBA @ Noon

Canon Justin Murff: The Gospel of Matthew chapter fourteen verse sixteen through twenty But Jesus said, They need not go away, you give them something to eat. They said to him, We only have five loaves here and two fish. And he said, Bring them here to me. Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and he gave them to the disciples. And the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. The Gospel of the Lord. The setting is intense. Thousands have followed Jesus to a remote location. Evening is now approaching, and the disciples see an obvious problem. This is a desolate place and the day is now over. They tell Jesus to send the crowds away to go back into the villages so they can buy food for themselves. Their suggestion is a practical one. The people need to eat. The area has no resources, therefore they should disperse and go find provisions. This is how we typically handle resource shortages. But Jesus' response redirects everything. They don't need to go away. Give them something to eat. Jesus' command seemed humanly impossible. How could the disciples feed a crowd of thousands? They didn't even have the resources. The math wasn't mathing. We only have five loaves here and two fish. Their inventory confirms the impossibility of Jesus' request. Seven items total for five thousand men, plus women and children? The gap between supply and demand was laughable. But then Jesus does the unexpected. Bring them here to me, says Jesus. And this is the crucial turning point. The disciples can't multiply the bread, but they can bring what they have to Jesus. Their inadequate resources when placed in the Lord's hands becomes more than sufficient to meet the need. Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass and taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. The blessing was the standard Jewish thanksgiving before meals probably, acknowledging God as the true source of all provision. Jesus receives the food as a gift before he distributes it as a miracle. Then he broke the loaves and he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces left over. The disciples become conduits of divine provision. They don't understand the multiplication, and neither do we, but they participate in it. Everyone ate, everyone was satisfied, and there was more left over than they started with. This miracle echoes God's provision of manna in the wilderness, just as the Father fed Israel through Moses, now the Son. Feeds the crowds through his disciples. The Messiah is a true breadgiver. The twelve baskets also signifies completeness. Notice, one for each tribe of Israel, representing God's abundant provision for all of his people. How does this passage speak to us today? First, it challenges our default response to scarcity. The disciples' instinct was to send the people home, but Jesus' response was a challenge. You feed them. You see, when we encounter need, do we look for ways to pass responsibility or do we give up when things seem out of reach? Or do we bring the resources that we have and lay our requests down at Jesus' feet? Second, it validates bringing inadequate offerings. Five loaves and two fish was laughably insufficient. But they were all the disciples had. Jesus doesn't demand adequacy. In fact, he specializes in transforming The inadequate to more than adequate. It was the faithful, selfless act of the little boy who gave up his lunch, so all could eat. Third, we see that Jesus uses intermediaries to fulfill his will. Sure, he could have distributed the bread directly. Instead, Jesus gave it to the disciples who then gave it to the crowd. This is the lore the role and the calling of the church to be the conduit of divine provision, especially in today's economy. Finally, the surplus speaks of God's abundant character. He doesn't just meet needs, but he actually delights in giving abundant blessing. Today, maybe think of a situation where you've been tempted to send the crowds away. Instead, what if we bring what we have to Jesus? Let's name our needs honestly. And let's tell him this is all that we have. Let's lay it at his feet, and then let's trust him to multiply.