The only miracle recorded in all four Gospels is the ‘Feeding of the 5,000.’
You can read this miracle in the following Bible passages: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15. Though similar, each brings a different view of this event in Jesus’ life. Below is a summary.
A crowd of 5,000 men are following Jesus. They are hungry and far away from the nearest town. The disciples want to send them away. At the very least it will cost nearly a year’s wage to feed them. But one boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fishes is found. Jesus blesses it. As He gives the pieces to the disciples to distribute to the crowd, miraculously the food multiplies. Quickly, everyone is filled and twelve baskets of leftovers remain.
Now, that’s a great miracle, but it’s not like making the blind see, or healing the paralyzed, walking on water, or raising dead.
So, why is this miracle in all 4 Gospels? I think it is not so much about the miracle, as what the miracle teaches. There are some lessons the disciples learned in this miracle that we can learn as well. Thanks to my pastor friend, Ryan Bettinger, for prompting these ideas.
A Lesson about People
People create problems. The more people, the more problems. The disciples responded to the hunger problem with two options: (1) Send them away. (2) Use our limited resources for limited outcome.
We often have the same response to people problems. We either send them away or simply ignore the people. Or we assume that if we had enough resources, we could solve the problem. We need more money, more space, more time, or more leaders. But the solution to people problems rests in the people who are causing the problem.
A Lesson about Effort
Jesus asked the disciples, ‘What do you have?’ Jesus many times solves problems with us. He could have created the resources, but chose to use resources already available.
The disciples wanted to send the crowd away. But Jesus wanted the disciples to solve the food problem – “You feed them.”
The disciples thought they didn’t have enough resources. But Jesus used what they had and it was more than enough.
Some lessons…..
Stop waiting for what you want. Start working with what you have.
God can do exceptional things with your exception.
God will bless what you bring.
Negative thinking compounds our problems. The disciples only saw problems… too many people, not enough food, too far away from help, it’s too late in the day. But rather than what they did not have, Jesus focused on what they did have and used it.
A Lesson about Faith
You can trust God with your problems. Especially when the problems are greater than you can solve, God can do way more than your best imagination. Trust Him.
You already have the resources. Often, it is in the least likely place. Often, it is in the heart of a person you overlook. You never know what the impact of one person who gives all.
We often think that faith is never doubting. Faith is not the absence of doubt. It is the action of pushing through despite the doubts. Faith is always an action. When you put your faith in action, God works miracles.
Faith isn’t the easy way out. It is not sitting around and letting God do all the work. It is to put all our marbles in one bag and count on God to get us through. If God fails, we fail. When all you have is faith, you are in a good place. God has to come through.
We often feel our contribution to Jesus is too small. But He can use and multiply whatever we give Him – our talent, time or treasure.
Even our expectations of what God can do often are too small. My dad gave me a book a long time ago called, ‘Your God is Too Small.’ I think most Christians have a God that is too small. The real God is bigger than you can imagine.
Give Jesus what you have. Doing what we can with what we have is all we can do. When we give Jesus what we have, we never lose. We always end up with more than than when we started.
When faced with overwhelming need and underwhelming resources, trust God to supply with what seems impossible.
What’s your impossible situation? What is your fishes and loaves? Will you give these to Jesus and see your miracle?
You can read my similar articles about faith: How to Experience Miracles in your Life, The Touch of Faith, Finding Faith when the Storms Roll In.