8-11-23
Matt 14 13 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. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.15 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.”16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 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. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
When I was young, I remember someone saying, “There is always room for more people at the table, just add more water to the soup.” In Matt 14:13 we read of the boy with the fish and loaves. It also appears in Mark 6:31, Luke 9:12 and John 6. The disciples had a little bigger problem than adding water to soup. There had been a huge crowd following Jesus and by evening the disciples told Jesus that he should send them away so they could get food in the village. Jesus told them to feed the people. Instead, they brought him a little boy’s lunch of 2 fish and 5 loaves of barley bread. Jesus prayed over it and gave pieces to the men to distribute. Later everyone had eaten and was full, but there were 12 baskets with pieces left over. There were 5,000 men, not including women and children!
There was actually another incidence of Jesus multiplying food like this. I have often thought that it would be fun to have been around to actually see this happen. Just imagine Jesus breaking the bread and fish into small pieces, putting them into baskets. As you are handing out the pieces of fish and bread you look down and the basket is fuller than the little boy had to start with. Then when everyone is fed, there are 12 baskets full of fish and bread. The miracles that Jesus performed never cease to amaze me. I have heard pastors say that although miracles still happen, they are so special, or they wouldn’t be miracles, and they do not happen often. But what if we see “mini miracles” daily? Every morning God gives us an amazing sunrise! We see the birds fly, the flowers bloom. At night we have the most awesome stars, right where God hung them in the sky. God gives us incredible things like these, and like the ocean or the mountains. I will forever wonder how people can deny the existence of a living God who created everything, but not only that, he has to keep it all going because we know that if the oxygen level was not exactly as it is, we would die. Or if the earth were closer or further away from the sun, it would either be too hot or too cold to exist. OH! And my favorite miracle, a baby. How could the actual conception and birth of a baby be anything less than a miracle.
Father, we thank you for this amazing world that you have given us to enjoy. Thank you that we can see daily, if we but look, at the wonders of this world. Help us to see this beautiful world with new eyes of appreciation. That we may enjoy it and also always be aware of what you have given us. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Shirlene Peterson