The Bible mentions two episodes of bread’s multiplication. The first is about 5000 men and can be found in the 4 gospels (Mathew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6) while the second which is about 4000 men, is only reported by Mathew 15.
When we put together the different accounts of the first episode, this is the story that we get:
Luke 9:10, ‘‘On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.
Mark 6:31-32, And He said to them, You yourselves come apart into a deserted place, and rest a little. For those coming and those going were many, and they did not even have opportunity to eat. And they departed by boat into a deserted place apart.
John 6:1-2, After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
Mark 6:34, And going out, Jesus saw a large crowd, and had pity on them, because "they were as sheep having no shepherd." And He began to teach them many things.
Luke 9:11-12, … and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the 12 came and said to him, "Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place."
Matthew 14:16, But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
Mark 6:37, … And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"
John 6:7, Philip answered him, "200 denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."
Mark 6:38, And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "5, and 2 fish."
John 6:8-9, One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but what are they for so many?"
Luke 9:13, …"We have no more than 5 loaves and 2 fish--unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."
Matthew 14:18, And He said, Bring them here to Me.
John 6:10, Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about 5000 in number.
Mark 6:40-43, So they sat down in groups, by 100s and by 50s. And taking the 5 loaves and the 2 fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the 2 fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up 12 baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.
Matthew 14:21 And those who ate were about 5000 men, besides women and children. »
On their return… They were coming back from the famous mission where they had been sent by Jesus to cast demons out, heal the sick and preach the Kingdom of God in the villages. It had been a great success and they had just finished reporting to the Lord Who, noticing they had not yet eaten, offered them to retire to a desolate place and get a bit of rest.
1) We have to learn to take a break.
Even God rested on the seventh day and we are not more robust than Him. Some men and women of God are ministry junkies who hardly take time for a little respite. Yet, the ministry will not cease and there will always be all sorts of needs; it is important to run away from people’s coming and going for a while, in order to be physically and spiritually restored.
2) We tend to easily give up on our responsibilities.
A crisis arose. There were about 10.000 people or more, to feed (5000 men, without counting the women and the children). The day was wearing away and there didn’t seem to be any resource. The disciples thus took the initiative to tell Jesus to send the crowd away. And, since Jesus was not aware of it, they also took advantage into letting Him know they were in a deserted place!
Anyway, to their utter dismay, Jesus asked them to feed the people themselves. They had walked long enough with Him to know He would never say anything lightly; yet, they started arguing: ‘‘Should we go and buy what they need to eat ourselves?’’ ‘‘200 denarii worth of bread would not be enough to feed them…’’ etc.
These men had just casted demons out, healed the sick and preached the Kingdom but they did not have a solution to a material need! We are usually at ease with the ‘spiritual’ side of the ministry, the side where it only takes a few words or a few laying-on of hands; but when it comes to putting our hand into our pocket, when it comes to using our personal resources, when our purses are concerned, it becomes another story: our zeal quickly fades away and we do our best to convince the Lord that the task is impossible and has to be abandoned.
The Gospel has a deep social dimension and the Church must be able to answer people’s material needs or will seem irrelevant.
3) The need is the proof of the solution.
Another lesson is: we can take care of many issues without having to run to God. According to 1Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation (trial) has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation (trial) he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it.” The unexpected arrival of a crisis is the proof, the demonstration that we also have its solution in our hands.
In front of the Red Sea, Moses simple shepherd’s rod was the mean through which the waters parted to let the Israelites walk dry.
A log was what it took to sweeten the waters of Marah (Exodus 15:23-25).
A little bit of flour was enough to destroy the wild gourds’ poison in the sons of the prophets’ stew (2Kings 4:39-41)
The jar of oil that was left to the widow was the starting point of a lucrative business. It helped her to pay her debts off and to live with her son (2Kings 4:1-7).
4) The need is the proof that what we have is more than enough.
Not only do we have the solution, but what we have is actually ALL we need to find our way out. Most of the time, either we are not conscious of what we possess, or we don’t want to abandon what we have. If we were more sensitive to the needs around us, we would see more miracles. I mean that instead of looking at those needs saying: ''Oh, what a pity; if only I had this or that, I could have done this or that for you; but since I have nothing, let’s pray…'' if we’d rather say: ''Oh, it’s so good I am here; here is what I have, also bring what yours and let us present it to the Lord,'' we would witness a lot more often all the ways that God wants to use to surprise us.
God asked Moses: ''What is that in your hand? '' (Exodus 4:2) Failing to realize that we have something in our hand is synonymous to doubting and underestimating it, is a sign of ungratefulness. Let us learn to appreciate and to give thanks for the seeds of miracles that we already possess.
If anybody asks you what you have to start your business, what you have to sort out the mess in which you have found yourself, do not say: ‘‘I have nothing’’, you would be cursing yourself. Saying you have nothing is tantamount to accusing God of giving you nothing. Besides, since you are confessing that you have nothing (or are nothing), well, you will have nothing (be nothing). Indeed, 0 x whatever = 0 (always): the Lord doesn’t multiply nothing. On the other hand, 1 x whatever = whatever: the multiplication has started.
Everything we have, can be multiplied by the Lord, if only we are ready to entrust Him with it.
Imagine what would have happened if nobody had been willing to give his loaf of bread or his fish, saying : '‘It is worthless; it will be like a drop of water in the ocean.’' Isn’t the ocean made of trillions of droplets of water?
May you be a tangible solution to a problem or two, this week: God bless you!
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