God, Our Provider

 

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only 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 up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and 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. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:14–21 ESV).

 

Our reading today is known as “The Feeding of the 5,000.” It is told by Matthew in his gospel account. His viewpoint was from that of a disciple. I often wonder what it would have been like to be a person in the crowd. Imagine being surrounded by thousands of people—men and women of all shapes, sizes, and ages. You would probably see young children running around as parents tried to corral them along the shoreline. And seniors slowly shuffling to find a place close enough to Jesus so they could hear him speak. It was probably an example of what people have called “organized chaos.” Even Jesus’ disciples didn’t know what to do with the hungry followers (vv. 15-17).

 

What was it like to see the calm and measured face of Jesus in the midst of such a hectic scene? How did Jesus know he could feed all those hungry people with just “five loaves of bread and two fish”? That last question is easy to answer. Jesus knew he could feed the starving crowd because he was and is the Son of God, who not only provided the bread and fish but also created the earth and established everything in it, from the waters where the fish lived to the land that provided the grain used to bake bread. Knowing the power of the Creator gave Jesus the opportunity to invite others to know him too.

 

Trust Him for your needs. He will not fail you! He is Jehovah Jireh! He is the God Who provides!