February 13

Matthew 14:13-21 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:

Journal Entry

Scripture

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. (v. 19)

And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (v. 20)

And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (v. 21)

Observation

This familiar story must be a pretty important message from God to us as it is found in all 4 gospels. Each account provides a little more detail with a little more insight.

After Jesus heard that John the Baptist was beheaded, he wanted to withdraw to a quiet place with his disciples. But the crowd chased after him, desperately wanting to receive more of his healings and more of his teachings. Mark’s account (Mark 6:30-44) tells us that the people took off after Jesus with little warning and probably didn’t have much time to prepare for the outing. In fact, they “ran” after him as soon as they found out that Jesus is leaving and arrived at the other side of the lake before Jesus’ boat got there. John’s account (John 6:1-15) tells us that this was not an ordinary meal; it was to be a Passover celebration. John further identifies the giver of the five loaves of bread and two fish to be a little boy.

I once heard someone (a Christian brother!) claiming that this was not a miracle in the sense of Jesus creating something out of nothing. He said that the additional food came from people’s travel bags that they had prepared for the trip. I don’t see that in light of the accounts given by Mark and John as observed above. I don’t see why we couldn’t believe Jesus can perform such a miracle if we believe that he is God.

All four gospels punctuate the story with the collection of 12 baskets of left over food. Why is this so important? Perhaps the twelve baskets symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. That God will provide for all his people, every single one of us.

Application

Jesus said that he is the bread of life and that his followers will never go hungry or thirsty. While this certainly has a spiritual meaning, today’s reading causes me to think about its literal meaning. That as followers of Jesus we should have confidence in Jesus that our physical needs will be met. In fact, he will not only meet our needs but will cause our storehouse to be full in abundance. This is a promise that we can really hang onto in this difficult economic times. It should help us to seek his Kingdom first despite our circumstances (like lost jobs) and patiently wait for all these things to be worked out by God. Is Jesus able to perform miracles in my life? Absolutely! As long as I put my trust in him.

Prayer

Lord, help me to feed your people and witness your miraculous provisions. I put my trust in you and believe that you’ll provide for all my needs. Please help me not to lose focus on seeking your kingdom first. Amen.

--tchang