We have many needs in life. However, if we are not careful, our life can become a version of seeing how many plates we can keep spinning. In such cases we are driven to keep an innumerable amount of desires satisfied. Of course, it is never enough. If I only had more skill at this then I could be like so and so. Have you ever stopped to think that this most likely is not God’s plan for us? Scripture clearly states that God does not want man to worry about how his needs will be supplied. As long as God is with us, we can trust in Him.
Another problem is that we can focus only on material needs and neglect the even more important spiritual needs. We need spiritual sustenance and healing as well as physical. As we look at Luke 9:10-17, we find Jesus ministering to both the physical and spiritual needs of the people. In this passage the feeding of the 5,000 teaches us that we need not grumble about what we lack because God will always provide.
Luke’s account is brief compared to the other gospels. In both Matthew and Mark we are told that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” This is a hallmark of Christ. He is deeply touched with what it means to be human and have need. Though it may seem strange, the teaching that God took on a human nature makes sense in the light of compassion. He can identify with our situation and cares for us.
In fact the reason Jesus had gone out into this uninhabited area was in order to be alone with his disciples. They had been going throughout Israel ministering with Jesus and had just returned to him. Jesus knew that they needed some time alone with him in order to be the receiving ones. Humans were not designed to only be givers. We are to also be receiving from God and from that supply giving to others. So it is not just the crowds that need Jesus, but also his faithful workers.
Even Jesus himself later sends his disciples across the lake while he prays on the mountain alone. This sets up a powerful understanding. We all need to receive from God as individuals in a quiet secret place of our own. From that place we can be an encouragement to our close friends and family. This part is a two way street. I am giving to them, but they are also giving to me. The third layer is the one of the crowd. These are people who have no relationship with us at all. However, Jesus had compassion for them as well. Notice how we often want to choose one over the other. Jesus kept them all in balance because he truly did care for each one. Sometimes we can let the sheer numbers of the crowd and the never ending need drown out our care for them. The opposite is true as well. Some people care more for the crowds than they do for those closest to them. May God help us to love Him, our friends and family, and the unknown people around us.
These people were imposing on Jesus and his disciples. But he had compassion on them. Many of them would only follow him if he was doing miracles. They would never enter his Church after his resurrection. Some of them would stand in Jerusalem shouting, “Crucify Him!” Yet, he had compassion. As he ministered to Judas, knowing that he would betray him, so we must listen to the heart beat of how Jesus operated. Jesus began teaching the people and healing those who needed healed.
As it approaches evening, the disciples come to Jesus with a practical concern. He needs to tell the people to leave if they are going to find lodging and food for the night. The area they were in was uninhabited. But, Jesus turns this problem back on them. “You give them something to eat.” Jesus is not a dummy. He understands that there is not enough food around. He is testing them. Another word for testing is “training.” These disciples need to learn to operate from the same compassion and trust in God that Jesus had.
It starts with choosing to be a giver. It is easy to always send people on their way and never ask the question, “Does God want me to give to them?” Being a giver has nothing to do with how much you have to give, but with how much you care for the other person. Even when we have much to give, we can operate from a “mentality of lack.” People need Truth and Love even more than they need food and clothing. We always have something to give. Like Peter at the temple we can say, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.” Quit looking at what you don’t have as an excuse for your lack of compassion. Rather, give what you can material or spiritual out of compassion. Our heavenly Father is a great giver. Look at all that He has provided on earth and throughout the universe. To become like Him is to become a giver. So make that choice. You will find that when you become a giver, your out-of-control consumption is restrained. Your mentality will not be about how little you have, but how much you can give.
Which points out, we shouldn’t worry about what we have to give. Whatever it is, it is enough. It is enough to help the other person. You are not God and He doesn’t expect you to meet all of their needs. We spend too much time bemoaning what we don’t have. In truth we can actually rejoice in the little that we have. Why? We can rejoice because God’s supply will be easier to see. Paul saw this when he said, “when I am weak then I am strong.” He knew that his weakness would make God’s strength all the more obvious, which would then strengthen his faith and the faith of others. When we are strong we delude ourselves into thinking it is all us. When in truth God is even then helping us.
We need to also give in both material and spiritual things. Different people tend to go one way or the other. We either give $5.00 to someone and go on our way, or we hand them a Bible tract and go on our way. I am not saying that either of these is wrong. The real question is about our motivation. God, how can I help this person? Sometimes we need to stop giving people money and help them in other ways. This takes true care and the wisdom of God. Jesus was able to do both. He fed the people food, but also taught them about the Kingdom of God. Sometimes people do not realize that they have great spiritual need. They may despise your attempts to minister to them spiritually. Compassion should not be given because the recipient is so thankful. It should be given because it is the right thing to do.
When you step back from this story, you realize that is practically a reenactment of Israel and Moses in the wilderness. First, we have a people who go out to meet with God in the wilderness. In the Exodus it was Israel leaving Egypt to follow Moses. Here it is people who are hungry for God leaving the society of Israel behind to follow the Messiah. In both cases it is a remnant of all the people in the land who follow God. Today, the Church is the remnant of the tribes, tongues, and nations of the earth that have been called out of the world system in order to meet with God.
The second point is that God provides bread and meat for them. In the exodus, they began to complain and God miraculously provided manna and quail as well as water. Jesus of course takes 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and feeds over 5,000 with it. In fact in this case it is the Messiah who does the miracle. Whereas Moses only told the people what God would do. Even today, the material needs of God’s people are met by Him. He promised that if we would put His Kingdom first, then He would provide our material needs.
The third point is that God provided Truth and Instruction for them. Moses is known as the lawgiver because God gave his laws to Israel through him. Here, Jesus instructs the people in the new society they are to become a part of, the kingdom of God. It is easy to settle for bread and meat and to not care about the spiritual. God is not content to just meet our material needs. As Christians we can be guilty of being part of the religious crowd, but not really letting the teaching of Christ change our life. Here is a question for you. Do you interpret the Bible in the lens of what you want and feel? Or, do you interpret your feelings and wants in the lens of Scripture? Don’t be foolish and twist God’s Truth to fit what you want. We are the ones who need to repent, not God.
In some of the other gospels we are told that the people continued to follow Jesus in the days after this great miracle, hoping for more bread and fish. Yet, he rebuked them and said they needed to work as hard for spiritual food as they did for food for their stomach. Thus commendation is for those who trust the Lord, not those who saw a miracle. In days of the Exodus, all the people saw great miracles, but they perished in the desert because they did not have faith in God. Faith turns away from grumbling and towards thanksgiving. Faith turns away from complaining and towards rejoicing. Faith turns away from disobedience and towards obedience. Faith does not focus on our lack, but rejoices in His faithful supply. The Lord is our provider and He has not failed us yet!