Fishes and loaves (Part 5)

As we move forward from our Fishes and Loaves miracle, today we will find God doing the same miracles even before Jesus was born. As we revisit this miracle of the fishes and the loaves through the lens of another similar miracle, my hope is God will reveal His faithfulness as He continues to offer us life in the face of death.

Let’s take a quick look back.

At the beginning of this blog series on the Fishes and Loaves, Part 1, we saw Jesus turn our ministry into a miracle. Part 2, we are asked to bring God what we have. Part 3, God provides life through bread. And Part 4, we discover what happens when a poor widow brings God all she has.

Today, we are going to focus on 2 Kings 4:42-44. However, I think we should read the whole chapter. In it, we find at least four other miracles where God gives more than enough. These miracles mirror all the things Jesus did, giving us a glimpse at what God is capable of.   

2 Kings 4:42-33 reads; 

“A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said.

⁴³ “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked.

But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” ⁴⁴ Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.”

Elisha’s miracle of multiplying the bread occurs 100’s of years before Jesus’ very similar miracle. But the message is the same. “Bring me what you have and trust me with it.” It is uncanny how God takes what we offer Him, multiplying it until there is more than enough.

More than enough… 

We need these reminders. Elijah and Elisha were already doing all the things Jesus would later do. All the things God asks us to do today. They paved the way for Jesus. And Jesus paves the way for us.

Jesus tells us in John 14:12, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.”

God is preparing us to do these greater things. He always has been. Even back in the days of the old prophets, He was preparing us. Because the world is in need of life in the midst of death. We need to remember, with God all things are possible. Today, God is saying again, “You do it!” “You feed them.” Trust God with whatever you have to offer and watch what God will do.

Let us pray;

God of all that is, thank you for always giving us more than enough. Help us to remember that you give life. Thank you for showing us the way. Help us to be courageous enough to walk in it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read.Study.Reflect.Apply

P.S. here’s our framework for the next few weeks. We might have to cut it short because Advent is coming.

• Moses’ miracle of bread from Heaven; Exodus 16
• Jesus as the Bread of Life; John 6:31-36
• The Last Supper; Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-38 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
• God’s greatest miracle; breaking the Bread of Life; Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:37-39, John 11:25-26, Luke 24:6-7

Don’t forget to leave me below because I love hearing from you. Tell me of the miracles you have experienced in your own life. Forward this message to a friend and ask them to subscribe to my website. Post on Facebook and ask others to check out my blog. Be sure to tag me in it. And as always, until next time, may God place a hunger in your soul that only He can fill. -M