Fishes and loaves

Do you remember the Bible story of the fishes and loaves? I have been thinking about this passage a lot lately. Today, let’s see what it is like when Jesus turns ministry into miracles.

I have been helping my sister plan and prepare for a fundraising event for an international mission called Angaza Nuru, As the day drew nearer, I sensed God was going to multiply our efforts. No more than I had the thought, I remembered the story of the fishes and the loaves.

Matthew 14:13-18 reads;

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

“You feed them.” 

Let’s summarize;

After a long day of ministering and healing, the disciples, his inner circle, came to Jesus and said, “Hey, it’s getting late. Send these folks on so they can go eat supper.” Jesus, being Jesus, must have smirked because he knows their hearts just like He knows ours. They were the ones hungry and tired. Jesus already knew what they had for themselves and they really did not want to share it. Isn’t that so like us. “I’ll help. But I’m not giving mine.” Jesus, in Jesus-fashion, uses our own humanness, our own selfishness, to teach an invaluable lesson.

Jesus says, “They don’t need to leave. You give them something to eat.” “You do it.”

They must have been thinking, “what do I have to give?” Or “I’m not giving them my food.” They may have even thought, “I don’t have enough to give.” And, “what I have would not make a difference anyway.”

How often in ministry, in our own gifts or even in our abundance, do we respond with “what can I give?” Or worse, we think, “That’s mine. I’m not giving it.”

Jesus already knows what we have to offer. When we come to Him, offering what we have, God will multiply it. In that moment, our act of service becomes God’s miracle to the people.

We look to Jesus for the healing of the sick and the feeding of the hungry. But Jesus says, “You feed them.”

We claim to be the hands and feet of Christ. Sometimes I wonder if our hands are too full of our own stuff. Maybe we are afraid to let go of what we think is ours.

Whatever you have, bring it to Jesus and let the miracle begin. 

God takes whatever we have to offer, our meager fishes and loaves, and multiplies it over and over again, creating a miracle out of our ministry. A miracle out of our meagerness.

Let us pray;

God, the Giver of all good things, grant in us hearts for service. May we recognize that anything we have comes from You. We are only stewards. Grant that we be good stewards. Open our hearts and minds and hands so that we may be a service to You and your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. Leave me a comment below because I love hearing from you. Forward this message to a friend and ask them to subscribe to my website. Post on Facebook and tag me in it. Until next time. remember, Jesus commands us to do it! -M