Feeding the 5000

Feeding the 5000

31.7.2020

When we have extreme hunger, it can affect our ability to move forward. We are weak and physically unable to take the next step. When we are hungry, we are reminded of our humanness. The miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000, we see the group of people closest to Jesus: his disciples, doubt his will. The disciples wanted to send the hungry crowds away. They saw a huge crowd before them, and only 5 loaves and 2 fish and said “we can’t do this. Send them away.” Despite their doubt Jesus saw a higher need. They were hungry and Jesus showed them the compassion they needed.

The disciples are so relatable in this story! Our Lord’s power is far beyond our human comprehension. The idea of 5 loaves of bread, and 2 fish feeding 5000 people until they are full, doesn’t make sense within our human understanding. So the fact that Jesus’s disciples were confused, makes sense.

However, our God is a God who loves to use the unexpected to open our eyes to His power, so in this story he uses our humanness to perform his miracle. The crowd is hungry and needs to be fed, the disciples are doubting and need help to trust in the lord, and so Jesus fulfils both these needs with one amazing miracle of five loaves of bread and two fish becoming enough to feed 5,000 people with leftovers!

God works through ways we never imagined or dreamed. Sometimes the miracle is not what we expect, but our loving God always knows what we need!