Seven and a Few

Photo courtesy: buildthetemple.com

[SCRIPTURE]

32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

- Matthew 15:32-39

[OBSERVATION]

Compassion: That was what Jesus uttered to His disciples to what He felt for the crowd.  He had compassion on them. Three days. The crowd stuck with Jesus for three whole days and with nothing to eat. It was quite a long sermon and medical mission, I guess. So then Jesus aired His concern to the disciples: feed the four thousand (exclusive of women and children from the count, by the way).

Photo courtesy: us.123rf.com

Economic crisis: To the twelve, it is a matter of economic issue. "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" Honest to say, if I were one of the twelve, I would have the same question. If it were a business proposal, I would have turned it down; it would have failed in the feasibility report.

Inventory: Jesus asked the disciples of the number of loaves they had with them. They took inventory of the loaves, and it turned out they had seven loaves and a few small fish. Oops! Way too short for the feeding program!

Beating the odds: Now this is the beauty of the oddest of the odds. "Piece of cake! Easy! Why don't you sit down, relax and enjoy the ride?" You know what Jesus did next. He let the crowd sit down, He gave thanks, and passed the food to the disciples. It's as easy as A-B-C!

Bon Apetit: And as verse 37 says, "They all ate and were satisfied."  I want to assume that the loaves were buttered and the fish were seasoned and grilled (or maybe I am asking Jesus too much). Yummy!

Surplus: Who would have thought that the seven loaves and a few small fish would generate a surplus? And yeah, that was after the crowd of four thousand ate. The service crew (twelve disciples) went and gathered all that were left (seven 'basketfuls'). And here, the disciples a while ago, were perplexed by the not-looking-good statistics report and the disequilibrium supply and demand curve. What was that again? Economic crisis, eh?

Photo courtesy: bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com

[APPLICATION]

Jesus fed four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish. Amazing, right? Another miracle from the Lord Jesus Christ! And this is not just another story we read in the Bible. This happened in reality, in real life! Real people, real place, real time, real loaves, real fish, real hunger, and real God!

You see, there is so much we can learn and so much treasure we can get from these passages.  As we dig deeper and look beyond the imprinted letters in this story, let us realize that Jesus is teaching us and telling us that this, too, applies in our own lives today.

Compassion: Jesus is compassionate towards us. He cares about our welfare, our whole being. Jesus is not only concerned with our spiritual bodies, but also with our physical bodies. Read again verse 32. He is not a kind of teacher that when the bell rings, He'd immediately say, "Class, dismissed!" Or a kind of worker that after His 8-hour shift of duty, whether task done or not, He'd punch out His time card of the Bundy clock. Jesus does not want us to be spiritually full then be physically hungry. No! He doesn't want that! He cares for us and for our needs, and yes, that includes all our needs, may it be physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, and many others. Jesus is not someone who we can bring to only our spiritual needs. Jesus is who we can bring to every area of our lives with whatever concerns we have. He is the Specialist of our lives!

Economic crisis: The problem doesn't really lie on low statistics, bad economy or zero opportunities. What we often see is only the frontal view of the crisis.  We are short-sighted people. We are easily paralyzed by limitations.  What we don't realize is that Jesus is beyond measure, beyond limits, beyond possibilities and impossibilities, and beyond time.  Sometimes, we are perplexed on how to get through our difficult situations, and how easily we forget that God cares for us, and that He is able and ready to help and turn things around for us.  Good economy or bad economy He is God! Why despair?

Photo courtesy: imgon.net

Inventory: Again, when we see that we are outnumbered or short numbered by our situations, we are easily discouraged, thinking that it is the end of our lives, that we could never get through these.  Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Remember this, Jesus is even beyond numbers! Statistics is of no issue to Him. He can make things work regardless of the number (arrays of problems, heaps of crises, mountains of enemies, bulks of trials, etc.). They are no sweat to Him.

Photo courtesy: us.123rf.com

Beating the odds:  Yes, He always beats the odds. He has countless ways of doing miracles, and it is not just a one-time event when He does. He can do it twice (and many times) just like the feeding of five thousand (see Matthew 14) and then the four thousand (and maybe another unrecorded account of four thousand or so). God cares for you when you are facing a difficult situation, and trust Him on that. And when you face trials in the future, He is faithful and will continue to care for you.

Another thing, the multiplied loaves and fish are a product of faith. If the disciples didn't count the loaves and fish, and didn't take those to Jesus, they could have shown unbelief. The first step the disciples took, their first hand over, and their first response to Jesus were indications of faith already; much more when they handed over the basket with loaves and fish. It takes faith on our part to activate Jesus' power. Jesus didn't also do the 'feeding program' all by Himself. He (see verse 36) broke them and gave them to the disciples. There was a participation from the twelve.  Jesus gave to them, and the disciples took it -- this again is an indication of faith. Then, the disciples in turn gave to the people. Who are the recipients of the miracle? Us!

Bon Apetit: When Jesus feeds, we are assured of satisfaction. Only Jesus can satisfy us!

Surplus: Not only we are satisfied, but we would also have abundance of life in Jesus to the point of overflowing.  And when we overflow, others who surround us would also be recipients of the abundance of life in Jesus. We might be blessing other people as we overflow.

[PRAYER]

Father God, thank You for Your Word today. Thank You that You sent Jesus to demonstrate Your love for us. Thank You that we can rely on You and on Your Son, Jesus, with our whole lives. You are not only concerned with our spiritual, but also with every area of our lives. Father God, teach us to stretch our faith. Teach us not to look at our circumstances, but to look at Jesus who is beyond limits, full of power and wisdom. We trust You with our lives, and thank You for Your faithfulness. We give You thanks. We give you honor and glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[Journal entry: September 6, 2012]