Matthew 14:13-21 (KJV)
13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Words can be hard to understand, especially English words. But the only word Jesus doesn’t understand is “but (only)!” In verse 17, Jesus didn’t even consider the word “but (only),” Jesus said, “it’s enough!” The disciples were thinking in human terms of a logical manner to meet the masses’ hunger, not thinking in supernatural terms, of a miracle of God to meet the needs of the masses.
The Compassion Lesson: Jesus cares about all my needs.
He doesn’t just care about your spiritual needs, but He is interested in every area of your life.
The Faith Lesson: Jesus asks me to do the impossible to test me.
The disciples thought their problem was a lack of food, but Jesus saw that the bigger problem was a lack of faith. Your faith will be tested continually throughout your life not to shame you, but to strengthen you. (James 1:2-3)
When you encounter a problem that involves shortage, there are three different approaches you can take.
- Some people are “feelers.”
“I just feel that…” Their feelings said, “send these folks away.” - Other people are “figure-ers.”
They address problems with their minds. You can recognize them because they often make remarks like, “I think…” These are the calculators, the analyzers. To all the figure-ers, God says, “Your calculation is correct, but you fail the test.”
The Abundance Lesson: When I give Jesus only all that I have, He turns my poverty into plenty!
To face a shortage is to be a “faither.” A feeler says, “I feel…” A figure-er says, “I think…” (John 6:8-9) John tells us that Andrew brought a little boy to Jesus who had five loaves and two fish. It’s God’s nature to always give more than enough. (Ephesians 3:20) “Exceedingly abundantly above” literally means superabundant, beyond measure, more than enough! Jesus did four simple things when He received the five loaves and two fish.
- Look to heaven for help. (Psalm 121:1-2)
Maybe you feel overwhelmed right now with your marriage, financial, family physical, or work-related problems. - Give thanks for the little I have.
Thanksgiving is more than a holiday; it’s the best way to approach God. The Bible says, “we enter His gates with thanksgiving.” But thanksgiving is also the best way to approach a problem as well. - Cherish the value of brokenness.
In our materialistic culture, a broken object becomes less valuable. But in God’s economy, brokenness only increases the value. - Serve others before myself.
Be willing to help other people first and you’ll find your needs and problems don’t seem quite as severe after serving others. A real disciple is committed to full service to others.
Will you give God “only” what you have? God has been performing miracles with “onlys” for centuries. Adam was only a pile of clay. Goliath and the Philistines looked at David and said, “he’s only a boy with only a slingshot.” They said Mary was only an unwed teenage mother. They said that Jesus was only a carpenter.
Just think about what God can do with your “only” if you’ll offer it to Him. Do you understand the only word Jesus doesn’t understand? And ONLY He knows what can happen when you give Him your all!