JESUS CARES ABOUT PEOPLE
MATTHEW 15:32-37 NKJV
32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
In this passage, where we see Jesus feeding people again, we get further glimpses into who Jesus is and particularly His concern for people.
Jesus stated that He had compassion on the multitude of people that had come to hear Him. They had been with Jesus listening for three days with nothing to eat. Now we can’t just run past that statement. People were listening to Jesus for three days straight. Chances are strong that very few brought enough food for a three-day conference. But the fact that they stayed for three days without leaving to eat is amazing. That‘s a great place to be where our spiritual hunger is even greater than physical hunger.
But Jesus cared about the fact that the people were walking home and would be weak without food. He did not want them passing out on the way. So He told His disciples to give them something to eat. And even though these guys had watched Jesus feed between 7-10 thousand people, they were still bogged down with the logistical challenge. Where are we going to find enough bread in the wilderness to feed all these people? The nearest Chik-Fil-A is too far away and closed on the Sabbath. That last part was not scriptural, but the premise was still the same. They were in the wilderness, and there were thousands of hungry people.
This would have been a great time for the disciples to say, “Hey Jesus, we have been here before. What do You have in mind?”
But, of course, this is easy for me to say. I was not there, and I have the scriptures that clearly show what Jesus did. So I am in no condition to judge.
Jesus once again did not create food out of thin air. He asked the disciples what they had in their possession. Jesus wanted to know what they had that He could work with. When the disciples told Him they had seven loaves and a few little fish, Jesus was not concerned. He made everyone sit down and then gave thanks, broke the loaves, and started handing them to the disciples, who handed them to the people.
I am intrigued with how this miracle took place. Jesus did not break the bread and create a mountain of food that the people could come and take. He broke the bread, gave it to the disciples who broke it, and gave it to the people who would break the bread and pass it on to the next person and the next. The people had to break the bread and pass it on, and as they did, it continued to multiply. So the people were involved in this miracle. If the first people to get the bread were unwilling to break and pass it on, the miracle would not have happened. What God gives us is not just for us it’s for others as well. Whatever gifts you have from God will bless your life, but the end goal is to bless other people.
When everyone had eaten, there was still seven large baskets full of the fragments. Don’t you love the fact that every time the Lord fed the people, they ate until they were full, and there was still more than enough? He is not a barely scrape by God; He is and always will be the God who exceeds expectations. He is the God who is more than enough!
APPLICATION
Here are my three big takeaways from this passage.
Jesus cares about people. He cares about our spiritual needs but does not stop there. He cares about the well-being of our entire lives, spirit, soul, and body.
The Lord works with what we have. When we put what we have in His hands, He is able to multiply it and make something truly special happen. He still works with the seeds we plant.
He is still a God who can do exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think. He causes our cup to run over. Not barely fill the bottom of the glass.Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You care for me. Thank You for being concerned with my total well-being. Make me a blessing to the people in my life so I can communicate Your care for them.