LEFTOVERS
Mark 8: 4-9 NKJ
4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”
5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven.”
6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. 7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. 8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. 9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away,
Jesus had compassion for the people who had come out to hear Him. They had been with Him for three days without anything to eat. When we think of going three days without eating in our modern culture, it’s rather hard to fathom. We have people wanting to leave early to make lunch after a service that lasts an hour. But culturally, the people in Jesus’ day were not accustomed to eating as regularly as we are today. Jesus was concerned that they had gone three days without eating and did not want them dropping out from hunger on the way home. He had compassion on these people and wanted them equipped for the journey home. Some of the people had walked a long distance to hear Him.
When Jesus questioned the disciples about feeding the people they balked. Even though they had seen Jesus feed over 5000 people with a few loaves and fish. I am not sure why the disciples did not refer back to the food producing miracle they had already witnessed. But then again, I have done the same thing and questioned God’s ability when faced with a challenge that seemed beyond my capacity to handle. Even though God had helped or healed or provided in the past, so, I can’t say too much about the disciples.
And Jesus did not chastise them; He simply asked how many loaves they had. And there were also some fish. For some reason, I knew Jesus fed the 5000 with loaves and fish, but I skipped over that there were also fish involved in the second meal with the 4000. That is one of the amazing characteristics of God’s Word; we are always discovering something that we missed in prior readings. Jesus made the people sit down, blessed the small amount of food present, and then had the disciples set the loaves and fish before the people. I was not there, so the following is my viewpoint, but it seems as if the people took the loaves and fish, broke some off for themselves, and then passed them on. As they kept passing among themselves, the loaves and fish never diminished. Four thousand people ate that day. And not only did they eat but they probably ate a great amount. Not having eaten for three days, they had to be seriously hungry. And I can imagine mothers breaking off some extra food to take home for children who would get hungry along the way.
Feeding 4000 people is quite a feat. I have been to banquets where maybe a thousand people were fed. I have taken part in providing food for thousands during Thanksgiving. Feeding that many people requires a whole lot of food. God not only provided for the people, but they were all filled. And there were seven large baskets of leftovers. Leftovers! That many people ate, most likely stored some away for the road, and there were still leftovers. Our God is not a barely get by God. He is a God of abundance. Our God knows how to take care of His people and provide all they need and more. He does not skimp, and He is not stingy. He is a loving, giving God!
APPLICATION
This is a thought-provoking application. As you look into the upcoming year, what are you expecting, if anything, from God? Have you limited Him in your appraisal of His goodness and His power? No condemnation here, just honest assessment. If you find that you may have expected little and sold Him short, then the next question will be important. Lord, what can I do to raise my expectations of You and Your goodness in my life? And you can follow that with Lord, what adjustments need to be made on my part? Verse eight of 2 Corinthians says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
PRAYER
Dear Father, You are a gracious giving God. Please show me how my view of You can increase and what I need to adjust in my thinking and ways.