More Than Enough

“And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.”  Matthew 15:36-37

The location of the miracle of feeding the 4,000 took place near the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus and His disciples had arrived there, and He went up into a mountain, a great vantage point from which He could teach the multitudes who had heard He had come to their town.  Many, many folks came.  Among them were the crippled, those who were blind, those who were unable to speak, and those who were missing legs or arms along with those who were suffering from other forms of afflictions and diseases.  These folks had heard about the miracles that Jesus had been doing in other towns and were eager for His healing touch.  Jesus healed them all.  Can you imagine the excitement of the people when those who previously could not walk were able to leap for joy, those who had not been able to speak were shouting praises to God, those who were blind were able to see their own families and the bright blue sky, and those who had been missing arms and legs had brand new arms and legs with which they could wave around and dance for joy?

All of those healings caused them to react exactly as God would have them:  “They glorified the God of Israel”.  Their reaction was quite the opposite of the reaction of the Pharisees at a previous healing by Jesus.    Instead of being overcome with joy at the sight of a man who had been blind, could not speak, and was possessed with a demon becoming healthy and whole, these self-righteous and arrogant religious leaders blasphemed God by attributing Jesus’ miracles to the power of Satan (Matthew 12:24).  If these Pharisees weren’t so hateful, it would almost be funny to watch them as they held their noses high in the air and paraded around like they were kings.  They couldn’t be happy about anything.  They remind me of what my aunt used to say about consistently unhappy people, “They wouldn’t be happy as a taster in a pie factory!”  However, the multitudes realized that these miracles were from God and praised Him for the healings.

As the day wore on, Jesus became concerned for the people because they had been with Him for three days, and most likely any food they brought with them had all been consumed.  Jesus didn’t want to send them home weakened by an empty stomach.  The disciples asked Jesus where they were going to get enough food to feed all of these folks.  How quickly we tend to forget.  It hadn’t been that long since the disciples witnessed Jesus miraculously turn five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5,000 families (Matthew 14:13-21), but now they didn’t have a clue what they were going to do.  Before we criticize the disciples’ lack of faith, let’s examine our own times of weak faith.  Have we not experienced an answer to prayer, and then another situation arose, and we fell into doubt and insecurity?  Like the disciples, we fail to look back at the times that the Lord has brought us through trials and trust that He will see us through again.

Jesus asked His disciples how much food they had with them, and they said, “Seven loaves and a few fish.”  As He did previously, Jesus thanked His Father for the food and began to break up the bread and the fish, passing the pieces to His disciples, and they, in turn, distributed the food among the crowd.  There were 4,000 men plus women and children, probably somewhere between 12,000 to 15,000 people.  Just think about how much food that would take for each person to eat until full.  We’re talking tons!  When everyone was finished eating, there were seven baskets, probably the size of bushel baskets, left over.  Jesus sent them home with full stomachs, and for some, hopefully a changed life.  However, many would only remember the loaves and fishes.  In John 6:24-27, the multitudes sought Jesus, and when they found Him, He told them that they were seeking Him, not because of the miracles that He had done, but because they had eaten of the loaves and were filled.  He went on to say that they shouldn’t be overly concerned about the food that they eat, but rather to seek His word which endures eternally, the word of life that He could give unto them.  God has more than enough grace to save all those who come to Him in repentance and faith in Christ.   Physical food only satisfies temporarily, but the spiritual food that Christ provides will sustain us forever.