Jesus feeds the five thousand
Today, as the Underground, we come together in prayer and fasting, collectively joining our hearts in a “laser-focused” way.
As we pray together today, let’s reflect on an old Sunday School story: Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. As I spent time with this story, the way Jesus responds to the needs of His people stuck out in a special way.
Read
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:13-14
To fully understand the moment, we have to remember where Jesus was. In the 12th verse of this chapter, Jesus had just found out that his friend and ministry teammate, John The Baptist, had been beheaded.
When Jesus tries to retreat alone, he runs into a needy crowd. Now if Jesus was anything like me, He would’ve rolled his eyes and turned the boat around. Jesus does quite the opposite. In a moment of grief and hurt, Jesus had compassion on the crowd of needy people and healed the sick.
Reflect
If we’re being honest, how often do you feel too needy for Jesus? Spend a couple of minutes and reflect on how Jesus responded to the needy crowd. Take a few moments, and bring your needs to Jesus.
Read
As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:15-21
Not only did Jesus meet the needs of the crowd, He took it a step further. When the disciples were ready to send the crowd home and call it a night, Jesus had different plans. He shares a meal with the thousands of folks that showed up to see Him.
In this miraculous show of his power, Jesus also shows us His love. The crowd wasn’t just a ministry opportunity for him, but a crowd of people that Jesus dearly loved.
Jesus feels that same way about you. Not only does God meet our needs and heal the broken parts of us, He is also a loving father who wants to hang out and share a meal with us. Even when Jesus had every excuse to push the crowd away, Jesus does the miraculous just to share a meal with them.
Reflect
As we bring our needs to him today, we don’t have to feel any shame. He wants to meet your needs, but he also wants to sit with you in your situation.
Spend some time alone today with our perfect and loving Father. Reflect on the ways he’s met your needs in the past, and reflect on how He has sat with you over and over again.
Pray
Father, we need you. When life feels hopeless, and we feel needy, we cling to you. Thank you for the ways you have shown up over and over again, and we pray that we can show up in that same way for the people you’ve called us to. We love you, and we need you.