Luke 9:10-17
"He replied, 'You give them something to eat.' They answered, 'We have only five loaves of bread and two fish - unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.' (About five thousand men were there.)"
(Luke 9:13-14A)
You've probably felt some degree of hunger before. Your stomach grumbles, you're unable to focus on the task at hand, and the only thing you can think of is food.
During Jesus' earthly ministry, He satisfied many hungry and thirsty people. But their cravings were not limited to a desire for bread and water. They were hungry - starving, in fact - for something more. They needed to hear that their heavenly Father loved them, that He cared for them as a shepherd cares for his sheep.
In this passage, Jesus taught the people "about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing" (v. 11). He healed their bodies and fed their spirits with the knowledge of Yahweh, the one true God.
Jesus took a boy's meager lunch of five rolls and two sardines, and multiplied the limited offering into a meal that filled the stomachs of five thousand men, with left over besides. It was a miracle.
But the greater miracle is that the One who was the Bread of Life fed their bodies and their spirits, indeed to overflowing.
INSIGHT
ARE YOU HUNGRY TO KNOW GOD BETTER? FEED ON HIS WORD AND SATISFY THE HUNGER OF YOUR SOUL.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Jeremiah 15-16
Psalm 111
Romans 13-14
Luke 9:10-17
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
SIMPLY LIVING IN CHRIST ALONE (WEEKEND EDITION)
with Keith & Kristyn Getty
We often focus on the big events of life, but our lives are really lived in the moments in between. Our normal day-to-day thoughts and decisions need the light of Christ more than we think.
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