Bring Them Here
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.
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 14:13-21
INSIGHT
Five loaves of bread and two fish are not very much food. That is the premise of this story. But if I had this much food before me, I could share it with a few friends; it’s more than I would need for just myself for a meal. How drastically different would this story be if I took it into my control to just share my five loaves of bread and two fish with a few people in my circle and let the story end there. I would be helping, sure. I would be sharing and being kind. Those are good things to practice. But God can do far more than I can imagine with those five loaves and two fish. By bringing them to Jesus and surrendering control to Him, much like the disciples do in this story, I get to witness Jesus doing far greater things. That’s true of anything I have in my life—possessions, money, knowledge, talents—you get the gist.
This story teaches us Jesus as a provider. Jesus takes the fives loaves of bread and two fish and feeds 5,000 people. But not just 5,000 people, the women, and children as well. The disciples didn’t expect Jesus to multiply the food to feed the entire crowd with that little bit of food. Even though they know that Jesus had already turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), it seems like they might have forgotten that miracle in this moment.
But the disciples didn’t command that Jesus feed the entire crowd. They simply suggested that Jesus send the crowd away to the villages nearby to buy food for themselves. But instead, Jesus tells the disciples in verse 16 that the people do not need to go away. Jesus tells the disciples to bring the food that they have to him. Jesus guides the disciples through what to do in providing food for the crowd, He doesn’t simply tell them to do it on their own. Jesus is a model of how to show compassion toward others.
I love this part of the story because I hear Jesus speaking directly to me in this, when I feel like I don’t have enough to offer or when I can’t provide for the needs before me, Jesus instructs me to surrender to Him all that I have with open hands. To trust the power of God with everything I have and watch with hopefulness at what He will do.
Not to be afraid to bring to the Lord what others may say is not enough. Bring all that I have and surrender it over to God, trusting that He can do far greater things with it than I could do on my own.
This story teaches me the importance of relinquishing control over my resources and holding everything with open hands, offering everything I have to the Lord. It teaches me to say, “here, God, this is all I have and it’s YOURS.” Even when it’s hard and even when it hurts. This story teaches me that God is my provider.
If it were me in this story with the five loaves and two fish, those supplies would have been sufficient to feed a few. But by offering what little food was available to Jesus, we see that there were twelve baskets of food leftover once everyone there ate their fill. This blows my mind. No one apart from Jesus would have anticipated this outcome.
But that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? Jesus is our provider. He goes before us and He never leaves us. Jesus is greater than us. God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). Of course, Jesus has more in store than I could ever imagine in my wildest dreams but still He invites me to take part in what He is doing. He asks me to take my loaves and fish and He says “bring them here to me” (Matthew 14:18) and so I do.
REFLECTION
What are the loaves and fish in your life that you could surrender to God? Are you holding too tightly to these things?
In what areas of your life can you turn to God instead of relying on yourself?
PRAYER
God, thank you for being my provider. Teach me to turn to You instead of to my own strength. Teach me to hold what I have with open hands before You, to trust You with everything I am. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
Kayla Daughtridge, Grow Zone Volunteer Coordinator at Port City’s Wilmington Campus, wrote today’s devotional.
