Slices
Prepare
Do you feel in need of provision or thankful for abundance in your life? Bring these feelings before Jesus and trust in his compassion for you.
Bible passage
Jesus feeds the five thousand
13 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. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed those who were ill.
15 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 that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’
16 Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’
17 ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.
18 ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said. 19 And he told 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. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Explore
We’re moving on from the series of parables to see Jesus at work through miracles, as he brings the kingdom of heaven alive with his compassion and authority. Take a moment to imagine all that isn’t recorded in Matthew: all the meals, decisions, interactions that happened on the way during Jesus’ ministry. Imagine the travel and movement: the walking, talking, journeying, and the crowds hearing about Jesus through hundreds, thousands of individual conversations. Of course, the crowds in this passage didn’t want to rush away from him – he had just healed their sick (v 14). There would be so many stories of changed lives to talk about.
Jesus’ leadership of the disciples (v 18) and the crowds (v 19) is remarkable as he orchestrates a spontaneous mass feeding of thousands that leaves every single mouth completely satisfied (v 20). And yet, there is a humility about this extraordinary, miraculous meal. The food is simple, and Jesus breaks the bread, looks to heaven and thanks God (v 19), which would have been normal for the head of a Jewish household to do. Jesus has drawn people away from the villages, to himself, gathered them together, and now presides over them, providing abundantly for their needs.
Respond
Write a grace to say at the beginning of mealtimes. Who might you invite to share a meal with you?
Deeper Bible study
‘Jesus, thou art all compassion, / pure, unbounded love thou art’.1
Having focused on the impact of Jesus’ message of the kingdom of heaven on his hometown and then Herod, Matthew moves our gaze towards the masses. Having just learned of the death of his cousin in a manner that warns what lies ahead for him, Jesus retreats to find a quiet place. However, as often happened, the crowds swarm to him. What is your reaction when plans for solitude backfire? Contrary to how I’d have reacted, Jesus responds with compassion. The sorrow that he understandably would have felt on the death of his cousin is now directed towards the masses.
What is the miracle here? While feeding such a mass gathering from a child’s packed lunch2 is truly remarkable, the next day they’d be hungry again. Notwithstanding that the sick are healed before the buffet of bread and fish with leftovers, is there something even more extraordinary happening? In response to the disciples’ understandable request of Jesus for a solution to the needs of the people, he instructs, ‘You give them something to eat’ (v 16). That Jesus invites us to be participants in his ministry is astonishing. It’s not that he needs us, but rather that he chooses to release divine resources to supply what you and I require to feed those around us.
Note the contrast in the two meals thus far in Matthew 14. Yesterday we considered the drunken party hosted by Herod that was consumed by treachery, evil and malice. Today, the feast Jesus hosted is filled with life, hope and divine provision. Finally, the verbs used here by Matthew to describe the breaking of bread by Jesus are those later used in the account of the Last Supper.3 This meal by the shore in Galilee satisfied physical hunger and gives a wonderful foretaste of the feast to come which will satisfy our spiritual hunger.
‘Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love.’4
1 Charles Wesley, 1707–88, ‘Love divine’ 2 John 6:9 3 Matt 26:26 4 Song 2:4
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 49,50; Hebrews 8
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for workers Linda Gardner and Dan Budhi of Local Mission Partner Doncaster Schools Worker Trust and their volunteer helpers. Ask God for clear vision, continuing easy access into schools and freedom to teach about Jesus, and for more volunteers for Open the Book teams and filming work.
