Providing food was the easy part. Jesus fed the thousands earlier. He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead and shared the message of a God that loved his children personally and completely. Jesus came to change the world—but, what he sees is a world that was not changing even a little. Those following were waiting to see the next miracle or receive a free meal. Those opposing him were more consumed with their checklists and traditions than they were to know the God they served. The disciples still confused, amazed and enjoying the life of celebrity—not even vaguely aware of their role in meeting Jesus mission. God only wanted to restore fellowship with the folks that separated themselves in an attempt to become like God.
Today, God still wants the same thing. He wants us to simply know him and follow him away from the worlds captivity. Today, it is still not about the miracles—even though there are plenty of them. It is not about provision, even though he provides daily. It is not about us becoming God, being independent and in control—that is simply an illusion and impossible. It is still about knowing God for the loving father that he is. Realizing that while all the miracles, provision and control are his. We simply get to enjoy them as we follow his lead and seek him with our hearts. It is a daily journey toward heaven. We think we can control our lives, our fates and our relationship with God—but our plans and checklists do not work any better now than when he walked among us. Like the disciples, we have no idea how we can impact his mission—by simply seeking him and following him. He said it best, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matt 6:33. Help me, Lord-to simply seek and follow you.
God Bless You
About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”
4 His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?”
5 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”
“Seven loaves,” they replied.
6 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. 7 A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.
8 They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 9 There were about 4,000 people in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. 10 Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha.