HOST: Michael Whitworth
SPONSOR: Logos Bible Software
Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
More than enough. It is interesting to me that in both this event and in the telling of the feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14), the gospel writers make a point to tell us that several baskets of leftovers were collected. Why? Why is it important that there was food left over? Is it not spectacular enough that Jesus fed thousands with a very small quantity of food? While I don’t pretend to understand exactly why God chose to include this detail in the telling of these events, there is one thought that comes to my mind. Jesus certainly could have turned the small amount of food into just enough so that everyone was filled and satisfied without one morsel remaining, but He didn’t. He created an abundance of food, more than enough, maybe to make the point that He is not only able to meet our needs but that He can bless us with abundantly more than our needs require. If Jesus can feed thousands with a few loaves and fishes and have baskets of leftovers to spare, surely there can be no limit to the blessings that He can provide in our lives (see Ephesians 3:20-21).
How has God blessed your life abundantly?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!