If you are just joining us in this Lenten season, we are looking to deepen our faith and trust in God by examining some of the encounters people had with Jesus. Many of the people who met Jesus walked away with their lives changed. They walked away healed or full of hope. They walked away knowing God loved them and a little bit more about who God created them to be. There is a lot we can learn from these encounters if we are willing to apply their life story to our own life story. Today we are going to look at one encounter that is found in all four gospels. In fact, it is the only miracle found in all four gospels. Luke 9:10-17.
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, 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.
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.” 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.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 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. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
If you have heard this story before, what was missing? The boy. One of the things that makes this story so enduring is that in John’s gospel it is a boy who gives Jesus his lunch. The boy is only mentioned in John’s gospel and for some people this causes them to think that the bible can’t be trusted because they don’t all line up. But for me, that they don’t always line up tells me that these accounts are more believable.
If I asked each of you to describe what it was like walking in this morning and share it with those worshiping online, you would all share something just a little different. Some would talk about the people you saw, or the bulletins on the table. Some of you might mention the offering station or the people getting coffee. But did anyone notice the stuffed owl on the windowsill? All our kids adopted a Bible Buddy and they are reading to them this Lenten season and I had one up here to show everyone a few weeks ago. I liked it, but gave it back to the children, but then a few days later, I had one of my own. A wise old owl who is slightly gray.
If everyone had said exactly the same thing to those online, they would think that all of you had worked together to tell the same story. They might not have believed you if everyone said exactly the same thing, but the differences in details made it believable. The different details in the gospel stories help me see them as true eyewitness testimonies that have been shared with others. It helps me trust the story more and want to make it my story as well.
This story is very familiar, in fact it is a miracle of provision we looked at in our last series, but there is more we can learn from it today and, there are going to be three prayers we will learn from this story. I want to invite you to make one of those prayers your prayer for this week, or maybe the rest of this Lenten season.
In the story we once again see crowds who have followed Jesus to a remote place. The disciples want Jesus to send the people away to get dinner because there is no food where they are, but Jesus said, you feed them. They remind Jesus that they don’t have much food, just a few loaves of bread and fish, which Jesus then blessed and gave to the people. Over 5,000 people ate and were filled.
Last week we talked about 4 groups of people who encountered Jesus and today we are going to talk about 3. The first group is once again the crowds. Jesus and His disciples were trying to get away from the crowds to have some time alone, so they went to the city of Bethsaida, but the crowds followed along. Instead of being irritated by this, it says that Jesus welcomed them. Once again, Jesus loved the crowds. He loved the people in the crowds. While it must have been difficult to never have time to Himself, Jesus knew the people were looking to Him for help and hope.
What we need to notice about this crowd is that they were willing to chase after Jesus, even to this remote place. Whether it was desperation or desire, they were willing to go out of their way to be close to Jesus. Some may have rushed ahead to get there before Jesus, others may have followed behind, but they all wanted to be with Jesus. How much do you want to be with Jesus?
During this season of Lent, are we chasing after Jesus? Are we desperate for Him? Do we desire to be near Him? Are we anxious to hear His word, feel His presence, and experience His power? Are we looking to Jesus to have our needs met? We talked about this last week, but sometimes we just don’t turn to God and ask Him to meet our needs, and what this crowd teaches us is that there is a blessing that can be ours if we will run after Jesus.
The reason that this crowd chased after Jesus was because they trusted Him to meet their needs. They trusted Jesus to be looking out for them, to have their best interest in mind, and to care for them. Do we trust Jesus? Do we trust Him enough to set everything else aside and chase after Him? Here is the first of three prayers we can learn from this story, God, give me the faith to trust You.
The crowds had faith. They trusted Jesus to help them and so they chased after Him. If we aren’t chasing after Jesus then maybe the prayer we need to pray is, God give me faith to trust You. Give me the faith I need to run after You because I trust you to meet my needs.
The second group of people we see in this story are the disciples. While Jesus wasn’t irritated by the crowds, the disciples were. They wanted to spend time alone with Jesus but Jesus kept welcoming and engaging the people. Finally the disciples tell Jesus that He needed to send them home. To the disciples this was a great plan and they looked to Jesus to solve their problem the way they wanted. Unfortunately for them, Jesus wanted them to be part of the solution. You feed them.
How often do we look at a problem and want God to solve it our way? We ask God to help us, or our family, or our work situation, and then we give God directions on how to do it. We are looking for God to do it all our way while God is saying, I want you to do it my way.
When I worked in Yellowstone National Park I had the opportunity to take on a new position that I thought would be great. I got the job and quickly realized it was not what I wanted and I asked God to change my situation. Move me back to my old job. What I clearly heard God say was, you do it. Actually, what I heard God say was, you got yourself into this situation and you can get yourself out. God wanted me to explain to my supervisor that I wanted out of that job because it was interfering with the work I was doing with Christian Ministries. God wanted me to talk about my faith and share the struggle I was having. He wanted to use me for His purpose and glory, but I didn’t want to do the hard work.
There are times when God wants us to step up and become active in administering His miracles. Yes, God could do it alone, but then we don’t learn, we don’t grow, and we don’t experience the joy and power of being part of something big that only God can do. When Jesus said, you feed them, He was inviting the disciples to be part of a miracle that would be shared throughout history. God wanted to use them in ways they never thought possible. God wants to use us in ways we never thought possible.
Here’s the second prayer we might want or need to pray this week. God, how can I be used by You? I want to invite you to pray this prayer, but I am going to warn you that if you do, God will show you how you can step up and be part of His purpose and plan. Stepping up won’t be easy, we will need that faith and trust we prayed for earlier, but when we ask God to use us, God will give us opportunities to serve Him.
If we pray this and are shown how and where God wants to use us, God will already be there waiting to help us. Jesus knew the miracle to come. He knew the disciples couldn’t feed all those people on their own and He was already working to make the miracle happen, but He needed and maybe more importantly, He wanted the disciples to be part of it. God wants us to be part of administering His miracles. How can we be used by God?
So now we come back to the one who is missing from the story in Luke, the boy. We don’t know why he isn’t mentioned in Luke. Maybe John was the one who found him, or it was important for John to include him, we don’t know. What we do know is that he was the only one who gave what he had to Jesus.
There were 5,000 men there and I can understand them not thinking to bring along any food, but not the women. Women think of everything. Moms never go on a trip without snacks. It was always my mom who had the peanut butter crackers in the car. It is still my mom who wants to make sure we take something to eat in the car. This boy couldn’t have been the only one with food, but he was the one who gave his food to Jesus. Maybe it was because he didn’t see what he had as his, but Gods.
And this our third prayer. God, help me see that what I have is not mine but Yours. Whether we have a little or a lot, it all belongs to God, and God is asking us to share what we have with Him. If we will share what we have, God can then bless it, multiply it, and use it for His glory.
As we look at the images from Ukraine, we can all feel very blessed. We have not had to flee our homes. We have food on the table and beds to sleep in at night. We aren’t living in fear of gunshots or missiles. Our community is at peace and even though we have problems as a nation, we have so much!
From a place of blessing, and even abundance, can we see what we have as not ours but God’s. Can we give to God what we have trusting that God will use it and us for His glory. When we give God what we have, we will actually get more in return. And let me be clear, I’m not talking about giving God our money, I’m talking about giving God all we have. Our time, our talent, our experiences, our abilities, our wisdom, our willingness, our service. It all belongs to God so can we give God what we have trusting that He will use us and bless us?
We see three distinct groups of people here who encountered Jesus, and Jesus needed them all. He needed the crowd if He was going to do a miracle. He loved the crowd and wanted to honor their trust in Him. Jesus needed the disciples to show the world that God’s power can flow through God’s people. And Jesus needed the boy and his lunch. He needed those resources placed in His hands so that He could show the world the abundance of God.
Which story is your story? Which prayer will you make your own?
● God, give me the faith to trust You.
● God, how can I be used by You?
● God, help me see that what I have is not mine but Yours!
These prayers all lead us closer to Jesus. They help us experience more of God’s presence and power, and they lead to actions that help administer God’s miracles in the world.
What needs can you meet?
What miracle can you make happen?
What prayer will you pray?
Next Steps
Encounters with Jesus - Feeding the 5,000
Read this encounter with Jesus in all 4 gospels:
● Matthew 14:13-21
● Mark 6:31-44
● Luke 9:12-17
● John 6:1-14
What similarities and differences do you see?
Does the fact that these stories are not identical help or hurt your confidence in the Bible?
What do you learn about the three groups found in the story:
● The crowds
● The disciples
● The boy
The crowd:
How are you “chasing after” Jesus?
What is one thing you could do this week to follow Jesus more faithfully? Are you eager to hear God’s word?
Make this your prayer: God, give me the faith to trust You.
The disciples:
Where are you asking God to solve a problem in your life without wanting to be involved?
How could you step up to be part of God’s solution?
Make this your prayer: God, how can I be used by You?
The boy:
What resources do you have that you can give to God?
How could God use these for His purpose and plan?
Make this your prayer: God, help me see that what I have is not mine but Yours!
