Matthew 14:13-21

Danny Bush entitles a chapter in his book, Invitation to the Feast, “Dinner on the Grounds.”  One of my earliest memories is a “dinner on the grounds” at an associational meeting some 45 years ago.  That Tuesday afternoon there were four wagons parked beside that small country church, each loaded with an abundance of food.  Indeed, it was a feast on the grounds!

Long ago there was another feast, which literally was a “dinner on the grounds.”  There were no wagons loaded with food, though.  This particular feast required some ingenuity.  There were more than 5,000 people — well over 10,000 in all likelihood — on the grounds that day and there were only a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread.

The miracle of the Feeding of the 5,000 is the only nature miracle recorded by all four Gospel writers.  It symbolizes Jesus’ concern for human needs and His power to meet those needs.  In multiplying bread and fish, Jesus suggests one would always get back more than one gives when faith is genuine.

Discovering Resources in Limitations (v. 17)

Jesus had compassion on those who were sick and offered healing.  When evening came, the disciples urged Him to send the people away so they could buy food in nearby villages.  Yet Jesus suggested there was no need for the people to leave, commanding the disciples to give them something to eat.  They said to Him, “We have nothing but five loaves and two fish” (v. 17).

We have nothing, but . . .   Oh, what God can do with the “but.”  We are to see resources in limitations.  Fives loaves and two fish limits us, but not Christ.  There are things we can do with limited resources, which are at our fingertips, if we’ll hear Jesus saying, “Bring them here to me”(v. 18).  In other words, give Jesus what you have.

Missionary Webster Carroll spoke in seminary chapel more than 25 years ago.  In that service I heard him tell an incredible story about driving to a village in Uganda to secretly minister there during the terrifying reign of Idi Amin.  On the way he came upon a roadblock where soldiers were checking for materials that had been forbidden, like Bibles and hymnals.  He figured he would be shot for carrying illegal items. 

Figuring his life was about to end, he humbly prayed, “Lord, help me be brave and do the right thing, even if it costs me my life.”  As he neared the roadblock, he said immediately he pulled over to the side, reached into the backseat and got a box of hymnals.  He got out of the jeep with the hymnals and said to the soldiers, “Come on fellows, we are going to sing.”  He couldn’t believe what he was doing.  He couldn’t believe what they did!  Those soldiers put down their guns and walked over to a shaded area with him.  He gave each a hymnal and he taught them to sing songs like “Amazing Grace.”  That went on for a good while.