From the desk of Pastor Ben

Feeding of the 4,000 – Part 2

“He directed the people to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.”         (Matthew 15:35-38)

Jesus could have miraculously distributed the food without the apostles as easily as He had miraculously multiplied it without human assistance. After all, the Father had provided manna in the wilderness for the children of Israel — fresh every morning, distributed across the entire area of the encampment, and available so the people needed only to gather what was needed outside their tents (Exodus 16:14). But here, in addition to simply feeding the crowd, Christ wanted to teach the apostles. He desired that they learn the practical as well as the theological reality of His compassion for people. Once again, our Lord wanted His men to participate firsthand in God’s concern for people’s daily needs. He wanted them to realize that divine compassion embraces every aspect of human need: eternal redemption, physical wellness, and the daily need of food and drink.

Of these miraculous feedings, author Alfred Edersheim observes:

“The Lord ended each phase of His ministry with a feeding. He ended the ministry in Galilee with the feeding of the 5,000. He ended the ministry in the Gentile area with the feeding of the 4,000. And He ended the Judean ministry before His death on the cross with the feeding of His own in the upper room.

Ask Yourself:
How concerned are you for the hunger of those around you? You cannot do everything for everyone, but you can do something for someone. Ask God to keep your eyes open to human need, and to give you direction on how you can truly minister to them in His name.