“As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting dark; send the crowd away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food”. Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat” – Matthew 14:15-16 (NIV).
It is all about the feeding of the 5,000 (men). The event took place at Galilee on the other side of the lake where Jesus had retired for a rest. The whole idea was to frolic out of the frustrating scenario of the death of John the Baptist, to have a quiet moment with God. But that was far from Him, as He eventually walked into the waiting crowd at the same side of the lake, who waited in earnest expectation of His arrival.
The desperation of the crowd to see Jesus is clearly expressed in their hopeless circumstances of life; for the Bible records in Mark 6:36-50 that “they were like sheep without a shepherd”. This awful situation of the crowd elicited the compassion of Jesus Christ for them. This is a very wonderful thing. Jesus had come to find peace and quietness and loneliness; instead of that, He found a crowd eagerly demanding what He could give them.
What right had they to invade His privacy with their continuous demands? Was He to have no rest and quiet time to Himself at all? But Jesus was not really like that. So, far from finding them a nuisance, He was moved with compassion for them. He cared for the people instead.
As Jesus eventually settled on the spiritual needs of the people by the insightful revelation, teaching of the word and by healing them of all manner of diseases, their physical desire was also clamouring for attention.
Jesus’ holistic supply of needs must address the holistic need of the total man. On daily basis, Jesus responds to our quest and provides for us, just for compassion sake, not really on the heels of our acclaimed righteousness. Our feeble disposition of life certainly elicits His compassion for us.
The disciples had not even considered that Jesus might be able to meet the needs of so many; so the eventful gathering of 5,000 (not counting women and children) who sat on the field to listen to Jesus and how their need for bread could be met was a source of worry for the disciples. As evening approached, and the people began to grow hungry, the disciples urged the Incarnate Provider to send people away to buy food.
Brethren, God does not send people away from His presence just for the sake of food; He calls people into His presence to receive the enduring manna that gives eternal life. He poured manna from heaven for millions in the wilderness. They ate and were satisfied. He is the Provider, the God of deserted places.
We tend to see our need as either too large to even ask God to handle or too small for Him to be concerned with. What exactly is your need? Whatever it is, it is entirely God’s concern. He may instruct you in it (“you give them something to eat”), and the obedience is yours to carry out; but the provision is His. When given the opportunity to stress self-sufficiency or dependence on God, Jesus chose the latter. Let neither the enemy nor your own limited vision take you out of dependence on God. Contrary to the voices in our heads, no need is too small for God to meet, and none is too large. He is the God of compassion and the God of abundance (v.20).
In this story, we see Jesus witnessing that all gifts are from God. As He lifted the bread and prayed, He surrendered the people’s absorbing soul and body for satisfaction as well unto God. This way, the bread offered enduring satisfaction and the people were contented.
Beloved, it is important to assure you at this moment that God cares and provides. His provision is contingent on His compassion, and His compassion is the direct source of provision. May you not go away from God in search of your need; instead draw nearer unto Him, He will certainly give you something of great joy in life and of eternal value.
