“When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. As He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Matthew 14:13-15
When evening came, the disciples approached Him and said, ‘This place is a wilderness, and it is already late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’”
Jesus tried to withdraw because He had just been informed that John the Baptist had been beheaded by King Herod. Did He withdraw to grieve? To pray? To contemplate that He would eventually be killed as well? Scripture doesn’t tell us. What we are told is that the crowds followed Him. He had compassion for them and healed their sick. Whatever His needs might have been at the time, He set them aside and put the needs of others first. That could be the subject for a future post but for now, let’s move on.
As it gets later in the day, the disciples recognize a problem. They’re out in the middle of nowhere. There are no restaurants, food markets, or other sources of food. Now, from our point of view, missing a single meal might seem like no big deal but this situation was different. These weren’t well fed 21st century people. This crowd was mostly peasants. They would have walked a good distance to get to Jesus and they were a significant distance from the nearest town. There was a very real possibility of their fainting or suffering real, perhaps serious, physical consequences from hunger or thirst if they waited too long to leave to get food and water. And it is a very large crowd. We’re told there were more than 5,000 men, plus women and children. That’s a lot of empty bellies. The disciples are legitimately concerned for their welfare and from their point of view, there is only one solution.
The problem is real. They go to Jesus and tell Him about it. They also tell Him how it should be solved. But Jesus answers in a way they must have found frustrating.
“They don’t need to go away,’ Jesus told them. ‘You give them something to eat.”
Matthew 1416
Can you imagine their reaction? They’re looking at this crowd of more than 5,000 people and Jesus says “y’all go ahead and feed them.” The natural response is, of course, “How are we supposed to do that?! What are we supposed to feed them?” And that is how they reply.
“But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to Him.
Matthew 14:17
They’re still thinking the only solution is to send the people to town to buy their own food and can you blame them? They don’t have food to give the people! But Jesus is unperturbed and just tells them to bring what they have.
“Bring them here to Me,” He said. Then He commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces! Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.”
Matthew 14:18-21
He made a way where there was no way. He performed a miracle and caused the food to multiply as the disciples distributed it. Amazing, right?! The disciples had been thinking “We can’t feed all these people!” so it seemed completely reasonable to ask Jesus to send the people away to find their own food. They could see no other option. And because they couldn’t see another solution, they assumed there wasn’t another solution. Keep in mind that Jesus could have done anything in this circumstance. He is God. God’s resources are endless. And God’s ways are different. Once again, Jesus chose to do something that was completely unexpected. Why? Because throughout His time on earth, Jesus was constantly trying to teach people to think differently and to pray differently.
How often do you pray for someone or something and your prayer is something like this:
“God, please solve this problem in this way.”
I think one of the things He tried to teach here and elsewhere was that you don’t need to include your suggested solution when you pray about a problem. God doesn’t need you to tell Him how to fix things. He already knows the best way to solve whatever is happening. He knows the whole picture so He knows the optimal solution. You. Do. Not.
Like the disciples who could only see sending people away as the solution because five loaves and two fish cannot feed thousands of people, we also can only see the limits based on our human perspective.
But God… God knows more. God knows the future. God knows everyone’s heart. God has options you never dreamed of! Earlier, Jesus had told them
“Don’t be like them (those engaging in repetitive prayer by rote), because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.”
Matthew 6:8
You don’t have to figure it out. You don’t have to know the answer. You only have to God! God already knows. Instead, pray for His will. Pray for Him to align your will to His. Pray for Him to help you accept His answer. And give thanks, even when His answer is unexpected. Even when His answer may not make sense. Even when His answer is uncomfortable.
a surrendered life 