Discussion Review - Matthew 14:13-21

This past Sunday was our week of rest, but the previous week we had a great discussion on the Feeding of the Five Thousand in Matthew 14:13-21, which is only five thousand men, making the number more like 15,000-20,000 counting women and children. This comes right after Jesus learns of the death of John the Baptist, which is the likely reason He is withdrawing, to be with the Father and His disciples and grieve, but crowds hear of their location and follow Him. He went across the lake, but the crowds were so intent on seeing and hearing from Him, they raced around the lake to catch up. 

This sets the stage for this amazing story, which is the only miracle besides the resurrection to be recorded in all four Gospel accounts. So even though He was tired and grieving, Jesus still stopped to serve those in need. The text affirms this, with the same reason He consistently loved, served, healed and affirmed the “least of these,” Matthew 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” “B. B. Warfield points out that compassion ‘is the emotion which is most frequently attributed to him’. It conveys his reaction to the needs of people. ‘The sight of their desperate plight awakens our Lord’s pity and moves him to provide the remedy.’ Whatever people thought of him, he always thought to do people good” [OUM]. 

What we see from Jesus here is that His service to those in need physically and spiritually, is not just when it’s convenient or practical, and as we join Him in service to others this requires faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t require big grand gifts or gestures from us to be effective or useful to the Lord. This brings to mind so many other Biblical stories and parables. Such as the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41-44, when Jesus saw a poor widow put in two small coins in the temple offering, contrasted against the wealthy putting in large amounts, Jesus said “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Or when Peter heals the lame beggar in the temple in Acts 3:1-10. The disciples had nothing of material value to offer, but through their faith and empowerment of the Holy Spirit they healed him instead. Jesus explicitly says that faith, though it seems meager, through the power of the Spirit the Kingdom will grow and advance (Matt. 13:31-33; 17:20-21). 

This can be a hard truth to remember and even wrap our minds around–that God’s working in and through us is not because we deserve it or are the most capable. We see this when Jesus uses a poor boy’s meal to feed thousands, or when Jesus honors a poor widow who gives faithfully to the Lord. “God continues to help his people at their points of need, not because of anything within themselves that makes them worthy of his help but because he is a gracious and merciful God who delights in helping the needy (Eph. 1:18–23)” [GTB]. This truth is so frequently repeated I think we gloss over it when looking at the minutiae of Scripture and we miss important repeated themes and threads in the Biblical witness. “The fact that there is so much left over is also a remarkable illustration of the point Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount, when he encouraged the disciples to trust him for their needs. He told them to pray for daily bread (6:11) and explicitly said to them that they should not be anxious about what to eat or drink (6:31). This miracle is as much for their benefit as for the benefit of the people” [OUM].

Nick reminded us last week, that “Jesus’ answer to our ‘impossibility statements’ is ‘bring them here to me.’” So when struggles of life seem feel like they’re crushing us, or our humble offerings seem inadequate, let us remember the psalmist’s words in Psalm 121:1–2

       1       I lift up my eyes to the hills. 
     From where does my help come? 
      2       My help comes from the LORD, 
     who made heaven and earth.