Luke 9

Read: Luke 9

Luke 9:13-17 “He replied, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They answered, ‘We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.’ (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then, he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”

Think

Reading the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand brings a classic Bible story to life. "But wait! There's more!" you can almost hear your parents or favorite Bible study teacher exclaim. "Did you catch that? The men numbered five thousand; when you add the women and children, there must have been three times that many!" This detail amplifies the already stunning miracle, increasing our amazement at Jesus. Feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread and two fish is astounding enough, but what if it was really fifteen or twenty thousand?

One of the most wonderful gifts of reading Scripture, especially known stories, isn’t necessarily these details. It’s how new insights rise to the top when the stories are read consistently. In today’s Scripture, we can see parallels with the stories related in Numbers 11 and John 6. It’s enough to stop you in your tracks! How they mirror each other is captivating. Scripture is a sprawling web of connections and references; beginning to see it come alive never gets old.

The Israelites have escaped slavery in Egypt in the book of Numbers and find themselves in the desert with nothing. Naturally, they begin to complain and ask Moses for a plan. Moses presses the Lord for a response: “I’m in the middle of a people with six hundred thousand foot soldiers, yet you say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?” (Numbers 11:21–22). Similarly, in John 6, Philip says, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little” (John 6:7). In both cases God provides more than enough, with abundant leftovers.

People often bring their needs before God with the same doubt and disbelief as the Israelites and Philip. They ask for much, with little faith. In these two stories, the Lord provides because he is a God of abundance, not scarcity. He cares lavishly. He doesn’t give just the bare minimum or only what is needed for sustenance. He provides “everything required for life and godliness” through the gift of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3). Our responsibility is to ask; God takes on the responsibility to provide.  

Apply

Celebrate God’s answered prayers throughout your life. Think about moments when you have seen God’s abundance and write them down. Think about these times regularly to strengthen your faith.

Pray

Heavenly Father, thank you for being a God of abundance and provision. I acknowledge the areas of my life where I feel scarcity and doubt. Help me trust your promise to provide for all my needs. Strengthen my faith when I struggle to believe. In Jesus’ name. Amen.