The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 is a quintessential bible story that most of us are familiar with. It is retold in every gospel– Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and that is for good reason. This passage is rich with insight into the attributes and character of our Savior. There is so much we can learn about who Jesus is from this passage! 

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”  Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus made time for rest.

From the first verse, we learn that Jesus is trying to withdraw to a quiet place. Jesus does this several times throughout his earthly ministry. (Mark 1:12, Luke 5:15-16, Mark 6:46, Matthew 15:29, and many more!) He made time to retreat and spend time with the Father. This should be a wake-up call to many of us in hurried ministry. How often are we withdrawing to rest and spend quality time with our Heavenly Father? 

Jesus didn’t send the people away.

The disciples tried to solve the problem at hand. It was late in the day, everyone was hungry, and they were in the middle of nowhere. The twelve suggested that everyone should go out to find food for themselves and return to the surrounding towns. Jesus, however, didn’t want to send the people away. He wanted the people to be with him. No matter what the circumstances are, Jesus wants to spend time with his children.

Jesus can use your small ‘yes.’

I don’t know about your house, but in most families, five loaves of bread and two fish are not going very far for one meal. Trying to feed 5,000 men, plus women and children, with that portion seems almost comical. To Jesus, however, this was just enough. He took the pitiful portion and multiplied it to feed the people to their full. We can read about this truth about Jesus in other places throughout the scriptures. (See Mark 12:41-44) Your seemingly small ‘yes’ to the Lord can be used by Him in mighty ways! Don’t discount the gifts you have, the talents, or the time you willingly give to God. He will use them for His purposes and glory.

Jesus always provides exactly what we need.

In parallel to the Old Testament story of manna, here we see that there are just enough scraps left over for the disciples to eat. 12 baskets of food for the 12 disciples to eat and be satisfied. Woven throughout the Bible are stories of God providing just enough. Not too little, and not in excess. Always the right amount for the person, task, or situation at hand. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what we need, and this passage is another reminder that we can trust Him to sustain us daily with new mercies every morning (See Lamentations 3:22-23).

There is so much to learn about Jesus’ character in just one passage of scripture. No matter what you are facing today, whether you are walking through a valley, on a mountaintop, or in a season of drought–remember these truths about Jesus today. He made time for rest. He didn’t send the people away. He can use your small ‘yes’, and He always provides exactly what we need. Rest in that today, friend.