Day 156: Luke 9:10–17

“We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people” (v. 13).

Any of us who have ever been exhausted by an intense time of ministry can deeply appreciate the opening scene in Luke 9:10. The apostles returned from their preaching and healing mission. Mark pictures the Twelve gathered around Jesus reporting all they had done and taught. What affection floods this setting! We can assume He omnisciently knew everything they had done and taught, yet I love how He celebrated their news with the same excitement as someone at a surprise party.

Sometimes I’ll be busy telling God every detail of something exciting that happened, a thousand words a minute, when suddenly I will stop and say, “But I guess You already knew that.” Every single time I sense Him saying, “Don’t let that stop you, child! Tell on!” Beloved, I so much hope that you feel free to talk to Him with the excitement of a friend.

But Christ not only sees our excitement, He sees our exhaustion. I love the way the King James Version says it: “They had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mark 6:31). He saw their need for leisure over a refreshing meal. His invitation to them is so warm and intimate that my affection for Him swells every time I read it: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Wouldn’t you know it? In the middle of their private getaway, the public showed up. Yet Christ’s response to the crowd touches me: “He welcomed them” (Luke 9:11); “They were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Desperate, vulnerable, without direction, without protection, and He had compassion on them. According to Matthew 14:21, we are safe to picture at least ten thousand people gathering all over the countryside. Christ “healed those who needed healing” (Luke 9:11). The day wore on, and the sun rested again on a western hill. Then about that time, some interesting things began to happen. Consider the following observations with me:

1. Christ sometimes provokes a question so that He can be the answer. I love how John’s version tells us Christ prompted the question to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5). Verse 6 tells us, “He asked this only to test him.” I think Christ might have been testing His disciples to surface what they had learned or, like me, what they had yet to learn! Think of the miracles they had seen Christ perform by this time. Yet they couldn’t imagine how they were going to feed all these hungry people. I think Jesus may have been testing them to see if they were beginning to think in a “faith mode.” Their response proved they still practiced fragmented faith. While they had seen Christ cast out demons and heal the sick, it had not yet occurred to them He could feed the masses. They still had much to learn about Christ’s complete jurisdiction. He can meet our spiritual needs, our emotional needs, and our physical needs. He is both deeply spiritual and entirely practical. Christ was teaching them to see Him, His power, and His authority in every area of life.

2. Christ wants us to be open to what He can do through us. I love the way He tossed the responsibility for feeding the crowd right into His disciples’ laps. “You give them something to eat” (Luke 9:13). Mind you, they had received power and authority to heal the sick and cast out demons, yet they looked helplessly at two fish and five loaves as the totality of their resources.

I believe Christ was saying, “Think bigger, boys!”—not only about what He could do, but also what they could do in His name. Where the disciples were concerned, I believe this event was all about stretching their thinking. His words are entirely absent of rebuke. Don’t miss the fact that He used the disciples to distribute the meal. He wanted them to feel the weight of the baskets and see the hands of those reaching to be fed. Real power. In real forms. In real life.

3. Christ can perform astounding wonders when we bring Him all we have. Matthew 14:17 records the disciples saying, “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.” Christ responded, “Bring them here to me.” Beloved, I want you to hear something loud and clear: no matter what your “only” is, when you bring all of your “only” to Jesus, it’s huge! When we bring Him everything we have, He multiplies it beyond our wildest imagination. On the other hand, we can surrender Him “some” of our lot, and it can dwindle to virtually nothing.

4. Christ saved a basket-load of leftovers for each disciple. The disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. I just can’t make myself think that was a coincidence. I’m no mathematician, but the numbers work for me. The people were fed. The disciples each wound up with a basketful of leftovers. That’s what happens when you take part in God’s provision.