How Many Loaves Do You Have?

Introduction

Well, good evening. Thank you all so much for being here tonight. And we certainly appreciate those of you that are visiting with us. I know that we have some that are not members here that are here tonight to see some former campers of mine that have come hopefully to hear me. maybe they didn’t know who was speaking, I don’t know, but glad that they are here. And also thank you to Matt for his good songs this morning, or this evening. Thank you to Brother Casimir for his fine prayer, and just thank you to all of you for being here for wanting to come and to listen to another portion of God’s word and to study and worship together. Let’s end on an interesting statistic.

In 16 years of preaching, I have never been asked to do a gospel meeting. Not once, other than when I was going to try out somewhere, which doesn’t really count. And so I say that to say it’s an honor. It’s an honor to be here with you, and thank you. And most of all, I think it’s an honor because really I again I said this yesterday, I’ll say it again. I owe it to Tony, who made this happen, even though he’s not here with us physically, he is here in spirit, and he was a huge part of my life. And I just cannot overstate how much he means to me and how much I miss him. So thank you for bringing me here to be part of this church.

There’s no other church that I would rather have be the one to ask me and come and to come and do this. And I guess it just makes sense that it happens after I quit preaching. But this is the kind of work that I envision doing going forward from here. So again, good a perfect launching point. If you would open your Bibles tonight to Mark chapter 6, we’ll continue in our study from there tonight. And I just realized that I copy pasted and forgot to change the scripture up there on the PowerPoint, so just ignore that. But we are in Mark chapter 6 tonight. Last night we looked at Jesus’ healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and we were encouraged not to fear but to believe.

And suffice it to say that a lot has happened in the world over the last many years, several years, that I think has tested very strongly our ability to do just that, to not fear. I know it certainly has mine. Faith in our institutions is eroding. And if we can’t trust that, then it certainly brings a lot of uncertainty into our lives. And here we go again into yet another voting season. And we wonder what’s going to happen. And of course, the issues of 2020 are probably still fresh on most of our minds. We wonder about things like inflation. We wonder about are we going to be able to afford to feed our families, to keep a roof over our heads? We wonder about the future of our country and will it hold together?

We wonder about the futures of our children and our grandchildren. And what kind of world are we going to leave behind for them? And only time will tell. And it’s exactly in situations like we are living in today, that God tells us not to fear but to believe. Believe that he is all powerful and all-sovereign and in control. Believe that he has the power to make good from bad and to deliver from any situation. But most importantly, to deliver us from sin and death. And yet we know that many, most in the world, will not find that peace because they will reject God and Jesus. The world does not believe in him. And that’s exactly the context that we find ourselves in here in chapter 6.

We go from the three extraordinary examples of belief that we looked at yesterday in chapter 5, where you have this woman who believes, if I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed, and she does that, and immediately she is miraculously healed. You have this example of this demon-possessed man who is able to have that legion of demons expelled from his body. And you have this man Jairus, this ruler of the synagogue, who, despite the risks involved, comes to Jesus and says, I believe that you can heal my daughter indeed. I believe that you can raise her from the dead. We have these three extraordinary examples of belief. And it’s easy for us to look at all the things that Jesus did, and they well, you know, everything was always going well.

He was always, you know, being accepted up until that last week, and that just wasn’t the case. Because here at the very beginning of Mark chapter 6, we find an interesting instance where Jesus is not accepted. And not only is he not accepted, he is rejected in his own hometown of Nazareth. Read with me here. Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 1. He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?

And are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own town, and among his relatives and in his own household. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And listen to this. It says that Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. In verse 2, here they are.

In verse 3, I don’t know if you caught that, but they accuse him of being illegitimate. Right? He’s not the son of Joseph. He’s the son of Mary. So they’re saying, well, there’s no way. Here’s someone who was born in sin, essentially. There’s no way that this guy can be doing these mighty works. And so they take offense at him, and Jesus is still offensive today to those who do not believe. And thus Jesus states in verse 4 that in his hometown is the only place where he is not going to be honored and unable to do mighty works. And he marvels at their unbelief. They reject him. Furthermore, in verses 7 through 13, Jesus sends out the 12 apostles on this short mission, giving them authority, and we’re not going to read that, but he gives them authority over demons.

He gives them the ability to heal. But he warns them in verse 11 that if in any place that they go, that the people do not listen to them, that they should just shake the dust off their feet when they leave as a testimony against those people. He tells them, most are not going to listen to you. Most people are going to reject you and your message. So yet again, we have a story of unbelief.

Three stories of belief. Now we’ve got three stories of unbelief. And then the next thing, what do we have? Verses 14 through 29. Again, we’re not going to read it, but the story here is about the death of John the Baptist. How John the Baptist had been in prison and killed by Herod Antipas. And his message to him of repentance and of the coming Messiah, and that he was living in sin, you know, it’s rejected. And so three stories of rejection. And that brings us to our text here this evening of the feeding of the 5,000, beginning in verse 30. Whereas we’ll see, even the disciples, despite this miracle, are going to be beset by hardened hearts. Pick up reading with me, if you would, this story in verse thirty.

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, This is a desolate place, and the hour’s now late.

Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered them, You give them something to eat. And they said to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred deneri worth of bread and give it to them to eat? And he said to them, How many loaves do you have? Go and see.

Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And they divided the two fish among them all, and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. First point that I want us to see this morning, or the sea. Man, I my clock is off, apparently. That’s the only thing I’ve noticed about trying to do this yesterday. I haven’t done this in a while.

1. Jesus the Compassionate Shepherd

I’m tired. My voice is like way lower than it was yesterday. I don’t know if you noticed that. My voice is tired. I had to drive back to college station today, drop my daughter off, turn around, come back over here. So forgive me for that. The first point that I want to take from this text tonight is that we see Jesus. And I noted this yesterday, but we noted how Jesus never had time for himself, right? It didn’t matter what was going on. There were always people finding him, trying to get something from him, whether it was healing, whether it was teaching, whether it was food, they were always trying to get something from it. And you and I, we understand what that’s like. That can get a little bit old, right?

Parents, I think you know what that’s like. A little bit. Mommy, I want a snack. Like it’s constant. It’s every 15 minutes. It can get a little old. But why do we do that? Why do we put up with that, parents? Because we love our children more than anything. That’s what we see here, right? We see Jesus as the compassionate shepherd. We see Jesus having compassion on him. And that’s something that the text notes about Jesus multiple times. You see that a lot. Why did Jesus do these things? He looks out and he sees the people and he and he’s he has compassion. Because it says it even notes here, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And that’s exactly who Jesus, the Messiah, was supposed to be, right?

That was one of the descriptions of the Messiah that he was going to be a shepherd. And of course, there’s great text in Ezekiel 34 that we’ll get to here in a second that talks about that, predicted that. And so, despite his weariness, Jesus has compassion on the people because they had no one to guide them. The shepherds that were supposed to be taking care of them, the leaders, the religious leaders, the Pharisees, the scribes, the lawyers, they were all taking advantage of them rather than taking care of them. No one was telling them the truth. No one was telling them what was right. All they did was tell them what they were doing wrong. And so he begins to teach them many things. It wasn’t just about the food, right?

It was about the teaching as well. His compassion for them was because they were lost. They were the blind following the blind.

But there are a lot of other examples of Jesus fulfilling that role other than John chapter 10. And this is one of them. And what is that role of shepherd, right? What does a shepherd do? A shepherd leads.

A shepherd feeds. And a shepherd protects.

And so this is coming, he’s coming at it here from both the physical and spiritual angles. And so again, this all goes back to Ezekiel chapter 34, verses 4 and 5. If you want to turn over with me to that passage, Ezekiel chapter 34. Ezekiel prophesies, the weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up. The strayed you have not brought back. Again, this is he’s he’s prophesying against their leaders. These are the things that they have failed to do. The lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. And of course, like opposite that what is what is God pictured as doing, leaving the 99 and going out after the one.

And then what does it say in verse 5? So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth with none to search or seek for them. Skip on down to verse 10. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. Again, he’s not going to allow this ruling class to keep taking advantage of the people. He is going to put a stop to it. That’s what Jesus is doing here.

No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. For thus says the Lord God, Behold, I myself will search for my sheep. Well, what is how does he fulfill that? Jesus fulfills that. I will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on day of clouds and thick darkness, and I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country, I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel that shall be their grazing land.

There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of the sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God, and I will seek the loss, and I will bring back the straight, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice. See how God so strongly says, I’m going to take a personal responsibility here. I’m going to do this myself. And again, our theme this week is looking at Jesus fulfilling prophecy in the New Testament in order to prove who he was. We talked yesterday at great length about how one of the things was the sole purview of the Messiah was to heal the blind.

Well, one of those other things that Jesus did to prove who he was to show, I am a shepherd of my people. And he fulfills that.

And then continuing though, in this passage, in verse 23 and 24. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David. Well, who’s the Messiah supposed to be from? He’s supposed to be from the lineage of David. And he shall feed them, he shall feed them and be their shepherd, and I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord, I have spoken. And so Jesus is this servant, this Prince David, shepherding the people on God’s behalf. And this isn’t the first time that God asks us to look at him as our shepherd, to look at him as the one who guides and leads or protects and feeds. He’s been known in this way multiple times throughout scripture.

Actually, going all the way back to Genesis chapter 48. If you go all the way back there, and you look at the story of Israel, and as Jacob is blessing, sending blessings to Ephraim and Manasseh here in this specific chapter, verse 15, it says, and he blessed Joseph, and he said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day. The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys, and let in them let my name be carried on. So he viewed God as his shepherd, as the one who is leading him throughout this wandering that he had been going on in his life. And another connection that I want us to see, and hopefully you’ve maybe already made this connection in your mind a little bit as I’ve been reading some of these things.

And when you look at that passage there in Mark, and it literally says there, what did Jesus tell the people to do? To sit down on the green grass. Well, what does the shepherd psalm say in Psalm 23? Verses 1 through 4. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

What is Jesus doing? He is literally physically making them lie down in green pastures so that he can feed it. Is there any more obvious metaphor that Jesus could make that I am the good shepherd than that? He makes me lie down. He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. And so David recognizes this about who the shepherd would be. In Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 11. He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young.

So Isaiah also, full of messianic prophecies, talks about God and describes him in this way. And finally, Jeremiah chapter 23, verses 4 through 6. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall there be any be missing, declares the Lord. Behold, the days are coming when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his day, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called.

And one final note on this I think it’s no accident that as we look to Jesus as our shepherd, that our own physical leaders here amongst us in our churches are called what? They are called shepherds. And we tend to call them elders. I really, I mean, that’s perfectly biblical term, but I just personally I prefer the term shepherd because I think that most aptly describes what they’re supposed to be doing. They are leading, they are guiding, they are feeding and protecting the flock. It’s not about ruling over them, right? But what does Peter say in verses 1 through 5 of 1 Peter 1 through 4 of 1 Peter chapter 5? How does he describe them? I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly.

2. The Disciples: You Give Them Something to Eat

Just as Jesus eagerly, because he had compassion on these people, taught them and led them. That’s what our shepherds are supposed to do. Being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. And so the question is are we following not only the chief shepherd, but as our shepherds follow him, are we following their lead? Hopefully we are. But back to Mark chapter 6. The second point here that I want to make about what we see in the story of the feeding of 5,000 this evening about Jesus is that well, this part is actually not about Jesus. It’s about the disciples. When Jesus says, or they see this crowd and it’s getting late, and they start realizing, hey, it’s time to eat.

What do they say? They say exactly the opposite of what Jesus is saying, right? They do not have compassion. They literally say, send them away. Send them away. In contrast to Jesus, they do not have compassion on the people. They seem to see them as more of a nuisance than anything else. And so my question is when someone comes to us with a problem, with a need, what is our first reaction? Oh man, not again. Do I really have to deal with this? Can they call somebody else? Do we beg them to go away? Or are we filled with compassion and a desire to help? So that’s number one. And number two, I think that the other problem that we’re beset by is maybe we have the willingness to help, but maybe we just don’t think that it’s possible.

I think a lot of times we are too short-sighted and too small minded. We have a tendency to just look at what’s in front of us and go, well, here’s a problem. Yes, I see it. I would like to do something, but I can’t. I just can’t. It’s not possible. This is impossible, right? How many times is that our first reaction? No, this is not possible. Can’t do it. Can’t fix it. Nothing I can do. Can’t help. And I think that was a lot of the time the problem with the disciples. Is they look around at this crowd of 5,000 people and they say, well, we have a few loaves of bread. This is impossible. How many times does Jesus have to say, with man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible?

How many times does he have to say that with us? We look at right in front of what’s right in front of us, and we go, well, this, I can’t do this. There’s all these problems. There’s all these people. We have no money. We have no food. There’s nothing to eat. There’s no restaurants out here. Multiple times this text says it was a desolate place. Making that point on purpose. This was a legitimate difficulty. But what they failed to see was the great opportunity lying right in front of them because of the difficulty. And so I think we likewise need to work to see opportunities in the midst of difficulties. Or maybe just need to work to see opportunities, period. The disciples’ hard heartedness led to them failing to see the opportunity right in front of them to show God’s love and power.

And an opportunity for Jesus once again to prove his identity as the shepherd and the Messiah. And so Jesus doesn’t just, as he almost never does, right? He’s trying to teach, right? He uses this as a teachable moment. He doesn’t just fix the problem right away. He says, okay, well, you don’t think this is possible. Let’s let’s see if we can get you there. And he says, you give them something to eat. Jesus tells them to feed the crowd. And I can just see the look on their faces looking around at each other, going, well, really? Did he just say that? What are we supposed to do? But Jesus doesn’t ever do anything by himself, right? I mean, he had just sent them out two by two.

He’s trying to get them to delegate some responsibility here. And he says to the disciples, you give them something to eat. He doesn’t say, okay, well, just tell everybody to come here, I’ll give them something to eat. That is not what he does. You give them something to eat. Sometimes we have to take personal responsibility. Sometimes he wants us to act, right? There’s many times man and God working in concert together. If we are the body and he is the head, then we must be the hands and the feet and the arms and the legs. And it’s a song that kind of, I really love that it kind of gets this point across. It says it’s if we are the body, and it says it, but if we are the body, why aren’t his arms reaching?

Why aren’t his hands healing? Why aren’t his words teaching? And if we are the body, why aren’t his feet going? Why is his love not showing them there is a way? That is a powerful message. What are we doing? What are we doing? And I say this both in the local sense and in the general worldwide sense. What are we as Christians, as people, as local bodies of Christ, doing to be the animated, moving, searching, healing, teaching, serving body of Christ. Because if our activities as a people are confined to the walls of this building, then brethren, there’s a problem. And it’s a problem that I see all too often. What are we doing? Jesus looks out and he says, Look, the people are starving. Are you going to do something about it?

They are searching, they are hurting, they want teaching. You do something about it. You are my body. You are my helpers. You are my disciples. You call yourselves after my name, then act like me. I would heal them. I have compassion on them. I want you to do the same. Action is required, because we are the body. And that’s what James tells us, right? In James chapter 2, verses 14 through 17. We all know that passage. We can probably recite it by heart. What good is it, my brethren? Right? If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace be warmed and filled, without giving him the things needed for the body.

What good is that? So also faith by itself without works is dead. We know that.

And especially times like this, right? When there’s so many people in need, so many opportunities. I mean, the holidays, natural disasters, we’ve got hurricanes, we’ve got tornadoes, we’ve got floods, all of this, there are opportunities out there for Christians to be showing the love and the light of Christ by doing good unto others. And let me suggest that means not just amongst the body of Christ. In Galatians chapter 6, verse 9 and 10, very clear about that. That we are to do good unto the household of faith, but especially, right? Especially do good to all men, but especially those who are of the household of faith. Well, that’s it’s both. And the disciples’ hard-heartedness here is seen in their sarcastic response to Jesus when they say, oh, well, shall we go and buy 200 denari worth of rent?

No. That’s not the point. And that was legitimately a lot of money, right? 200 days’ wages. But their thinking is the problem. Their thinking is locked inside this tiny little box. And they think there’s only one way to fix it. They needed to think outside the box, and so do we. From time to time. And so Jesus’ question to them then is this. How many loaves do you have? Go and see. Sometimes we’ve got to do a little self-evaluation. What do I have? What do I have to work with here? Maybe more than I think. In fact, God promises if we rely on him, it is more than we think. Jesus intends for us to understand that we need to trust him for the outcome. He clearly intends for the disciples to do what he says and trust him.

And we’re not always going to know what’s going on or why things are happening in our lives or in the lives of others that we love or our community, our country, our world. But as we discuss, Jesus asks us not to fear but believe. Obey, do what’s right, take opportunities to do good and to grow and trust him with the outcome. Because Jesus is able to do a lot with a little. So what do you have? Parable of the talent’s probably coming up in your mind right now, right? What do you have? Bring it to Jesus. I think that’s one huge point of this miracle. It shows God’s power to multiply our efforts. Whenever we start thinking, who am I? What can I possibly do? Remember that it’s not just you, but God working in and through you.

We plant the seed, God gives the increase, 1 Corinthians 3 6. So, whatever talents, abilities, opportunities, or riches we have, we are expected, obligated to bring those things to Jesus and allow them to be used in his service. I’m reminded of Isaiah’s words in Isaiah chapter 6 and verse 8, when he’s at this great throne room scene and he sees and the call goes out, who will go for us? And he says, Here am I, send me. Mark chapter 4, verses 24 and 25. Jesus says, pay attention to what you hear. With the measure, use it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

We have a responsibility to use what we’ve been given. The ESV study Bible says here on that verse in Mark 4, the paradox in this verse reinforces the point in the previous one that the person who welcomes God’s rule and presence will be given more of God’s intended fruit. The one who depends on his own resources without receiving the word will lose even that. So we need to bring to Jesus what we have and allow him to make more out of it. He abides in us and wants to work powerfully through us. And so we need to let him. Paul writes in Colossians 1 and verse 29, for this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Of course, we all know Philippians 4 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

3. Jesus as Provider

Are we bringing to Jesus what we have? The next point I want to make is about Jesus as provider. It says that after they ate that they ate and they were satisfied. He looked up to heaven and he said, a blessing. In verse 41. Now, if there’s a better example of blessing our food before we eat it, I don’t know. I don’t know where it is, because that’s a pretty good one right there. But this is one miracle that I personally would have loved to have been present for. I mean, how did this work? How it just keeps going. Energizer bunny, loaf of bread, just keeps going and going. Doesn’t matter how he did it. What matters is that he did it. He provided and he shows us.

Jesus depends on the Father in this miracle of multiplying the food. As the true shepherd, he satisfies them. And again, most of these miracles have an Old Testament analogy. And here I see an analogy to God feeding the Israelites in the wilderness, right? He fed them with what? With bread, with manna in the desert. In a desolate place. Right? Again, how many times does it know here that it says a desolate, a desolate place? And so the focus is not so much on the miracle itself, but on the one who worked it. The point of this miracle is that Jesus is not merely a prophet. He is more than a prophet. He acts as God acts. In other words, he acts as God.

This goes even further back than just the feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness. This goes back to the very beginning. It goes back to creation. Why do I say that? This is a creation miracle. Because what is he doing here? He is creating something out of nothing. That’s the sole purview of God. Only God can create something out of nothing. And so again, we are called to see Jesus for who he is. He is not just a prophet. He is not just a good teacher. He is not just a man. He is not even just the Messiah, the Christ, the one who is sent, the anointed one. He is the very creator of the universe. And scripture is very explicit about that. Jesus hands directly in creation.

And so he shows in miracles like this that’s who he is. The feeding of the 5,000 reinforces Jesus’ proclamation. After feeding them the word of God, verse 34, they now miraculously see bread and fish, these basic foods. Once again, the question of Jesus’ true identity is raised. And once again, on account of their hard heartedness, the disciples fail to understand. He provides them first with spiritual food and the teaching and then with physical food. And note these are very basic things. I mean, Jesus gives us the basic sustenance that we need in our lives, both spiritually and physically, but he goes beyond that. Right? Because what does it say? They all ate and they were satisfied. It wasn’t like, oh, well, they got enough to make it home.

No, they ate and they were satisfied, and they had more. It was overflowing, it was abundant. They picked up baskets full left over. They ate and were satisfied. They weren’t just given meager portions of what they needed. They were given more than they needed. Out in this desolate place where it was hot, they had walked, yes, run ahead of Jesus to get there. And yet, out of just bread and fish, Jesus fills them. Indeed, he does more than that. Notice what happens. When it’s all said and done, this twelve baskets full of leftovers. Jesus doesn’t just give us what we need, he gives and provides more than we need. And what does Paul say about that in Ephesians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21? It says, now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or think.

Paul says, Whatever you think God can do for you’re not even close. According to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Interestingly, this miracle mirrors other events in the Old Testament. Specifically, I’m called to my mind the Elijah’s provisions for the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 verses 8 through 16, and in 2 Kings chapter 4, the multiplying of the widow’s oil by Elisha, which provides for her and her son. And then later in that same chapter, Elisha also purifies this deadly stew, and that provides for a hundred men to eat with some left over.

And in the same way, Jesus still fills us with all that we need. He completes us. And we need to be filled with his knowledge and understanding. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with the fullness of God, that his work might continue in us and be overflowing.

Verses 14 through 19. Paul writes, For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. How is Paul is describing this here, right? Breadth, height, length, depth. Every which way you can imagine it. That’s how God feels.

It surpasses. He wants us to be filled with all the fullness of God. He wants us to be filled and strengthened and empowered by Him. Unless we not realize the scale of this miracle, the story concludes by telling us how many people there were. It says that there were 5,000 men. Now that doesn’t include the number of women and children, so who knows how many there actually were? Think about it, five loaves and two fish should have meagerly fed four or five people. And yet it does a thousand times that. No small feat. And though we don’t see miracles like this still today, I think the point remains the same that Jesus is our shepherd, provider, and creator. He provides to us in an overflowing fashion.

Conclusion

Jesus is able to do a lot with a little.

How many loaves do you have? Bring them to Master and see what will happen. Anyone here this evening needs to respond to the gospel, won’t you do so now while we stand and sing?