"They All Ate..."

“Then he told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterwards, the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” Matthew 15:36

The feeding of four thousand is such a beautiful display of the provisional love of Christ. The verse leading up to this passage describes Jesus as being full of compassion for the crowd and His desire to not send them away hungry. There are so many Christian principles in this miracle.

First and foremost, Jesus was moved to act on behalf of those in need. With His awareness of their hunger He instructed then to sit down. In my own life, there have been many times I was in need when the Father simply turned to me and said, ‘Brenda, pray, prepare and posture yourself to receive.’

Secondly, I cannot help to draw symbolism from the broken bread given to the disciples. The same miracle of the bread multiplying to feed the thousands could have been done with unbroken bread. Jesus could have provided a loaf for each person if He so desired. Instead, what was given to and passed on from the disciples was the loaf broken into pieces. What a beautiful image of the brokenness of our lives ministering to others who are brokenhearted and hungry for comfort. When God supplies us in our pain with peace, comfort and sustaining grace we can turn to others and share the same with them. The disciples were just as hungry as the people, but they gave in their hunger for the nourishment of others.

We are expected to share with others what God has freely given to us. We are to testify to the hungry out of our own hunger and provide drink out of our thirst. When we so freely give of ourselves in our own season of need, afterwards our baskets will overflow with blessings and abundance from God.

'They all ate and were satisfied.'