32 Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”
33 The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”
34 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”
They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”
35 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.
37 They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 38 There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.
Read Matthew 15:32-39 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In this journal entry, we will be looking at a significant miracle that Jesus performed, but in a slightly different way than how it is usually looked at. Matthew 15:32-39 tells us of the parable where Jesus fed the crowd with seven loaves of bread and some small fish. What is amazing to me is how the disciples respond to Jesus after this event had happened before (Matthew 14:13-21), by saying “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” (v. 33)
This frames the big thought I had while reading this passage: Too often, our past successes and victories are minimized or forgotten in light of today’s problems.
Jesus previously performed the miracle that was even more miraculous (5 loaves + 2 fish = 5000 men vs. 7 loaves + a few fish = 4000 men), but for some reason, the disciples had minimized the past miracles in light of the present problem.
Do we fall into this trap in our own lives today? Are we forgetting everything that God has brought us through and doubt that he has a plan leading us forward?
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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