{"id":446,"date":"2025-07-02T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=446&2025"},"modified":"2025-06-30T18:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T00:00:01","slug":"blessing-your-gifts-matthew-15-32-39","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/blessing-your-gifts-matthew-15-32-39\/","title":{"rendered":"Blessing Your Gifts: Matthew 15:32-39"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 15:32-39 (NLT)<\/div>
\r\n

32<\/sup> Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, \u201cI feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don\u2019t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

33<\/sup> The disciples replied, \u201cWhere would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

34<\/sup> Jesus asked, \u201cHow much bread do you have?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They replied, \u201cSeven loaves, and a few small fish.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

35<\/sup> So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. 36<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\r\n

37<\/sup> They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 38<\/sup> There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. 39<\/sup> Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Magadan.<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 15:32-39<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

While reading this miracle event, I happened to notice a parallel concept that I had never seen before, and in this miracle that involved food, we see this parallel much more directly than the other \u201cfeeding the crowd\u201d miracle that Matthew includes in his gospel.<\/p>\r\n

For this miracle, Jesus takes seven loaves of bread and a \u201cfew\u201d (read insignificant amount) small fish, and He turns it into a meal that had more than enough for everyone present \u2013 and it resulted in seven large baskets of leftovers.<\/p>\r\n

The connection I saw is that there is one basket of leftovers for each original loaf that was donated.<\/p>\r\n

This makes me think about God\u2019s incredible level of generosity and blessing. When we are willing to give Him \u201ca loaf\u201d (i.e. our time, talent, or treasure)<\/em>, He can take it, satisfy all our needs, and give us a large overflowing basket that we can then use to bless others.<\/p>\r\n

The trap we often fall into is thinking that God\u2019s blessing is for only our own benefit. If we take what God has blessed us with and hoard (i.e. \u201csave\u201d)<\/em> it all away for the future, we are actually showing a lack of trust in God. If God can take what little we have today and use it for something great, why couldn\u2019t\/wouldn\u2019t He do it again in the future?<\/p>\r\n

This then means that the blessings He shares are given so that we can bless others. Jesus didn\u2019t multiply the disciples snack into a huge meal for only the disciples. Instead, He did it to feed not only the disciples, but the whole crowd present.<\/p>\r\n

With this insight, I don\u2019t believe that saving is bad, but instead that saving without sharing is the problem. If we share some, save some, and then use what is left for us, I believe this is a better representation of God\u2019s character.<\/p>\r\n

Our natural tendency is to hoard our blessings and\/or use it only for ourselves, but God has given an example of extravagant generosity<\/strong>: when we give Him the little we have, He can multiply it into so much that there are baskets full of leftovers. One loaf in God\u2019s hands became one basket of leftovers at the end of a giant, satisfying meal.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While reading this miracle event, I happened to notice a parallel concept that I had never seen before, and in this miracle that involved food, we see this parallel much more directly than the other \u201cfeeding the crowd\u201d miracle that Matthew includes in his gospel. 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