The Feeding of Obedience

It is always a blessing to have guests over dinner, however, when those guests are unexpected it can be a challenge. It can be challenging because everyone will have to adjust their portions to make sure there is enough to go around depending on how many extra guests there are. There is no way to prepare for this situation unless one wants to always prepare more food than they need for each sitting and that is not reasonable.

In Luke 9:10-17, we read a story about how Jesus was able to feed an unexpected crowd of 5000 people on just two fish and five loaves of bread without people have to ration out their portions.

The story is Jesus took the twelve disciples to a remote place, so they could be alone and talk. The disciples had wanted to tell Jesus all that had happened to them while they were out preaching and that is why He took them to a remote place, so they could be alone. However, they were not able to be alone because others had heard of where they were going, and they followed them. The Bible says that even though Jesus went to be alone with His disciples He willingly gave that idea up and taught the crowds of people that followed Him instead. As the day was ending and getting later the disciples came to Jesus and said "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place. To that Jesus replied, "You give them something to eat!" and they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people." Jesus then told them to have the people recline and sit down in groups of fifty to eat and they did. Jesus then took the fives loaves and two fish looked up to Heaven and blessed it. He then broke them and kept giving them to the disciples to give to the people to eat. In the end, all the 5000 that were there that day were able to have plenty to eat and there were twelve baskets of leftovers to take home.

This story is obviously about the miracle that occurred that day with the provision for the people, but it also shows us of Christ's unselfishness; to even teach the people, and then provide for them when He was the one who had wanted to get away in the first place. This story also teaches us obedience on the disciple's part. Jesus had told them to feed the very people they had wanted to send away to be able to eat themselves. When Jesus asked them to do this, they couldn't imagine being able to feed that many people on so little, and yet in the end they were the ones handing out the food.

Jesus could have handed the food to those people that day and yet He handed it to His disciples first and had them give it out. So in the end they did not provide the miracle of so much food, but they did indeed do what Jesus had said, and that was to feed the people. Imagine the look upon their faces when they were looking out on the crowd and seeing so many people being able to eat on so little. Imagine what they were saying to each other and even to Jesus as they witnessed this. The disciples that day got to take part in a miracle- the miracle of them being able to help feed 5000 people. Now it may not have been how they thought it would have been or even should have been done, but they were being used and Jesus was in control.

Now God may never ask us to feed 5000 on so little food, but it is guaranteed He will ask to do something that will seem impossible. When that happens, we just have to be able to act out in faith and most importantly obedience and watch what happens. We tend to spend so much time analyzing things as to if it could work out or no,t and that is the wrong thing to do. For when God asks us to do something it is not up to us to figure it out or even give God another option, we are to just obey. It is too easy to think things in the natural and yet God wants to take us outside our box and allow the supernatural to take place. This can only happen though if we are willing to obey no matter what the request is. For when we do that is when we get to see God's provision being poured out repeatedly for us and others and that is when the fun begins. For the disciples that day when all was said and done, they talked about what had happened for many days to come. I am sure they also had fun being able to be a part of feeding that many people in such a supernatural way and so will we when we obey. When we choose to obey even in the most impossible situation, we must remember that whatever God asks of us He will make a way and that is when the fun begins. 

From Gardens of Splendor by Gina Burns