Luke 9:14-17

Luke 9:14-17

And there were about five thousand people.  And He said to His disciples, “Sit them down in companies of around fifty.”  They did this and they got everyone to sit down.  And after taking the five loaves and two fish, after looking up into heaven, He blessed them and broke them.  And He was giving them to His disciples to set down near the crowd.  They ate and they were made full.  And the parts of pieces that remained were being take up by them, twelve baskets full.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus takes over.  He knows how to put the power of God on display.  His disciples are just that: disciples.  They are still learning.  Therefore, Jesus demonstrates what God can do.  Jesus takes two fish, five loaves of bread, and feeds five thousand people.  I can only imagine what the disciples would have felt when they saw Jesus do this, especially after just proclaiming that it was impossible.  But I don’t believe Jesus was attempting to show them up or make them feel dumb.  I do think Jesus was trying to put them in their place and then open their minds.  Jesus does want us to grow, but sometimes we need to be confronted with our shortcomings before we can do it.

Have you ever doubted that God could do something only to watch it happen?  How does that make you feel?  How can those situations help you grow?

Second Thought:

There is a significant part to this story that we should not overlook.  Before handing out the bread and the fish, Jesus pauses and blesses them.  Jesus looks to heaven, letting the people see a visual sign of the place from where the power is coming.  In other words, Jesus pauses for a second just to make sure that everyone understands that God deserves the credit.  This should be a part of our spiritual routine.  Before we do anything that matters, it would behoove us to pause, make sure God gets the glory, make sure that we are following God’s will, and then act.

Are you good at pausing before action to make sure God gets the glory?  Are you good pausing to make sure you are in line with God’s will?  Why is it tempting for us to just rush in and do it the way that makes sense to us?

Third Thought:

I love this passage because of its deep symbolism.  Twelve basketfuls are left over.  Remember that there were twelve tribes in Israel and that this is a largely Jewish audience.  Jesus is telling the crowd that through the power of God He can take a small handful of easily overlooked things and in the end have done his will and had plenty of leftovers.  In other words, Jesus can take a dozen easily overlooked men and through His will He can create His people who follow Him.  This parable should be a huge warning to the Jews.  If Jesus needs, He can raise up a faithful people out of anything!

How is this miracle symbolic of the church?  Have you ever seen God work through unlikely people?  How does it make you feel to see God work through people who are not the ones that others would choose themselves?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 9:18-20