10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. 12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” 13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. (Luke 9:10-17)
This passage is about the Lord Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Earlier in the passage, Jesus sent out his twelve disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out the demons. Because they were busy, Jesus secretly took them to Bethsaida to rest, but the crowds knew and followed him. Jesus still welcomed them, had mercy on them, preached the word of God to them, and healed the sick. As evening approached, the disciples asked Jesus to send the crowd away, but Jesus instead fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. These five thousand people were only men, not including women and children. They were all satisfied, and the leftover pieces filled twelve baskets. This shows that God’s provision was not just enough, but abundant. The five loaves and two fish here came from a child. We see that small offerings can be greatly used by God. Here, the Lord Jesus first gave the bread and fish to the disciples, and then the disciples distributed them to the crowd. The disciples needed to participate in the Lord’s work.
May God bless you and your family!
