Compassionate Good Sense

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Opening Prayer

Mighty God, Your name is above every name. Your power is above my comprehension. I acknowledge my great need of You today.

Read MATTHEW 14:13-21

^[13] When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ^[14] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ^[15] As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” ^[16] Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” ^[17] “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. ^[18] “Bring them here to me,” he said. ^[19] And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ^[20] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ^[21] The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Meditate

Jesus’ compassion and power provide an even better solution to the people’s needs than the disciples anticipated. We need to tap into his compassion and power in our service to others.

Think Further

Compassion and common sense go together in Jesus. The story is told of a missionary in the early days of his Chinese ministry who had food to give to a large crowd of hungry people, but the riot that its distribution caused led to several deaths. It is clear that making the 5,000 plus people sit down on the grass in an orderly fashion was a sensible procedure. However, it is Jesus’ compassion we notice most. Though he needs the respite and the solitude (13), he responds graciously to the crowd’s interruption, expending more energy healing people and anticipating that it is unreasonable to expect them to trek back home or even to neighboring villages to get food at the end of the day. Mark and Luke add that this intrusion into Jesus’ time with his disciples occurs when they have just come back from an intensive period of ministry and have had little time to eat, let alone process their experiences in conversation with the Master (Mark 6:30-31).

This is the only miracle recounted in all four gospels and it is significant that it involves food. Food in the desert was a resonant theme for the Hebrews. Manna was God’s provision in their Exodus wanderings; Elijah and Elisha were fed and they fed others in desolate places (1 Kings 19:5-8; 2 Kings 4:42-44). My husband, whose lifetime of research is focused on growing food in places short of rain, resonates with this too, pointing to this area of the world as the birthplace of several significant crops best able to produce sustenance in marginal areas. No wonder that the messianic picture of the incoming kingdom is a banquet of plenty (Isa. 25:6). This picture finds fulfillment in Jesus, both in this miracle and in the consummation of his reign in the future.

Apply

What insights about Jesus impress you in this story? How can you incorporate them into your life?

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, so often I feel my offerings to You seem so meager. I thank You that service to You and others is multiplied in Your hands.

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