Out of Scarcity, Abundance: Matthew 14:13-33 - Bible Study blog for February 12

Last night, we studied what has to be the third most familiar story of the Gospels (with Christmas and Easter being the two most familiar): the feeding of the 5,000.

The story follows the brutal execution of John the Baptist at the behest of Herod the Tetrarch.  News reaches Jesus and the crowds, who are, of course, devastated.  Jesus gets into a boat and travels to a lonely place by himself.  The crowds, on the other hand, long to be with Jesus—and wait for him until he comes ashore.  This event powerfully reveals the humanity of Jesus—that he needed time to be alone to pray, to grieve, and to rest. 

We can certainly identify the need for private time to be in the presence of God, free of distractions, obligations, and even people, vying for our attention.  But the crowds reflect another deep human need: the need to be with Jesus, and the need for the company of others.  Depending on our personalities, we need to experience the connection with Jesus that comes both from quiet, alone time—and time in the presence of others.

When Jesus returns, he spends much of the day ministering to the crowds until late in the day.  Soon, the disciples express their concern to Jesus that the hour is late and that there is no food.  “They need not leave,” Jesus replies.  “YOU give them something to eat.”

Sometimes, we will see a situation of need and lift in prayer—and Jesus’ answer will be to send us to be the answer.  We’ll say “impossible,” just as they do.  There’s not enough money.  There’s not enough time.  There’s not enough resources.  There’s too many people and too much need.

But the miracle of the story begins in the unnamed person(s), perhaps the disciples, but maybe someone in the crowds, who commit their meager supply of food into the hands of Jesus.  That faith and generosity becomes adequate to feed the vast crowd that numbers 5,000 men (besides women and children)!  There’s twelve basketfuls of food left over.  Jesus has answered their pleas in a big way.

A life of discipleship will always be a struggle against the problem of scarcity.  We’re commanded to trust in Jesus when we see more reasons to doubt than believe.  We’re invited to give generously of time, talent, and treasure when we never seem to have enough without giving some away.  Jesus sends us out into the world to make disciples in a time when more and more people are distancing themselves from organized religion.  When Jesus says, “follow me,” it’s natural to see only our shortcomings, our weaknesses, our fears, and our failures. 

But the power of God is not limited be the problem of scarcity, as we see in the feeding story.  When we take what we have and commit it to the Lord, God can accomplish far more than we ever could if we kept these things to ourselves.  We can make a positive impact on people without even realizing it.  We can bear witness to our faith without literally dragging someone to church.  We can discover the joy that comes in giving and sharing, as opposed to the ongoing anxiety about never having enough.

Scarcity will always be a challenge when following Jesus—but all things are possible with God.  Faith is all about trusting Jesus in the face of scarcity—and watching as God brings forth an abundance of grace, mercy, and provision.