“I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry…’” (Matthew 15:32)
The gospels tell us of two occasions in which Jesus provides food for large crowds. On one occasion a crowd of 5,000 was fed with five loaves and two fish. Then a crowd of 4,000 was fed with seven loaves and a few fish. Jesus’ disciples did not seem to have any idea what he was about to do before either of these miracles. I have thought in the past that the disciples should have exhibited more faith by the time this happened a second time, but after a closer reading my thoughts have changed.
Just a few minutes separate these two miracles as you read through the book of Matthew, but for those who lived these stories a lot of time and many experiences separated the events. In my own life I have experienced God’s provision with joy – then, given the same set of circumstances sometime down the road, I have wondered if God would provide again. Part of the reason is that faith tends to fade with the passing of time. This is why we need to continually work at strengthening our faith by staying constant in God’s Word, remaining in relationship with other believers, and living out our faith.
But maybe the faith of the disciples did not waiver at all. The reality is that God often does not provide for our needs in the same way time after time. Even in this case, in which the provision is so similar, there are differences. On one occasion the crowd had been with Jesus for three days. This means that Jesus did not miraculously feed them at the end of the first day or the second day, though they may have been hungry. And the Bible does not say that the disciples doubted that Jesus could do this miracle again. They only said, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place?” (Matthew 15:33) It could be that they remembered well what Jesus did previously and were now asking him indirectly to do it again.
Regardless of the mind-set of the disciples, we know that God did provide for the disciples and the crowds. As we walk through a life of Christian faith and service, we also experience the provision of God and our faith is strengthened along the way. We do not know when or how God will provide, but we can be certain that those who follow him will not go away hungry.
In April we were able to pay all of our missionaries 100 percent of their target allowance. We used $35,502 from the General Fund to meet these needs, leaving a balance of $111,765 at the end of the month. Our Benefits Fund carried a balance of $30,367. Thank you for your ongoing support!