Matthew 14:16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
God’s Multiplication
Chances are good that your day is consumed by feeding hungry mouths. If you’re a parent, a mother in particular, so much of the time is spent in getting the food, preparing the food, eating the food, and then repeating the process to keep kids and a husband fed. If you’re in an office, so much of your day is defined by deadlines, projects, and people that want what you have now. If you’re a teacher, you are filling little minds with what they need in order to negotiate life. If you work with your hands in some way, there are often times when you feel like you need a hand: you need help. If you’re a preacher, you are daily in need of bread to give your brothers and sisters. There are hungry mouths to feed.
You know, the Lord Jesus knew exactly what that was about. In Matthew 14 He found Himself surrounded by a great multitude in a desert place in the evening, and His disciples said, “Lord, send these people away. They need something to eat.” The Lord’s response is remarkable. In verse 16 the Lord Jesus said to them, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat.” His answer almost seems to be casual. It was absurd on the face of it to think that these disciples could feed this multitude. It’s also obvious, at least in hindsight, that the Lord Jesus could.
They found that they had five loaves and two fishes. What was that compared to the need! In a world defined by supply and demand, the demand was far greater than the apparent supply. The answer for this is found in verse 18 where Jesus said, “Bring them [the bread and fishes] hither to me.”
What was only five loaves and two fishes in the hands of the disciples was a feast for 5,000 in the hands of God the Son. The Bible says in verse 20 that when He had fed the multitude, “they did all eat, and were filled.” In the end, they had more left over than they had to begin with.
What is the lesson from all this? The Lord can certainly provide miraculously, but notice that Jesus provided miraculously by multiplying what the disciples gave Him. Sometimes, the Lord is not so interested in giving you some amazing supply as He is in multiplying what you give Him.
When you are stretched between a great demand and a meager supply, there are two things you need to do. You need to use what you have, and you need to ask God for more. Now, you may only have the equivalent of five loaves and two fishes as far as time, money, or know-how, but submit what little you have to God and let Him multiply it for the benefit of others and for His own glory.
Then, ask God for more. There is nothing wrong with asking God for more when you have been a good steward of what you have now. God takes what we have, which is what He gave to us to begin with, and multiplies it in ways we can’t imagine and in ways that bring glory to Himself.