Miracles

If I had to choose my favorite miracle, it would be the feeding of the five thousand. It was one of only two miracles recorded in all four gospels and so many people were there to witness it that it helped spread the news of Jesus quicker than any other miracle.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16 we should, “let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven”. By Jesus feeding the five thousand (probably closer to 15,000 if you count women and children), we are shown that He cares about our basic needs as well as our spiritual ones. He shows compassion on us and understands our suffering. The people could have left to get their own food, but they didn’t. They chose to sit, hungry, to hear the Word of God.

This is a great illustration that we can depend on God to provide for our physical needs if we are putting Him and His Word first in our lives. I believe this is one of the things humans struggle with the most. We want to figure out how to supply our own needs and often put Jesus on the back burner to do so. Of all the men present, it was a child who brought his lunch to Jesus. I find it hard to imagine that no one else brought something to eat. Most likely no one else believed that what they had was enough, so they did not offer anything. This shows us the importance of child-like faith, but also the idea that God wants what you have to offer, no matter how small it may be.

Lastly, when everyone was done eating there were twelve baskets of leftovers. One for each of the disciples. Jesus told the disciples to take the baskets with them onto the boat while He went to pray. He wanted them to have a reminder of what He did for them, just as He wants us to never forget. All around us we can see miracles if we just open our eyes. Jesus touched and transformed a lot of people during His time on earth, but that did not stop when He joined His Father in Heaven.

After performing this miracle, the people tried to crown Jesus as the King. They misunderstood what His purpose was. This still happens today when we focus on the physical things Jesus can do for us instead of the greatest one of all: salvation.