31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
- P108
34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."
35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.
36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.
39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
- P109
The crowd coming to Jesus swells as He heals the sick, the crippled, the blind, and many others. This takes place over three days, and Jesus knows the people must be hungry. Jesus’ compassion on the crowd’s hunger shows us we can trust that He knows our needs. Then He tests the disciples’ faith in His ability to provide the food the crowd needs. But all the disciples can find are seven loaves and a few fish and reply with a logical question from a human perspective: "How can these feed so many people?" From your perspective, your problems may seem too big and your resources too small, but God knows your needs and He cares about them.
- P110
God, I admit that sometimes, out of fear or lack of faith, I hold on too tightly to the things You have given me. Give me the faith to believe that whatever I give You, You can multiply to do more than I can imagine. In Jesus’ name, amen.- P110
