Power to Minister – Matthew 14:1-21

I have had the privilege of becoming aware of hundreds and hundreds of ministries around the world started by virtual nobodies who are nevertheless children of the Living God. In places you would never expect people have felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit and seen His power at work to minister the gospel and its healing power in the lives of people in desperate need. As Jesus predicted, the kingdom began as a tiny seed but has blossomed into a mighty tree.

Jesus needs to show his disciples how this works, because they have not caught the lesson yet as they need to.

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:1-21 ESV)

Jesus is not the only object of rejection.  The announcer of the Messiah and his kingdom, John, is killed upholding kingdom righteousness.  Jesus withdraws but the crowds find him anyway.  They are longing for healing and Jesus’ compassion overflows towards them, so he heals their sick ones.  But it gets so late that food becomes an issue and the disciples nervously suggest to Jesus that the healing service needs to stop.  Jesus challenges the disciples to feed them. How would you feel if Jesus gave you an impossible task like this?

What happens next is the kind of miracle you cannot deny, but it happens so subtly that it might make you think you are dreaming. From five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus keeps breaking them apart and putting them in baskets to take to the crowd and it keeps going and going until 5,000 men and no telling how many women and children are amply fed. There are even leftovers, twelve baskets full! I like what the ESV Study Bible says,

The scene recalls the nation of Israel wandering in the wilderness after the exodus, and God’s gracious provision of manna for his people. The explicit mention of twelve baskets left over may symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel as well as the abundance of God’s provision. “They all ate and were satisfied” may also be a prefiguring of the messianic banquet in the kingdom at the end of the age (cf. 8:11).

Jesus uses this as a teaching opportunity, just as he does when we have concerns about how things are going.  He tells his disciples to give the people food, something that is impossible, as they let him know.  Jesus is challenging their faith.  Jesus is in effect telling his disciples and us that if we have ministry situations like this and have faith as a grain of mustard seed we can say to that mountain, “Be cast into the sea,” and it will be done because we serve a mighty God who has compassion on people and wants them to be saved.  We should expect God to do what is not possible for us to do to accomplish what He wants to accomplish through us.  He wants to use us as partners in His work.  Like John, of course, it might cost us our lives.