The Lesson of the Five Loaves and Two Fish
( Mt. 14:13~21 )
Pastor Daejo Kim
We are now living in a high tech age that our forefathers would have never imagined. Considering the technology, that has been developed so fast, its no wonder that God, who created this technological man showed the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish. Yet, few of us feel this miracle as part of our story. While meditating on todays passage, I discovered that Jesus miracles always occurred at Gods special time or under the circumstances he prepared. I hope that the same miracle will also happen in our life by sharing todays message.
1. The time of miracle. The five loaves and two fish miracle happened at a time of sorrow and trials. Jesus heard the news that John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod. Jesus must have wanted to pray in a secluded place and soothe his deep grief. But hearing that Jesus had left, many people followed Him. Even though Jesus was so tired and sad that he wanted to be alone, he felt for the crowd and spent his time in meeting their needs. On that day, the miracle of the five loaves and two fish took place. It was a time of sorrow and trials when the miracle happened.
2. The place of miracle. The place of the miracle was a desolate wilderness. Jesus taught and took care of the crowd who followed him till evening. The crowd was hungry. Facing the practical issue of feeding thousands of people, Jesus disciples forgot who their Master was despite the many miracles that Jesus had done and his training of them. They suggested that they send the crowds away to the villages and let them buy themselves some food because it was late. Yet Jesus told the disciples to feed the crowd. The disciples must have felt embarrassed. Pastor Kim says in her Enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven, 'Blind faith ignoring reality is a superstition yet believing on the basis of reality is nothing but common sense.' Believing truly in Jesus is beyond all of these. Every issue in our life is that of our faith. Its the moment when Jesus gave thanks to God for the five loaves of bread and two fish and gave them to people that a miracle happened. On and on, he distributed the bread and fish. He fed them all and had twelve basketfuls of broken pieces left over. Who could have experienced this miracle without having been in the wilderness? No one who is physically full can experience Jesus because he doesnt need him. Blessed are those who meet Jesus in the midst of their wilderness in search of Jesus out of hunger. They are more blessed than those who dont meet Jesus in their physical well being. I heard of the Wooridle Bathhouse Seminar when I was in great trials as a pastor. Jesus visited my wilderness during the session of the seminar. He showed me that my ministry was based on self-righteousness rather than a deep relationship with God. Coming back to my church from the seminar, I began to meditate on the word, sharing it with my church members. Then God allowed us the same miracle of five loaves and two fish, watching me and my church members begin to change.
3. Obedience, the channel of miracle. Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the grass. We need to obey when Jesus tells us to sit. Obedience is trusting. Jesus told the servants in the wedding at Cana to fill the jars with water before he turned the water into wine. He also told people to move away the stone of Lazarus tomb before reviving Lazarus. The final thing that Jesus wants from us is obedience. When we simply obey him no matter how unreasonable it might seem, we experience a miracle. Some of us are having a hard time, carrying our heavy burden by themselves. Let us all ask for Jesus help by praying together. God will surely let us experience things that weve never imagined when we obey and hold on to his words.
'Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.' (Mt. 14: 19b-20)
