It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit swiftly and clearly revealed the message for my next blog post. No sooner did I complete my last blog post, was the topic for this blog post being whispered in my heart. Three times within a matter of several days, I heard references being made concerning about what I should write. Then, just as I began writing this blog post, the confirmation came, once again. I love when the Holy Spirit punctuates a message.
The Holy Spirit was calling me to write about gleanings from Jesus’ Feeding of the Five Thousand as it relates to the pursuit of our purpose. At first, I admit that I was a bit surprised. Not unfamiliar passages of scripture, I almost thought it seemed too simplistic. Then I immediately thought to myself, “No scripture is too simple. The fact that you thought that thought is reason enough for you to repent, go back and read it again.” I knew there was something within these scripture passages for me to take away despite their familiarity. That is the beauty of God’s Word. One can read the same scripture and experience additional layers of revelation. Similarly, the same scripture can be read in different seasons of one’s life and have a completely different impact.
God’s Word describes what I am writing about best. For the Bible says:
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
~ Hebrews 4:12 NIV
I went back to re-read and study ‘Jesus Feeds Five Thousand,’ found in the gospels of Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-14. Eager to discover what the Holy Spirit would unveil, I realized that these scripture passages were packed with powerful insights.
In short, the passages of scripture speak of a crowd, that had previously witnessed Jesus performing healing of the sick, setting out to follow Jesus. When Jesus notices the crowd while on a mountaintop with his disciples, rather than send them away, he performs a miracle with five loaves and two fish, feeding five thousand men, not including women and children.
There would be many other elements to these scripture passages and I was amazed by all that I was able to glean from this miracle that Jesus performed, tying these elements in with how they relate to the pursuit of one’s purpose.
Balance Between Purpose and Renewal is Essential
Jesus cared enough about the disciples to encourage them to get away and rest after they shared with him all that they had accomplished and taught. After all that they had done during their mission, Jesus took them away for rest. The gospel of Mark reveals how committed Jesus was to the disciples experiencing rest:
“He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”
~ Mark 6:31-32 NIV
Jesus cares for us too and wants us to experience balance between carrying out our purpose and experiencing renewal. This was a powerful reminder that as important as it is to do God’s work, it is equally important to afford ourselves time for rest and renewal in order to be effective in our mission.
Let Compassion Reside Within Your Purpose
Through the scripture passages in ‘Jesus Feeds Five Thousand,’ we see the compassion of Jesus towards the crowd that had followed him after witnessing his previous miracles of the sick. Jesus did not have to accommodate the crowd as he did. He could have turned the crowd away. Instead he welcomed them, spoke to them about the Kingdom of God and performed healing for those in need. His compassion for them would also cause him to perform a miracle that involved feeding five thousand men, and likely many more, if including women and children, as the gospel of Matthew suggests. Jesus did all of this despite the suggestion of the disciples that he send them away. As scripture says:
“As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
~ Matthew 14 15-16 NIV
“By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
~ Mark 6:35-36 NIV
Just as compassion played a role in how Jesus responded to the crowd, we too are invited to exercise compassion towards others as we live our lives and carry out our purpose. A heart posture of compassion cultivates benevolence, generosity and a spirit of service to others.
We Have Opportunities to Expand Our Faith
As I studied ‘Jesus Feeds Five Thousand,’ I was reminded that there are levels to faith and opportunities to continue to expand our faith. Even the disciples, who spent time with Jesus, were susceptible to moments of doubt, as evidenced during this circumstance. According to the account found in the gospel of John, when Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread to feed the crowd, knowing full well that he not only was testing Philip and but that he planned to perform a miracle, Philip gave a rational answer to Jesus’ question. The Bible tells of Philip’s response to Jesus:
“Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
~ John 6:7 NIV
The gospel of Luke offers another account:
“They answered, ‘We have only five loaves of bread and two fish – unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.’”
~ Luke 9:13 NIV
The gospel of Mark offers the following account:
“They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
~ Mark 6:37 NIV
The gospel of Matthew states:
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
~ Matthew 14:17 NIV
In the gospel of John, Andrew, one of the disciples, would inform Jesus:
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
~ John 6:9 NIV
Through the response of the disciples, it is evident that their reactions were a reflection of their level of faith. They were focused on the rational solution to the issue rather than the miracle of what God can do. Similarly, as we carry out our purpose, it may be easy to succumb to limited faith, relying on our own strength, resources and what appears to be possible in the feasible and tangible. Yet God invites us to expand our faith as we carry out our purpose, trusting that as we do our part, He too will do His part.
Has a heart posture of compassion played a role in how you carry out your purpose? Are you experiencing balance between walking in your purpose and time for rest and renewal? How has your faith impacted your purpose? I look forward to hearing from you!
Stay tuned for my next blog post where I will share more insights from what Jesus’ feeding of five thousand can teach us as we pursue our purpose. See you then!