In this blog post, I share the remaining insights that were revealed through my study of the scripture passages connected to ‘Jesus Feeds Five Thousand.’ Studying these scriptures was a powerful reminder to me of the depth of insight and revelation available even among familiar passages of scripture. While the first two blog posts highlighted revelations connected to balance, compassion, faith and obedience, the remaining insights speak to abundance, usefulness and partnership.
Jesus Gives Abundantly
Through these scriptures, we see the generous nature of Jesus. Compassion fell upon Jesus when he saw the masses follow him and the disciples as they went to the mountainside. While the disciples thought it best to send them away, thinking they would not be able to accommodate feeding the crowd, Jesus would go on to not only perform a miracle, but provide plenty of food for the masses. As the Bible says:
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women.”
~ Matthew 14:20-21 NIV
Similarly, in the gospel of Mark, it states:
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”
~ Mark 6:42-44 NIV
The gospel of Luke’s account is as follows:
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”
~ Luke 9:17 NIV
The gospel of John reads:
“Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”
~ John 6:10-11 NIV
We too can experience the abundance of God through His love, grace, goodness and blessings. As it relates to our purpose, God provides abundantly to us as we carry out our purpose. There is no limit to what God can offer us as we carry out our assignment. God can provide everything from a wealth of ideas and creativity, stamina and energy, resources in the form of financing or help from others and more.
Nothing Is Wasted
Throughout these scripture passages, we see how Jesus not only provided abundantly for the crowd, with plenty left over, but that he also saw to it that nothing was wasted. After the crowd finished eating, Jesus instructed the disciples to gather what was left. The scriptures previously referenced in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke demonstrate this. The gospel of John would also demonstrate Jesus’ unwillingness to subscribe to wastefulness, as demonstrated in the following scripture:
“After everyone was full Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers so that nothing is wasted. So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scrapes left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.”
~ John 6:12-13 NLT
Within our own journey of life, nothing is wasted, as we pursue our purpose. God can use everything from our natural gifts and talents, life experiences, challenging or painful seasons and more to fulfill our purpose. Nothing is off limits for use in fulfilling our calling concerning our God-given assignment.
In my own life, I see how some of my gifts and talents, such as having a heart for service and a level of comfort with public speaking play a key role in carrying out elements of my purpose. In addition, my professional experience in the non-profit arena has prepared me well because, through this arena, I have had the opportunity to hone in on and further develop the skill of serving others. My experiences in filming have prepared me well in feeling comfortable being behind the camera and speaking with ease. One of the most challenging seasons of my life in my marriage became the pivot point through which God would introduce me to my earthly calling. No aspect of our lives is ever without meaning or wasted!
Partnership Is Key
Jesus knew the value of partnership and the disciples were his key partners. In these scripture passages, Jesus would ask his disciples for assistance in gathering the crowd into smaller groups before he was to perform the breaking of the five loaves and two fish. Likewise, the disciples also gathered all of the leftover food after the crowd ate, as I previously shared.
God looks to partner with us too in carrying out our purpose as we fulfill His will. We are an extension of God and there is much that we can accomplish on His behalf in the world. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, meant to do good works that glorify God in our own unique way. Some of my favorite scriptures that speak to this are:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
~ Ephesians 2:10 ESV
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”
~ Matthew 5:13-16 The Message
Carrying out God’s purpose for our lives will also involve partnership and collaboration with others. Poet John Donne famously wrote that “no man is an island.” Similarly, Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Throughout scripture we see similar themes that speak to the power and benefit of unity, partnership and collaboration. One such example in scripture states:
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT
Have you witnessed any of the aforementioned clues connected to ‘Jesus Feeds Five Thousand’ play a role in the carrying out of your God-given purpose? In what ways has God unleashed abundance in your life as you carry out your earthly assignment? Have you drawn upon parallels between your gifts, history and life’s journey and what God is calling you to do? How have partnership and collaboration played a role in fulfilling your purpose? Please share. I’d love to hear!