All four of the Gospels, Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 , and John 6, tell about Jesus feeding 5,000 men, plus women and children who were there that day, with 5 loaves, and 2 small fish. Estimates of the number are around 10 to 15 thousand people. He fed them full, and His disciples then picked up 12 baskets of left overs so that there would be no waste.
In Mark 8, and Matthew 15, the Scripture tells of Him feeding 4000 men, plus women and children, and the disciples picked up 7 baskets from 7 loaves and a few small fish that day.
There are no other mentions of Him feeding the people, and it appears He did not do it often. But in both cases, He fed them because they had followed Him into remote places, and there was no place for the people to get the food they needed. The Word says He had compassion on them.
As stated before, every move Jesus made was for a purpose. He was always Teaching. Always modeling. Always doing the right things for the right reasons.
We can draw several points from these miracles: The main one to me is this: Let us be willing to give God back whatever He has given unto us. Whether that is talent, time, or things. The person who had the 5 small loaves, and two small fish could have said, “No. That is my lunch.”, when they were asked for it. The same for the person with the 7 loaves of bread. But fortunately they said, “Yes.” The Lord would never ask us to give Him something unless He intended to use it for good, and then give it back to us abundantly multiplied.
Another is: the people were hungering after Him. To hear Him teach. To see Him healing the sick. They wanted to be with Him. And because they were focused on Him, He provided for them.
We can trust our Lord. He is good. He is always good. His love endures forever. (2 Chronicles 7:3) His name is Good. (Psalm 52:9)
Let us give Him all that we are. Let us trust Him to do exciting things with us as we do. Let us always say ‘Yes’ to Him.
You are greatly loved. You are God’s Beloved child in Christ Jesus. Rejoice, and be glad for you are greatly blessed.
Poppa B.