St Matthew, Chapter 14, verses: 20b - 21, The Needs of the People: All are Satisfied and the Leftovers

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus feeds five thousand) Part 4.  

All ate and were satisfied.  The people were in need.  They needed food.  They needed guidance.  They needed leadership.  They needed hope.  All were in need.  John the Baptist was their voice in the wilderness.  John preached repentance.  John showed the people the way to salvation and told them that the Messiah was coming.  John gave the people hope.  And then John was no more.  And chaos came.  And doubt came.  And fear came and the people did not know what to do.  But Christ came and saw their hopelessness.  Christ came and saw their needs.  Christ came and had compassion and all were satisfied.  For he healed the sick, cured the lame, opened the eyes of the blind and fed the multitudes.

The disciples did not understand.  The disciples did not see.  The disciples did not know who they were and who they were becoming in Christ.  For he told them to feed the people themselves.  But they wanted to send them away for they were fearful of the needs of the people.  But Christ satisfied their needs.  Christ fulfilled the needs of the people and showed his disciples what they were to do.  Do not send the people away because you do not understand!  Feed the people.  Christ told his disciples, bring them here to him and he would satisfy their needs.  And so he demonstrated to the disciples what they were to do when they are faced with the needs of the people.  Bring them here to Christ and he will satisfy their every need.

And they all eat and were satisfied.  For Christ blessed the five loaves and the two fishes, broke them and gave them to is disciples to give to the people.  And the baskets were passed around to the people.  The people took their fill from the baskets and the baskets replenished themselves.  The baskets did not empty.  The baskets did not overflow.  The baskets continued to fill the needs of the people and the miracle took place before their very eyes.  And when every one had taken of the baskets and no one was left to take from the baskets, the baskets stopped replenishing itself.  And as the people broke the bread and the fish and ate, the bread and fish replenished itself and all were filled.

And when the people stopped breaking the bread and the fishes, the bread and the fish stopped replenishing itself and there were leftovers.    And they gathered up what was left over, twelve baskets full of fragments.   Now the number of those who had eaten was five thousand men, without counting women and children.

Five thousand men were fed.  Many women and children were fed.  All were satisfied.  All ate till they were filled.  And the baskets stopped replenishing and the bread and the fish stopped replenishing when all were filled.  And there was no one left to take from the baskets or no one left to break the bread and the fish.  But twelve baskets were left from the five loaves and the two fishes.  The miracle took place before their eyes and all were amazed that had eaten.  For Christ had satisfied their needs and no one was sent away.

Why do we not have miracles today like this one?  Why do our disciples of today not feed the people?  Why do our disciples of today send the people away?  Each Sunday and everyday of the week the people come to places of worship in need.  They come seeking faith.  They come seeking hope.  They come seeking to have their needs met and are sent away with crumbs without being filled.  And they return again to receive the crumbs and are sent away without being filled.  Christ said bring them to me.  And yet the people are not being brought to him.  Can we go to Christ and be filled?  Can we go to Christ and not thirst again?  Can we go to Christ and see  the miracle take place before our eyes? 

How do we go to Christ?  How do our disciples, our pastors, our ministers, lead us to Christ?  Do they know how to lead us to him?  What is the path to Christ?  Have they been lead to Christ themselves?  Will we have to come back again and again to only receive crumbs or will we be filled, no longer needing temporary satisfaction?  Christ said, bring them to me.  He will satisfy their needs.  How do we know when we are with Christ?  Can we tell when we are with Christ?  What sign do we have to know that Christ is with us?  How can we know? 

Each Sunday we listen to sermons on various subjects from the bible by ministers and preachers.  Can they show us how to come to Christ?  Have they come to Christ that they can show us the path to have Christ with us?  What must we do?  What is the way?  How do we receive Christ within us that we no longer thirst?  For he will satisfy our needs.  He will not send us away.  He will come and abide with us that we may know.  And he will give us a sign that we may know the truth of who we are in him.  For through him, and in him, and with him, we become one with the father.  Come, ministers and preachers, feed the people.  Bring them to Christ!  Show them the way that they may be satisfied eternally!

St Matthew, Chapter 14, verses: 17 - 18, The Needs of the People: Christ's Demonstration.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus feeds five thousand) Part 2.   

And the disciples did not know.  They saw with their eyes, heard with their ears, but they did not perceive with their hearts.  For they had not seen of such before.  They had not heard of such before.  They had not understood of such before by any man.  Yet Christ was before them.  Christ was with them.  Christ was in them and they did not understand.  They were surrounded by masses of people.  They were with hundreds or even thousands of fellow countrymen who were lost.  There were many with needs that they could not fill.  And the disciples were overwhelmed.  And Christ saw their needs and the needs of his disciples.

Christ understood.  Christ knew of their needs.  Christ wanted to fulfill their needs but his time had not yet come, for his sacrifice would fill the needs of all mankind for all eternity.  And the disciples did not know.  For life was in Christ.  Life flowed from Christ and he wanted to give it to the people and his disciples that they would know the truth.  The people were in need.  They needed a leader.  They needed a guide.  They needed love.  They needed.   And Christ was their to fulfill their needs.  But the disciples did not know.  The disciples did not understand.  The disciples did not see the truth of fulfillment within themselves.  So they brought their needs to Christ.

But Christ told them, you, yourselves feed them.  Christ told them, in so many words, they had to power to feed the people.  Christ told them, in so many words, they could feed the people, but they did not understand.  They did not comprehend his words.  They only thought in terms of their earthly being.  They did not see the seed that was growing within them through Christ.  For he had planted the seeds of life within his disciples and growth was taking place.  Christ had watered the seeds of life and they were growing.  Christ had nurtured the seeds of life and they were growing.  Christ had protected the seeds of life within them and the evil one wanted to destroy the seeds.  The disciples did not understand.  Christ told them, you, yourself feed the people.  And they only thought with their human minds and responded with,  "We have here only five loaves and two fishes."

Therefore, Christ had to demonstrate to them what was possible.  Christ had to show them what to do.  Christ had to lead them that they may understand who they were in him.  So he told them  "Bring them here to me."  This is what the disciples had to do, bring all things to him.  Bring all problem, bring all sickness, bring all needs, bring all sorrows, bring all to him, for he would satisfy all needs.  And the disciples did not understand that the seed in them was Christ.

I found myself in a store the other day buying something to eat.  And a man was sitting at the table.  When I approached the condiments table he spoke to me.  His first question was how much was the sandwich I purchased.  I did not know because it was not an issue with me that I should be concerned with the cost of the item.  I knew that the cost was within my means to pay because I picked a place where I could buy something to eat for under $3.00.  Yet his question to me was how much did one sandwich cost.  I told him that I did not know and gave him an approximate amount that I thought it cost.  He continued to talk saying that they reminded him of a sandwich from his home town.  He was from up north.

The conversation was nothing special but what stayed with me was my reaction.  You see, I was afraid of the conversation.  I did not know who I am in Christ.  I feared that he was about to ask me for some money to buy something to eat.  I was afraid and I was only concerned for myself.  It was not about the money, it was about the need in him that I did not see.  I did not understand who I am in Christ and who he is in Christ.  Fear entered me and I was only concerned for myself.  I wanted him to ask me for some money so that I could give it to him and he could buy something to eat.  I am accustomed to giving to beggars and street people but this was up close.  I wanted to help him but I was afraid also.  I wanted him to ask me for some money that I may give it to him and then I could be on my way and not be concerned or committed with his needs.  I was selfish and only concerned with myself.    You see, I was detached and did not want to concern myself with his needs.   For concerning  myself with his needs meant getting involved, it meant getting close, it meant becoming attached.  And I was afraid for myself.

Christ is my provider.  Christ is my protector.  Christ is in me and yet I failed to be in him.  I failed to see the needs of that man.  I failed to listen to his concerns.  I failed to open my heart to his conversation that I might help his needs.  For I feared that it may concern me and I would be involved.  How do you help a person?  How do you love a stranger?  How do you fill the needs of a person that you do not know?  How do you overcome the fear of injury, the fear of harm, the fear of loss?  How do you open yourself up to a stranger?   He started the conversation and spoke out of his need.  I withdrew from the conversation and spoke out of my fear.   

I missed the opportunity to feed the people.  I missed the opportunity to bring him to Christ.  I missed the opportunity to open  my heart up to show the love of Christ in me to another person.  I missed the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ in me.  Be open to the opportunity!  Realize that Christ is your provider, your protector.  He will provide and protect you no matter where you are or what you are doing, if you carry him with you.  Do you carry the seed within you?  Let him show you the way.  Open your heart to the opportunity and he will lead you to overflowing love and abundant life.  You, yourself, feed the people!