Returning from their journey (Luke 9:3-6) the
apostles reported every detail of their experiences to Jesus (Luke 9:10).
Were they surprised again when he “took them with him and they withdrew by
themselves to a town called Bethsaida”?
Were the Twelve expecting a quiet time alone with
Jesus? If so, they were soon disappointed. Crowds of people were following
Jesus wherever he went.
“He
welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who
needed healing” (Luke 9:11).
“Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and
said, ‘Send the crowd away so they
can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging,
because we are in a remote place here’ ” (Luke 9:12).
Then came another surprise: Jesus replied -- “You give them something to eat.”
“We
have only five loaves of bread and two fish”.
Jesus takes the loaves and fishes and gives
thanks. Then the astonished apostles
take the bread and fish and distribute them among the crowd that numbers
well over 5,000 people. Miraculously, surprisingly, Jesus multiplied what
seemed like very little given the size of the crowd.
“They all
ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over” (Luke
9:17).
Their baskets were empty when the disciples left
for their retreat with Jesus. After watching him multiply the loaves and fish,
their baskets overflowed.
Where would you like to see Jesus multiply
resources in the coming year?
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