Jesus' Love has the Power to Meet our Needs


And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 
-Philippians 4:19

In the Gospels, we read of the feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:4-13). This passage shows us that Jesus’ love has the power to meet our needs. Jesus trusted the Father and was able to meet the need of the multitude.

After John the Baptist was beheaded, Jesus had sent out the twelve disciples to minister on their own. When they returned, Jesus withdrew by boat to Bethsaida, which was on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee.[1] Here Jesus thought they would be alone. People from the surrounding towns heard of His travel, however, and followed Jesus on foot. Perhaps because a strong headwind had slowed them down,[2] by the time Jesus landed, a large crowd had gathered to meet Him. Jesus had compassion on them because He saw them as sheep without a shepherd.[3] Jesus began teaching them about the kingdom of God[4] and healing those who were sick.[5]

As evening was approaching, the disciples came to Jesus and suggested that the crowds be sent away so they could get themselves some food because they were in a remote place. Jesus told the disciples that the people didn’t need to be sent away and that the disciples should give them something to eat. The disciples said it would take eight months’ wages to feed that many people.[6] The usual pay for one day’s work was one denarius, which means about 200 denarii would be earned in eight months.[7] Jesus asked the disciples to go see how many loaves there were. Andrew found a boy who had five small barley loaves and two small fish, but he could not see how this small amount could feed so many people.[8]

Jesus directed the disciples to have the people sit down in groups. They sat down in groups of fifties and hundreds.[9] Then Jesus took the loaves and fish, looked up to heaven, gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples who gave them to the people. He also divided the two fish among everyone.


All the people ate and were satisfied. Attempts to explain away this miracle by suggesting that Jesus and His disciples shared their lunch and then the crowd followed their example are inadequate. Jesus, as God incarnate, could easily have performed this miracle. In Ezekiel 34:23-31, God “promised that when the true Shepherd came the desert would become rich pasture where the sheep would be gathered and fed. In this passage, Jesus feasts with His followers in the desert. Just as Psalm 23:1 states, “Jesus is the Shepherd who provides for all of our needs so that we lack nothing.”[10] And would the crowd have wanted to make Jesus King if he had convinced them to give up their lunch? Not likely![11]

The disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of pieces that were left over. The Jews regarded bread as a gift from God, and it was required that any scraps that fell on the ground during a meal should be picked up. The pieces were gathered in small wicker baskets that the people carried as part of their daily attire. As there were twelve basketfuls, each disciple must have returned with his own basket full.[12] The fact that there was such a significant amount left over shows that everyone was adequately fed.[13] There were 5,000 men with additional women and children. The size of the crowd was amazing since the neighboring towns of Capernaum and Bethsaida likely had a population of only 2,000-3,000 each.[14] Matthew was the only writer of the gospels to note the additional women and children. “He was writing to the Jews, who did not permit women and children to eat with men in public”; so, they sat in a place by themselves.[15]

John tells us that after the people saw the miracle Jesus had performed they began to believe that He was the Son of Man. This miracle showed Jesus as the supplier of human need and set the stage for His teaching that He was the bread of life.[16] Knowing that the people were going to try to make Him king by force, Jesus withdrew to a mountain by Himself.

Jesus once again showed that He had compassion on others. Jesus still has compassion on the hungry and needy today. He desires that we, His followers, “give them something to eat.”[17] Proverbs 28:27 says that those who give to the poor will not lack anything. Jesus told the wealthy man that he should sell his possessions and give to the poor so that he could have treasure in heaven.[18] Paul told masters they were told to provide for their slaves.[19] Families are admonished to provide for their relatives.[20] Titus was told that the church was to devote themselves to good in order to provide for urgent needs of the people.[21]

Warren Wiersbe points out that the practical lesson here is that whenever there is a need, we should give all we have. The boy was generous to give up his lunch. Like the widow’s mite,[22] no gift is too small when it is given with willingness,[23] “which is the motive of true generosity.”[24] We can be like the disciples and send people away, making excuses as the disciples did and claiming we lack resources, but that is not what God would have us to do. We should not simply measure our resources, but pray “to determine God’s will and trust Him to meet the need.”[25] He does not expect us to be the manufacturers; we are only His distributors.[26] God has promised to meet all our needs.[27] We in turn should do all we can to meet the needs of those around us; we should be willing to give all we have; no gift is too small.



[1] Zondervan, The NIV Study Bible, study note on Matthew 11:21.
[2] Zondervan, Mark 6:33.
[3] Mark 6:34
[4] Mark 6:34, Luke 9:11
[5] Matthew 14:14; Luke 9:11
[6] Mark 6:37
[7] Zondervan, Mark 6:37.
[8] John 6:8
[9] Mark 6:40
[10] Zondervan, Mark 6:42.
[11] Warren Wiersbe, “Matthew 14”, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, The Complete New Testament, (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007), pg. 42.
[12] Zondervan, Mark 6:43.
[13] Zondervan, Luke 9:17.
[14] Zondervan, Mark 6:44.
[15] Zondervan, Matthew 14:21.
[16] Zondervan, John 6:1-15.
[17] Wiersbe, p. 42.
[18] Matthew 19:21
[19] Colossians 4:1
[20] 1 Timothy 5:8
[21] Titus 3:14
[22] Mark 12:41-44
[23] 2 Corinthians 8:12
[24] Zondervan, 2 Corinthians 8:12.
[25] Wiersbe, “Mark 6:1-56”, p. 107
[26] IBID
[27] Philippians 4:19

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