Jesus, the Provider

Kimberly Scheidegger

Central Truth

Jesus is THE provision, and He can meet any and all needs that we have.

And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full. (Luke 9:17)

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. 12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” 13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

When I was a little girl, we went to church on occasion, but my collection of Bible stories by adulthood was very small. These last few years, I’ve spent time learning the stories of the Bible to understand the power and heart of God. One story that I was blessed to learn as a little one was the feeding of the 5,000. Perhaps I learn best by repetition, because this story is actually in all four Gospels. In fact, it is the only miracle (except the resurrection) that is in every Gospel.

I can’t quite imagine what it would have been like to hear Christ say, “You give them something to eat!” (Luke 9:13) I would probably think through my skill set and my resumé of what I’m able to do. That was pretty much what the disciples initially did. They told Jesus that they could go to town and buy some food. Instead, Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of 50, and then He carried out the miracle of feeding the 5,000.

Oftentimes, when we feel inadequate or don’t know what to do or how to meet a need, it is easy to go into problem-solving mode and just begin acting. But Christ wants us to rely on Him for our answers and to meet our needs. Christ fully met the need of 5,000 hungry people without the disciples having to rely on their own strength or means.

Last summer, I was in Ethiopia with a group from Watermark. We were sharing the gospel on the first day when a beggar approached me. Knowing it wasn’t best to give her money, I felt inadequate and initially did not know how to respond, especially with the language and custom barriers. I heard my translator speak up and say, "Acts 3!" I opened my Bible and shared Acts 3:6, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you," and I shared the gospel. It was through God’s Word and God’s people that I was able to respond to the woman.

1. What tools can you use to help you turn to God before turning to your own strength?

2. What problem or problems are you currently trying to solve on your own strength without first turning to God?

3. What Scripture can you memorize to help you deal with that problem?

4. When you feel inadequate in a situation what is your typical response? Think through how you would like to respond differently in a way that would honor Christ.

FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Let’s get a picture of this miracle. What were the disciples asked to do for the crowd? Who multiplied the food for them to distribute?

2. Why do you think Jesus asked them to do something when He knew they did not have the resources to do it?

3. Everything we need to help others comes from Jesus. How can you apply this truth in helping others this week?