MULTIPLICATION OF BREAD

"I feel compassion for the multitude..."

INTRODUCTION

1. During His earthly ministry, Jesus focused attention on the house of

   Israel...

   a. As He commanded when giving the Limited Commission to his disciples.

  b. As He explained to the Syro-Phoenician woman 

2. Even so, there were occasions when Gentiles benefited from His

   physical presence...

   a. The Syro-Phoenician woman's daughter healed 

   b. Healings in the area of Decapolis, including the deaf mute 

   c. Feeding of the four thousand in the gospel of today.

The text of this morning presents us THE COMPASSIONATE AND POWERFUL CHRIST.

Jesus  had been gone on a retreat with His disciples over the past few weeks which took them north to the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon before returning to Decapolis. But now He is back and a crowd quickly gathers. This was a big crowd. They also seem to have been a mixed crowd.

o                  There were Jews and Gentiles.

o                  Men and women.

o                  Adults and children.

They had only one thing in common. They were hungry. They were hungry for the teachings of Jesus - what else would keep them at that location for three days of preaching? And because of their spiritual hunger, they were now physically hungry.

What is more, the crowd had not come prepared for a three day sermon. They had not brought with them three days worth of provisions. And this brought about a problem. It was a very practical problem. There were those who were now so hungry that they might not be able to make their way back home.

And so, Jesus calls His disciples together to explain to them the problem. Notice how He begins.

"I feel compassion for the multitude..."

There is a principle here. When the Lord begins to move to meet a need, He often does it by moving His people. He could have bypassed the disciples. He could have merely caused it to rain bread and fish. But he used the disciples. His method was to involve men and women in his mission.

Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you are hungry for God? Where you desire His company and His fellowship more than the basic necessities of life?

Do you see a need in someone’s life? Perhaps the Lord is showing you that need so that you can be His instrument in meeting that need.

He is the powerful Jesus: 1. We see a picture of need - "nothing to eat"

      2. We see a revelation of love - "I have compassion on the

         multitude"

      3. We see a consideration of grace - "if I send them away hungry

         to their own houses, they will faint on the way"

      4. We see a question of helplessness - "How can one satisfy these

         people with bread here in the   wilderness?"

      5. We see a command requiring trust - "He commanded the multitude

         to sit down on the ground"

      6. We see a manifestation of power - "those who had eaten were

         about four thousand"

      7. We see a superabundance of supply - "they took up seven largef

         baskets of leftover fragments"

     

This gospel reminds us what Jesus is for us.

   a. He knows our every need

   b. He is touched by our infirmities

   c. He is able to abundantly supply our need

   d. All we need is to present to him the little we have and he will multiply it.