Matthew 14:15-21
Five Loaves, Two Fishes: One Surrendered Life - Matthew 14:15-21
Matthew 14:15-21 (NIVUK)
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.' 16 Jesus replied, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.' 17 'We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,' they answered. 18 'Bring them here to me,' he said. 19 And he told the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Commentary
Revd. Paul Cowley MBE: I just simply believe that if we placed what I had started into God’s hands, then with this scripture, he could multiply that, whether it’s loaves and fish or whether it’s employment for men and women or whether it’s whatever. I just believed if I could give him that, then he would multiply it. I hoped and prayed. And today, the Second Chance Partnership, it’s a privilege to work with businesses across the country. We’ve got three or four big national businesses that have come on board. We need more, but it’s starting, helping to rebuild lives, restore families, help regain dignity through meaningful employment. We’ve offered over 800 jobs to men and women leaving prison. And not a massive number, but it’s getting there. It’s starting. And looking back, the miracle didn’t begin when everything came together and it was sorted, that was sure. It began when I trusted and panicked and gave him what we had and said, it’s up to you. If you want to do this, then I’m with you. If you don’t, then we’ll stay as we are. Five loaves, two fishes. And I think this story really is about surrender. It’s not about the bread and the fish. It’s not about the people. It’s about surrender. The bread multiplied in Jesus’ hands, not the disciples’. They gave the bread to him. Give it to me, he says, short sentences. So in that, for me, that means we bring him our fears. We bring him our disappointments. We bring him our relationships, our health, our financial burdens, our future, whatever it is. Here, take it. Help me with it. Multiply it if you can, or do whatever you can. Corrie ten Boom once said, never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.