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 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 directed 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. Matthew 14:15-21
Give the disciples credit for trying to look out for Jesus, though their motives may have been mixed since they were probably hungry and didn’t want to deal with the crowds. Feeding such a large group of people probably wasn’t at the forefront of the disciples’ minds because, well, logistically how would they do it?
They didn’t know they could ask God to multiply the little food they did have available so Jesus was going to use fish, bread, and a child to teach them an object less about faith and compassion.
Was it a miracle they could replicate later? Possibly. But the important thing was they were seeing the Master in action. He was probably still wiped out from ministering to the people and grieving John the Baptist’s funeral.
The text simply tells us He looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and broke bread. He performed this miracle at least twice that we know of and quite probably more than that. The Bread of Life was satisfying the physical needs of those He had just ministered to.
Read this event and marvel at the simplicity of it all. The Son of God had the faith of a little child and asked God to bless what He held in his hands.
That’s the kind of simple faith we should be seeking.
Simple, unpretentious faith.