The 14th day of Lent- Matthew 14:15-16

¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” Matthew 14:15-16

The above passage is from the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus with five loaves of bread and two fish.  Jesus did not send the hungry crowd away to fend for themselves.  There was a lesson to be learned both by the crowd and the disciples.  The responsibility for feeding the hungry was placed in the hands of the disciples- through the power of Jesus.  The disciples did not feed the crowd, but they assisted Jesus in the process.  Imagine the impact this must have made on the disciples!  They saw God's power and compassion, and participated in this miracle.  Imagine the impression it must have made on the crowd!  Had they been sent away to fend for themselves, they never would have seen Christ impact their lives in this way.  Instead, as Jesus fed them, now thousands more people could go back to their villages, share this good news, and, in turn, begin to feed others.  

The miracle of the feeding of the 5000 is a message of hope and a call to action.  Just look at what can be done when the power of God is linked with willing servants.  There is more than enough.  May we be open to God using us to feed the hungry crowd, wherever that may be.  "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."