06/23/2021 OVERCOMING FEAR & DOUBT
Matthew 14:14-18, 20 So when JESUS came out of the wilderness, a vast crowd was waiting for HIM and HE pitied them and healed their sick. That evening the disciples came to HIM and said, “It is already past time for supper, and there is nothing to eat here in the desert; send the crowds away so they can go the villages and buy some food.” But JESUS replied, “That isn’t necessary---you feed them!”
“What!” they exclaimed. “We have exactly five small loaves of bread and two fish!”
“Bring them here,” HE said. [Living Bible translation]
BIBLICAL COMMENTS
A great deal of JESUS’ interactions with the disciples had to do with JESUS teaching them how to overcome their fears and doubts. This is an example.
“Immediately” before these events, JESUS and the disciples had all been at a mountainside gathering with over 5,000 people.1 JESUS was performing miracles, healing the sick. But, when it became late, the disciples approached JESUS and suggested HE tell all the people to leave and go buy food, fearing a hungry crowd would become too unmanageable. But instead, JESUS calmly turned to the disciples and said: “That won’t be necessary, you feed them!”
Astonished, and probably looking at JESUS as if HE had “lost HIS mind,” the disciples proceeded to give JESUS what they thought was a simple lesson in mathematics. You could almost hear them saying in their minds: “Listen to JESUS, there are 12 of us; about 5,000 men (not even counting the women and children), and all we can come up with are 5 small loaves and 2 small fish, a meal for a youngster!” [See John 6:9, referring to “the lad” that was the source of this meal]. But they just said: “We have exactly five small loaves of bread and two fish!” [Living Bible translation.]
The disciples seemed to be completely “unnerved” by the situation. The Book of John records that Philip starts thinking about all the reasons why “this was an impossible situation.” Philip tells JESUS that it would take at least 200 denariii, about 8 months’ wages, just to buy enough bread so that each one would have a little bite! [See John 6:7] Although Andrew states that there are a couple of fish and five barley loaves, Andrew tells JESUS “What good is that among so many? The numbers and the situation simply made “no sense” to the disciples and they may have been fearful the crowd might become unruly.