Read
But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Matthew 14:16
Reflect
What is the biggest meal you have ever prepared? Have you fed more than ten people? Twenty?
How about five thousand?
Some people suggest these miracle accounts must be exaggerated—that fewer people were there, or that everyone simply received a small portion. But Scripture says otherwise. In Matthew 14:20 we are told, “And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”
And there is more to consider: when large crowds were counted in Scripture, the number often referred only to the men present. That means the actual number fed may have been closer to fifteen or even twenty thousand people when women and children are included. Then, in Matthew 15, Jesus did it again—feeding another four thousand men, likely many more in total.
Jesus saw the crowd’s physical need and had compassion on them. But instead of immediately solving the problem Himself, He turned to His disciples and told them to provide the food.
Their response was simple: We do not have enough.
Yet the little they placed in His hands became more than enough.
That is still how God works. We often look at our abilities, resources, and opportunities and conclude that what we have is too small to matter. But when what we have is surrendered to Christ, He can multiply it far beyond what we imagine.
Today, trust the Lord with what you have. Offer Him your gifts, your time, your strength, and your faith—and ask Him to use them for His greater glory.
Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
