Recently I have been thinking about the provision of the Lord. This morning I am thinking about the following verses from the Gospel of Luke 9:12-17 NIV:
[12] "Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”
[13] He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish---unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” [14] (About five thousand men were there.)
But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
[15] The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. [16] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. [17] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."
I was thinking about the miraculous provision of the Lord. He is capable of providing for His people. He did so in the desert with manna and uail, and He did here in the story, and the other times he fed the crowds by multiplying the food. I was wondering why we don't experience this more often? Why do we see churches struggle financially when God can provide and demonstrated that ability over and over in scripture.
I find it interesting that in the desert He provided manna and quail (See Exodus 16), but ultimately He provided them the promised land full of milk and honey, a land that was very fruitful. It was the job of the people to occupy the land, drive out those that were there, and then plant and harvest, once thy entered the promised land. The manna and quail were not God's long term solution, but His better plan was blessing them through their stewardship of the land, and following God's law. He promised them the following in Deuteronomy 28:8-11 NIV:
[8] "The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you."
[9] "The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. [10] Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. [11] The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity---in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground---in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you."
In a similar way, although Jesus multiplied the food a few times, He did not do it every time, as only 2-3 times are recorded in scripture. It is not that God can't provide food or provide provision, it is that He has a better plan. In one section in John, Jesus confronts this subject directly. Jesus saw that many were following Him because he had provided them bread - John 6:26 NIV: "Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill."
Jesus continues on from that statement and shifts from natural hunger to God's better plan which includes spiritual realities - John 6:27-35 NIV:
[27] "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
[28] Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
[29] Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
[30] So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? [31] Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' ”
[32] Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
[34] “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
[35] Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Thus, the sign of multiplication of food, the provision of manna and quail in the Old Testament, are actually pointing us to the spiritual reality of God's better plan - the provision of Jesus! He is our provision, He is all we need. God is our provider, and all good things come from Him, but the best He has given us is Jesus! Just yesterday I saw a quote saying "Jesus + nothing = Everything you need!" (Patricia King)
We who are so worldly, so self-focused, would gladly settle for provision of purely material things. Yet He has given us Himself in relationship, giving us eternal life! He has a better plan than just providing material needs, He plans to make us residents of the Kingdom of God, both here now on earth and in Heaven! Our work is to believe and live accordingly. In the Old Testament, the people who entered the promised land had to believe in God's promise, work the land and obey the law to be blessed. In the new covenant we are to believe, obey Jesus' commands and enter into relationship with Him to be blessed with Eternal Life.
John 14:23 NIV: "Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
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John 6:47 NIV: "Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life."
Amen! Paul said in his letter to the Romans 8:32 NIV: "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all---how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" God has given us His greatest and best in Christ Jesus. Because Jesus came and made a way, He has invited us into relationship with Him, as His sons and daughters, to experience eternal life!
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