Preparing Servants Matthew 14:13-21

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BACKGROUND

· These events happened one year before the cross

· Jesus would spend six months preparing His disciples

· His focus turned from the nation to His disciples

· Four times they would withdraw to the mountains

· Jesus was preparing His disciples for difficult days ahead

FEEDING THE 5,000

Where did 15,000 people come from?
²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:21 (NKJV)

• Passover was near and crowds were traveling to Jerusalem

• The followers of John the Baptist now turn to Christ

• The crowds actually could see the boat carrying Christ

¹³ When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. Matthew 14:13 (NKJV)

Jesus was concerned about their physical need as well as their spiritual And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Matthew 14:14-16 (NKJV)

WHAT WAS JESUS TEACHING HIS FOLLOWERS?

1. True ministry comes from a heart of compassion

2. God will sometimes ask us to do things that go beyond our abilities

3. Give what you have and God will supply the rest

4. God uses human instruments in His work

God uses difficult situations in our lives to develop our character. Jesus placed His disciples in a seemingly impossible situation to teach them an important principle: where God guides God provides.

¹⁷ And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."
¹⁸ He said, "Bring them here to Me." ¹⁹ Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Matthew 14:17-20 (NKJV)