The God Who Provides
Matthew 14:13-21
St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
June 25, 2023
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes
Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
What does it mean to say that God provides? What does it mean to you for me to say God provides? We must answer this question soundly and securely, for it can be an anchor, a foundation in our lives.
God provides. It is not about a prosperity gospel. The idea that prosperity and wealth is always what God wants for you. The thought that the gospel is a wish list, a material fulfilment in your life.
God provides. It is not to make God a cosmic vending machine. The thinking that if you pray hard enough, God will give you all the desires of the heart.
We do believe and the Scripture attests that God does provide generously, and abundantly to his people.
What does it mean that God provides?
Here’s the sermon in one sentence: God will provide everything we need to do what he has called us to do and to be what he has called us to be. That does not mean that he will give us everything that we need and that we will never have pain or suffering. What it means is that he will give us everything that we need, in the short term and in the long term. God will provide the people, the resources, that we need to grow into that person that God has called us to be.
The challenge and difficulty lies in the faith that is required in certain situations. When we are anticipating God to do a work and we lack patience and we ask, “Do I trust God to do what He has called me to do, or do I take things in my own hands?”
This is the situation in our text in Matthew.
The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle that we can find in all the four gospels which causes us to wake up to the reality that there are lessons for all of us here.
A little background of this story. As we roll into chapter 14. Herod had ordered John the Baptist beheaded. John the Baptist was Christ’s cousin, forerunner of ministry, friend. Political pressured ramped up, lot of emotion come to the surface with John beheaded.
As was customary for Jesus, he takes a little rest. He takes some time to grieve, pray. They head on a boat across sea of Galilee, before them are 5,000 men without counting women and children. Some Bible scholars estimate there were potentially 20,000 people. Bethesda and Capernaum had 5,000 people between them. People came from all over to hear Jesus. Inexplicable number. Kind of like Estes Park with a population of 5,800 and in the summer it swells to 80,000+ with visitors from all over world or Sturgis, South Dakota with 7,700 people and in the first week of August the number increases to 700,000 motorcyclists from all over the country.
Jesus and the disciples are sailing across the lake, and people come around in a desolate place to hear what Jesus has to say. Jesus sees the crowd waiting there and it says, “He had compassion on them.” Although emotionally and physically exhausted, Jesus saw the emotional, spiritual, physical needs of the people.
When evening came, the disciples maybe worried for him, thinking of the people, they wondered, “People have to eat. Maybe they forgot their lunch.” It was a practical and reasonable thought. They say to Jesus, “Send these 20,000 people back to get food. Folks are exhausted and grieving, doing their best as they can and Jesus chooses to use this time, when disciples are worn down, tired, sailing, to teach the disciples and test their trust in him.
We see three things happening when Jesus performs in this miracle and these things show upon your lives, as well.
1. A need is met.
2. Provision flow from God’s hand.
3. God’s power and glory are displayed. The book of Common Prayers say that our chief goal in life is to glorify God.
The disciple learned something about trusting in God.
Jesus says, “They don’t need to go away, you feed them.” They begin to ponder, “Judas (the treasurer), do we have enough to pay for this? Are there any grocery stores around here? Any food trucks that we can secure?”
Finally, the disciples say, “Jesus, we have five leaves and two fish.” What was the attitude of that response?
Often our offering that we can bring to God is so meager. The greatest offering, we can bring, compare to the kingdom of God is very small, but look at what God can do with our meager contribution.
Our time, our talent, our money are meager things that we can offer, but look at what God can do with that which we offer him.
Jesus is testing the disciples to trust in Him. Can they see the possibilities because the power of God is manifest in them? Or do they only see through a world of scarcity?
Every obstacle, challenge we face, are opportunities to trust what God can do for us. We are called to follow the spiritual guidance and trust.
Jesus reaches into the baskets and pulled out five loaves and two fish and give to the disciples. It was a quiet thing. Food more than enough for 20,000, 5,000 people. The disciples wonder, “Where are the wagons, I don’t smell the bread?”
There was a buzz around the man pulling loads and fishes for hours. The miracle that is cascading, and there is a call for seconds, “Anybody want leftovers, breakfast tomorrow? Let’s gather up 12 baskets.”
What does it mean that God will provide? Is it that every prayer is answered? That you will always be safe, healthy, and wealthy?
Passage teaches that God has compassion on our needs, He cares about every atom of our being. God will provide all that we to do what He has called us to do and to be what he has called us to be.
It is important to pray and consider what God has called us to be and what God has called us to do. It requires faith that God will provide what we need. In our family, workplaces, community, we embody all of these roles and God equips us to be faithful witnesses in those places.
Who is God callings to be? It can be terrifying, it is calling us to step, not knowing where the foot lands, trusting that God will be there and provide.
After serving as a student pastor in Slaton, Texas, I enrolled in seminary studies at a seminary extension program in Lubbock. I know that eventually I’ll have to move to Fort Worth to attend the main campus. I thought, “How in the world will this be possible?” For five years the church paid me $900 dollars a month, just enough to make ends meet. No way I could make it on my own.
I called the seminary and inquired about possibilities. They said often people in the community, usually from local churches, they rent their basement to seminary students at a low cost to help them. Sure enough, a retired woman from University Church had a basement for rent, it had its own entrance, a one room with restroom, kitchen, and bed. Then I thought I want to work at Sears and focus on studies for ministry can be very demanding and I want to focus in my studies. God had other plans.
Bro. Pete Thompson from Travis Avenue Church called, “We need a pastor for our Hispanic mission church and we are very interested in talking with you.” I invested three years with that wonderful group of people in the inner-city, ministering to people from many walks of life. God provided.
My friends, we never know the time table. When God meets our needs, He does this out of compassion and we learn a lesson on trust. We offer our meager offering and he multiples it and when we look back, we can see God’s hands guiding us. We will need to trust, and we will see answered prayer, the meeting of our needs, and we’ll experience the profound blessing that all that we have is a gift from God.
You’ll be blessed to know that you were in the midst of prayer being answer as you walk, God will prove to be faithful. May we have the trust to follow where he lives.
Let us pray: God help us to listen and discern. Where are you calling us? What are roles we are called to embody? Who are you calling us to be? May we trust you and when we sense your spirit, help us to run to yours and to know that you will provide all that we need in that place. Amen.