I invite you to open your Bible to Luke chapter nine. We're gonna continue on where we were this morning. We'll be reading from verses 12 all the way to 17, the wonderful story about Jesus feeding the 5,000 that are there. So Luke chapter nine starting at verse 12. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place. But he said to them, you give them something to eat. They said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. For there were about 5,000 men. And he said to his disciples, have them sit down in groups of about 50 each. And they did so, and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to the heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and all were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, 12 baskets of broken pieces. So far the reading of God's word. Enter Congregation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In chapter nine of Luke's gospel, Jesus sends the 12 out on a evangelistic mission. Jesus equips his disciples with power and authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons. Their mission is a success, as the word causes quite a stir, reaching the ears of Herod, who was perplexed. Herod and the crowds then get to answer the question that's woven throughout chapter nine, Jesus. The 12 returned from their mission, found Jesus, and departed to Bethsaida for some rest. Now while the disciples watch and observe their Lord and His kingdom work, they are about to learn just how unprepared they are for their dependence upon Christ as He challenges them and shows them a great miracle. Our theme this evening as we examine scripture is trusting the hand that feeds you, and we'll look at this at two points, the disciples' panic, and point number two, Jesus' provision. Within this large crowd of people, there must have been many people who needed the aid of Jesus Christ. The ministry of Jesus healing and proclaiming the kingdom of God takes up significant portion of the day. The text informs us that the day began to wear away. As I'm well aware, I'm sure you are all well aware that time can slip away when you are busy. You're obsessed with a task that consumes most of your focus and your energy. So the day is fading, the sun is setting, but there's still some daylight left. Now the disciples, aware of how large these crowds are, realize that they're in a desolate place. So they come to Jesus with a request. And this was not just a mere suggestion to their Lord, but they're telling Jesus, send the crowd away to go to the countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place. At first glance, this request seems valid. The disciples are being bold. Maybe they see Christ laboring, healing those infected with diseases while preaching the kingdom of God, and they think time has gotten away from their Lord. Jesus was so consumed by what his father sent him to do, so absorbed with what he loves to do, that he forgot it was getting close to supper time. So you can see the disciples' hearts. It's getting late. They're in a desolate place. They have no food or lodging. You can imagine the 12 of them maybe brainstorming the best course of action. They're concerned not only for the crowds, but also for their master. The crowds will have to travel to find food or lodging. With such a large crowd, you can imagine the parking You know, when you visit a place where there's 5,000 people and you want to leave and the parking is just chaotic. So you can imagine the rush that might be for the first place to find food or the first town over with a lodging. There might be some there who are in for a longer walk. See, even if a crowd had come by from nearby towns or these villages returning, even home would still be in for a distant walk because they're in this desolate place. So when you weigh all that is developing in front of the disciples, it's hard to doubt the heart of the disciples. They're trying to be proactive. And this could have even been their practice implemented as they went from village to village, healing and proclaiming the kingdom of God. The disciples may have agreed upon a set of time to stop work so that the people would have time to prepare supper and put the children to bed. So they went to Christ with boldness. Because they did not ask the question, they did not phrase it, excuse me, Jesus, it's getting late. We're here isolated, what do you think we should do next? Nor was it, Jesus, there's such a large crowd and it's getting late, should we suggest that they start making their way home? No, the disciples came with boldness. Send the crowds home. It was a command from the lips of the disciples. It wasn't a suggestion or a question. But was this the right course of action for the 12? They're trying to be proactive and you see their hearts for their masters in the crowds. But is it because maybe that their ego is slightly inflated? They gain some experience in healing and preaching in the kingdom of God. Maybe now there's a little pep in their step. They begin to know how to deal with these kind of situations. So their command to Jesus is out of arrogance, that they know what to do. Another possible reason is that they're anxious and they start to panic. The crowd is large, there's 5,000 plus people. Think of all the noise. Maybe they're pushing in on Jesus. There could be crying of small children, the moaning and agony of those who are sick in need of healing. There'd be shouts of joy for those who've just been healed, happy tears from those released from their infirmities. What must that have sounded like? There could even be speculation and discussion about the teaching and Jesus proclaiming the kingdom of God. Maybe there's even questions for Jesus, shouts from the back of the crowd. So maybe this large crowd is weighing on the disciples and they become anxious and they start to panic about what they should do. Maybe their command is out of desperation and not sincerity. The 12 go to Jesus and he hears the command of the disciples, but he, Jesus, has a solution in mind. So he responds with his own command. See, since the 12 are sensitive to the issue, Jesus commands that they solve the problem. He says to them, you give them something to eat. And such a command sounds puzzling. Why would Jesus tell the 12 to feed the 5,000 plus people that are there? We could think of it a bit harsh, just like the command when Jesus told the 12 not to take anything for their evangelistic mission. But instead, we need to think about it as another test for the disciples. They were expected to be men of action, no longer on the sidelines watching Jesus. They were to be partaking with him in his ministry. They're called upon to have answers to these questions. So what is the correct answer to this test? See, when the disciples returned from their evangelistic mission, Jesus withdrew with the 12, and the 12 were not recorded as partaking in that ministry of Jesus. The disciples rested, and Jesus was the one healing and proclaiming the kingdom of God. Now, that could have been a perfect time for the disciples to get some feedback on the development of their skills. But as we understand, it was not the development of their skills for their kingdom work, but it was a development of the dependence upon God, the dependence upon Christ. See, without this dependence upon Him, they'll never be successful for their mission. So this was the most important lesson that they needed to learn. Remember, the disciples were depleted of all of their possessions. They were to go with nothing, fully relying on depending upon God for their provisions. So the disciples respond and show just how much they learned as they reply to Jesus' command. The 12 respond and say, we have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. The 12 think that their resources are limited because Jesus instructed them to take nothing for their evangelistic journey, no food, no money. How then are they expected to provide for all these people that are here, the 5,000 plus? understanding that they have the limited supplies, their solution still is to ask Jesus if they're to go buy food for the crowd. But where's this money coming from? See, the 12 are overwhelmed and they're crushed in the face of this crisis because they're unprepared for their mission. They do not understand that they need to depend upon Christ. Now reason with me for a second here. Should the 12 have understood this lesson, this lesson to depend upon Christ? See, this would not be the first time that Jesus provided many fish for the disciples. When Christ first called the disciples, they cast their nets into the water, and he provided so many fish for them that they could hardly bring the nets into their boat. That day, the disciples had nothing, and were given more than they ever needed by a simple command of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that experience is no different than Jesus equipping them with power and authority to cast out the demons, to heal the sick. They lacked power, they lacked authority to do all of these things, and Jesus equipped them for the task. The disciples had nothing in both circumstances, and Jesus gave them exactly what they needed. From no fish to fish, from no power and authority to having power and authority. See, not only did the 12 experience being equipped by Jesus, but he showed them great power during a time of great anxiety. You remember when Jesus and the disciples set across the lake, and a great windstorm arose, and they were in danger. All the while, Jesus is sleeping in the boat. Yet the disciples frantically woke Jesus, and He rebuked the winds and the raging waves, and everything was calm. Amid their danger, they remembered Jesus. But now, amid this large crowd that's pushing in on Jesus, They're looking to their circumstances and not to Christ for the answers. See, they're trying to solve the problem apart from Jesus Christ. And this is the problem of the 12. Amid their anxiety and their panic about the crowds, they worry about lodging and feeding them. They're focused on these external things, so much that they forgot about Christ. They forgot about His power, the power to command the winds and the waves, His power to equip them with power and authority to heal and cast out demons. See, they forgot about Jesus, and their panic and anxiety manifests into forgetfulness. It produced them in blinders, that the only thing that they could see was their problem, forgetting that Jesus Christ was their answer. But should we be so harsh with the 12 or being slow to remember that Jesus Christ is the solution? When you who are followers of Jesus Christ have a clear picture of revelation, yet spend most of your lives having to learn the same lesson. Survey your life. How quickly do you put on blinders and focus solely on your external problems? When you engage in a new stage of life, you move from being single to a spouse, or being a spouse to a parent, or being unemployed to being now employed, moving to a new town, school, or church. Each new event provides its own new and unique challenges. The question is, have you learned the dependence upon Christ? Are you still fixated on external means to solve your problems? Is your logic, is your answer to these things Christ? Or is it things? Think, how has Christ handled your circumstances in the past? And we need to remind ourselves of these things or we'll just forget them. He is gracious and He is kind. Hasn't He given us all that we need? Has He not provided for you? Yet the simple basic truth is an answer we need to learn again and again, that Christ is sufficient. So we need to depend upon Him. Just as Christ entertained the command of the 12 to send the crowds away, He showed His patience with the disciples as they listened to the answer. Again, Christ shows us His grace in their lack of understanding. And He shows the 12 that He is sufficient for their problems. Now the last command in this section is Christ telling the 12 to seat to seat them in groups of 50 each. Now if you're wondering maybe if there's any significance to the seating arrangement, some commentators find a parallel to Elijah when Obadiah tells Elijah that he has supplied food and water for 50 each. But most of the commentators understand that it was just the best way to organize these mass of people. So the 12, they complied with the command of the Lord and had the groups sit down. And Jesus took the food and looked up to the heavens and said a blessing over it. See, Jesus recognized that God was the source of this meal and he gave thanks. Jesus gives the food to the disciples to hand out and the people are about to be fed and the disciples learn about Christ's provision. And maybe you wonder, what did the disciples think when they saw that food multiplying as Christ continued to give them food for the large crowds? What was going through their mind? I'm sure there was a lot of how is this happening? And the text doesn't inform us, but maybe was there a sense of shame that they missed what might have been obvious for them? Or was maybe there's still some doubts if Christ could provide enough? So we do not know what they thought, but what we do know is the food kept coming and all ate and all were satisfied. A commentator summarizes the later half of this miracle with a helpful quote. Those whom Christ feeds, He will fill. To whom He gives, He gives enough, as there is in Him enough for all. So there is enough for each. He replenishes every hungry soul and abundantly satisfies it with the goodness of His house. See, to whom Christ feeds, He fills, and to whom He gives, He gives enough. And He provides with no demand of repayment. The mercy of God is extended to all without demands of being repaid. And isn't this indicative of how salvation is extended to His people? Christ fed a multitude with five loaves and two fish. He broke bread, and with a little, a lot were fed. And with His body, a single sacrifice, perfect and spotless, many were saved. He did all the work in both scenarios, and yet it's His gift to you. Salvation extended to you as a gift, it's not a reward. Christ went to the cross. He requires nothing but faith in him to receive such a glorious gift. He is the one that suffered. He is the one that was humiliated. He is the one that lived in perfect obedience. Yet you are the one who received all the benefits with no outstanding debt, no depleted funds, no bills to be paid. Nor did Jesus require reimbursement from the crowd. The disciples, they did not come with a check. The check didn't have a 18% gratuity because the party had been over 10 people. It was free. It was full of grace. Christ has paid it all and fully accomplished salvation on the cross. He is the one who brought about salvation for his people. And he is the one that's been feeding his people all along. See, this wasn't a one-time occurrence for Jesus. Is it not the case that he's been providing for his people throughout their pilgrimage? The most similar parallel passage to the event of the 5,000 is that of Elisha in 2 Kings chapter four. And just in passing, I'll mention the refilling of the widow's oil in the same chapter. But in 2 Kings 4, man brought Elijah 20 loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said to give them to the men that they may eat. But his servant asked a similar question to the disciples. How can I set this before 100 men? Elisha repeats himself, saying, thus says the Lord, they shall eat and have some left. And they ate, and they had some left according to the word of the Lord. See, there's striking similarities to the feeding of the 5,000. But Christ shows the greater miracle because He is the one feeding more with less. This is not the first desolate wilderness feeding either. Just after the Lord rescued his people Israel from the tyranny of Egypt, they grumbled to Moses and Aaron that they were brought out into the wilderness to die of their hunger. But the Lord said to Moses, I'm about to rain bread from heaven for you. Every day the people were to gather a day's portion and the only time they were to gather more was on the sixth day in preparation for the Sabbath. It was the bread that fell from the heavens. The menu was quail at twilight filled with bread in the morning. And why did the Lord do this? He says, so you shall know that I am the Lord your God. See, from the wanderings in the wilderness to many other examples, like God using Joseph in Egypt as a mean for his family to escape the famine of the land. God is the one who's continually been feeding his people. Christ has been at work throughout the history of redemption. Do not think that it stopped at the cross and that now you're out here to just fend for yourself. If anything is stopped, it's our dependence upon Christ. That sinful nature and hardness of heart that creates that unbelief. See, he has the answers to the questions from the disciples and from you. But if you fixate on externals, if you develop that tunnel vision where you focus on yourself and your problems and you forget about Jesus, You forget about the one with all of the authority and the power that was given to him. The one who holds everything in the palm of his hands. Do you believe this about your Jesus? Is this your Lord and is this your Savior? There's questions that you have. Who can convert these poor sinners? Who can rescue my children from their backsliding? Who will protect the next generation? See, you and yourselves are not sufficiently equipped to achieve this. If you're not depending upon Him, what can you do for your salvation? What can you do for your family? What can you do for yourself? You need Him for everything. Not some things, or occasionally. You need him for everything. So what's stopping you from depending upon him? Is it pride? That you only want to do it your way? Could it be greed? That you want all the credit? Maybe it's disbelief. No way someone could ever ever be that gracious and kind. See, but if you do not depend on Christ, you're depending upon yourself, which is a recipe for failure, because you cannot do it. You cannot get done what needs to get done. So seek Him, depend on Him, and you will find rest in Him, because He cares for those who are His. but you need to come to Him. You need to trust in Him and you need to believe in Him. Dear congregation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. From 17 verses through chapter nine, Luke reveals another angle of who Christ is. He takes us around the cross and He shows us just who Jesus Christ is. You see that Jesus Christ is the one who equips you, he's the one who informs you, who sends you work and gives you rest, but now also the one who feeds you, who nourishes both your body and your soul, and he's the one that you need to depend upon. So come to Jesus Christ and depend upon him. Let us pray. O gracious God and Heavenly Father, we come before you thanking you that you are such a gracious and kind God to us, that you provide for us food for both our body and our soul, that we have such a great Savior with power and authority, that he can provide anything that we need. O gracious God, please continue to cultivate in our hearts a desire to depend more richly on Christ, that we look away from the external things of the world. Look to Christ for our comfort, for the answers to the questions that we may have. May we be patient and wait on Christ and know that He is the one with all power and all authority. And may we look to Him, our faithful Savior, as it's through His name that we pray all these things, amen.