Today’s miracle is similar in many ways to the miracle of feeding the 5,000 that Jesus had performed not many days earlier in Bethsaida (Mark 6:30-44). Once again there’s a crowd nearby, hanging on every word. Having been with him for 3 days, they have nothing to eat (Mark 8:2).
Wait a minute Master — we’ve been without food for 3 days too! I nearly forgot! We’re out in the middle of nowhere; where can we get enough food to feed this stadium-sized crowd?
I can nearly see the look on Jesus’ face. When are you guys ever going to get it? No, I doubt He was really thinking that, but that’s what I’m inclined to think. We knew Jesus instead had compassion — on the crowd too, but He no doubt had great compassion for His closest 12 as well. He knew they didn’t understand yet. He was, after all, on a mission to seek & save the lost (Luke 19:10), but if they were to carry on His mission after the resurrection, this was of necessity a 3-year teaching mission too. Yes, Jesus had compassion on the crowd, but He also had great compassion — and patience — with the 12.
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. (Mark 8:5)
Oh yeah, we do have bread; we can e…
Uh. Psst. Thaddaeus? I forgot totally about when Master fed the 5,000. You think He knows we forgot?
Such a subtle hint. He could have come up with a line that was at once hilarious and at the same time put the apostles in their place for having such short memories. That’s what I would have done, but that’s not Jesus, and that’s clearly not the appropriate response here. He had both compassion and patience. He showed His great love for the crowd by tending to their immediate physical need, but He showed even deeper love for His apostles by tending to their physical need while nurturing their even deeper spiritual need to see the true Jesus and to understand Him who feeds the sparrows.
So, how many loaves do you have? Have you seen the true Jesus, or are you blinded by things that get in the way?