Feeding the masses

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Scripture: Exodus 16:11-15, Mark 6:36-44

The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.' " That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish." Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 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 his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

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What had Moses and the Israelites seen from God? The burning bush, the promised deliverer, the plagues, the Passover, the Exodus, the parting of the sea; they saw God Himself in the pillars of cloud and fire; they had water transformed so that they could drink it. Here they are. freed from slavery, rescued from slaughter, hungry, and worried He would not provide...but provide He did. For forty years He rained down their sustenance, He fed an entire nation. There was no need to plant or harvest, nothing to do but follow Him. Every Jewish man, woman, and child received Heavenly evidence that God would provide.

Then comes the famous story of Jesus feeding the five thousand [men, plus women and children]. One meal to one crowd, but undoubtedly miraculous. How else is this different?

In the Exodus story, the God Almighty, the Pillar of Cloud and Fire, rains miraculous food down from Heaven. In Mark, we have God the Man, using a normal dinner for one or two. More importantly, He passes the miracle into the hands of men. Not only did the food not fall from the skies, but it was delivered by the hands of ordinary men. Notice that Jesus said "You give them something to eat." And then, He places the original loaves and fishes into the disciples' hands, then the miracle occurs.

In both stories, the Provider provides. In the first, we see that the great Jehovah God can provide with miraculous intervention from Heaven. In the second, we see that God stands among us, uses common things to do miraculous works, and engages our hands in the miracle.
Glory be to God!
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Questions:
1. What other similarities and differences do you see in these two stories?
2. Has God ever done a miracle through your hands?
3. How do you perceive the vastness and the intimacy in which God performs miracles? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May we expect the miraculous. Jim

"If one starts with an impersonal beginning, the answer to morals eventually turns out to be the assertion that there are no morals." Francis