July 16, 2026 – Daily Devotional
“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.” – Matthew 14:19-21
In the fourteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, we find one of the most incredible scenes in all the Gospels. Jesus and his disciples have gone out to the wilderness, and a large crowd has followed them. It is in this remote place that Jesus feeds the 5000. This miracle shows the compassion and power of Jesus as he provides food for the large crowd who had followed him without regard for their own well-being. The Disciples wanted to send the crowd away so that they could feed themselves. The crowd had followed Jesus from the city, and they brought little to no provisions with them. All that was found was five loaves of bread and two fish.
The feeding of the five thousand reflects not only Jesus’ compassion and power but also his humanity. Matthew 14 begins with the death of John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. After hearing about John’s death, Jesus withdraws. I can only imagine that Jesus was deeply saddened at John’s passing. The feeding of the multitude happens while Jesus mourns the loss of someone special.
In the middle of Jesus mourning the loss of John and feeding his followers, He demonstrates an important lesson to us all. Matthew 14:19 says Jesus, “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.” Jesus stopped and expressed thanksgiving to God. In the middle of sadness and being chased by crowds, Jesus demonstrated that there is always something to give thanks for, no matter what the circumstances.
We often find ourselves in the middle of difficult situations. Sometimes trouble surrounds us, but there are still so many reasons we have to be thankful. Today, when life gets busy and concerns abound, take a moment to stop and give thanks. It is a way to remind ourselves we already have all that we need.
–Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
