Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
In this verse Jesus turns the disciples back to the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves, pressing them to recall how many baskets of leftover fragments they took up. The multitudes had followed Him on foot from place to place until thousands were gathered, and after listening long to His teaching they had grown weary and hungry. In pity for them He asked the disciples for food, though they had only a few loaves and two small fishes. These He had brought to Him and divided, then had the disciples distribute them to the multitude until all were satisfied. Then He had them gather up the fragments so that nothing would be lost, and five or seven baskets or bushels were taken up.
Performed before their eyes, that miracle showed that Christ knew the need of the crowd and was able to provide for it. It stood as proof of His oneness with the Father. Though they had seen Him multiply the loaves and had themselves gathered the leftover baskets, the disciples still failed to understand what the miracle revealed. That failure appeared both when they worried about having no bread and when they faced another crowd in need.
The feeding and its abundant leftovers should have taught them to remember what they had witnessed and to trust His power to provide and to supply what is needed. Connection with Christ means doing one's best, however small the offering, and then casting the helpless soul upon Jesus as Saviour and Redeemer. It calls for a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, believing Him because He is in the Father and the Father in Him, or else for the very works' sake.
In this verse Jesus turns the disciples back to the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves, pressing them to recall how many baskets of leftover fragments they took up. The multitudes had followed Him on foot from place to place until thousands were gathered, and after listening long to His teaching they had grown weary and hungry. In pity for them He asked the disciples for food, though they had only a few loaves and two small fishes. These He had brought to Him and divided, then had the disciples distribute them to the multitude until all were satisfied. Then He had them gather up the fragments so that nothing would be lost, and five or seven baskets or bushels were taken up.
Performed before their eyes, that miracle showed that Christ knew the need of the crowd and was able to provide for it. It stood as proof of His oneness with the Father. Though they had seen Him multiply the loaves and had themselves gathered the leftover baskets, the disciples still failed to understand what the miracle revealed. That failure appeared both when they worried about having no bread and when they faced another crowd in need.
The feeding and its abundant leftovers should have taught them to remember what they had witnessed and to trust His power to provide and to supply what is needed. Connection with Christ means doing one's best, however small the offering, and then casting the helpless soul upon Jesus as Saviour and Redeemer. It calls for a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, believing Him because He is in the Father and the Father in Him, or else for the very works' sake.