"Huge And Hungry"

Today we are going to look at something that He showed me as I was looking at a really huge crowd pleasing event. "The feeding of the Five Thousand." It is an account that can be found in all four gospels so it was an event that obviously impressed! The thing that I would like to focus on in this account is the number of people. It is called the feeding of the 5000. We know that it was a much larger crowd then that because in those days they didn't count the women and children and that is key in today's message. This was a huge crowd of people and Jesus "fed them, every one, as much as they wanted, till they all were filled." John 6:11, Mark 6:42, Matthew 14:20, Luke 9:17

So, my main point, a huge crowd made up of 5000 men, plus women, and children. Don't forget! HUGE crowd!

Now take a look at the beginning of this account in Mark 6:32 'So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. And when the day was well spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat,"

You know the rest of the story. Basically ... Jesus tells them to feed them, they bring Him 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish, He prays to the Father, and they start passing it out. It multiplies until everyone eats and is filled. Huge crowd pleaser! Everyone eats! Everyone gets fed!

Obviously my point today isn't focused on this amazing, awesome miracle, which I love talking about but on something else. A point that He showed me, and so, I will always look at this event in a new light. I will, like Jesus, see the crowd! With eyes filled with compassion He saw their hunger. Their hunger for the things of God. This huge crowd, or as the word puts it, this great multitude had sought Him out, not for food, but because they were hungry for the things of God in their lives. They had spent the day listening to His teaching. They hadn't gotten bored and left. They hadn't left even to go get food.  Jesus saw their hunger for the things of God long before He dealt with their physical hunger at the end of the day. This huge amount of people hadn't come looking for food but they had come looking for revelation! They had come looking for Jesus!

The point He showed me is simply this: This amazing, wonderful miracle had taken place because this huge multitude of men, women, and children had simply come! The fact the the crowd was there is the major revelation that He showed me. The heart of man is hungry for the things of God and that is just as true today. People are hungry and its time to feed the multitude! "The harvest is truly plentiful"