You Give Them Something to Eat

Matthew 14:1-21
Key verse 14:16

1. Read verses 1-12. Why did Herod kill John the Baptist?

Herod had John arrested to stop John from speaking out against his sin of adultery. He had John killed because he wanted to please people.

This event shows that standing on God's side without compromise can be dangerous.

2. Read verses 13. Why do you think Jesus withdrew privately to a solitary place after hearing what had happened?

The death of John was a big event. This was a time when Jesus felt it necessary to spend some time alone with God and also with his disciples.

This could be a turning point in Jesus' ministry. Now John was gone, and Jesus would soon be gone, too, so the disciples needed to become leaders. From this time, it seems that Jesus began to focus more on his disciples. 

3. Read verse 14. When Jesus arrived at the "solitary" place, there was a crowd of people waiting for him. How did he respond to them? 

Jesus had compassion on them. Jesus could have been annoyed and bothered by them, but he embraced the people and began serving them without hesitation.

This shows that Jesus is truly a good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus sacrificed himself to serve God's flock.

4. Read verse 15. The disciples wanted to send the crowd away from Jesus to get food. Can you think of times in your life when something, such as a the need to put bread on the table, came between you and Jesus?

Eating dinner is much less important than hearing the word of God and being with Jesus, but the fact is that they needed to eat. Many times, it is difficult for us to come to God because we are caught up dealing with lowly, but necessary, things. This is a challenge that we need to learn to deal with and overcome.

5. Read verse 16. Why do you think Jesus told them to do this seemingly impossible thing?

First, Jesus wanted this disciples to learn to take responsibility for the people. The only way they could do this is by faith--and by relying on God's power. This was an opportunity for them to learn that being leaders required faith and thinking "outside the box."

Second, Jesus wanted them to grow in practical faith. If they did not learn to overcome challenges by faith, they would always be hindered in serving God by the limitations of this created world.

6. Read verses 17-18. Jesus accepted the small amount of food the disciples had. What do you learn from this?

What they had was so small compared to what they needed, but Jesus accepted what they had and used it. This shows that the way to do what is beyond what we can do is to bring to Jesus what we have by faith.

7. Read verses 19-21. How did Jesus and his disciples work together to feed the people?

Jesus didn't do it by himself. He included his disciples in this miracle. They brought Jesus the five loaves and two fish; they distributed the bread and fish; they gathered the leftovers. Jesus taught them to do the work of God through working together with him.

8. This passage provides us with a picture of two very different leaders, Herod and Jesus. What do you think are some of the key differences between them?

Herod was ruled by his sinful nature and by the opinions of others. As a result, he could not serve the people; he could only take from them. Instead of glorifying God and helping the people to obey God, he became an enemy of God, giving a bad influence to the people and even killing God's servant, John.

Jesus sacrificed himself to take care of the people and to help his disciples grow as true leaders. He brought glory to God and became a source of blessing and life to all the people. Jesus also laid the foundation of good leadership for the future by teaching his disciples to give the people something to eat.

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