Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 15:32-38

He had done it again. The teacher had not only spoken to the woman, he had done what she had asked. It shouldn’t have been that surprising since this kind of compassion was beginning to be a pattern. She had asked for crumbs of grace and those crumbs had turned into everything she asked for.

With that interaction fresh in their memories they went to Galilee where crowds of other needy people bombarded them. Jesus began to heal their sick. Imagine the disciples watching their teacher touching and healing the sick. Then Jesus turns to them and asks them to get in the game.

Take some time to read Matthew 15:32-38, the passage that follows our text this week. As you read, ask yourself a few questions. How limited do you think the disciples felt to fulfill Jesus’ request? What do you see Jesus do with crumbs in the story before this and what is he doing with crumbs now? Ask yourself what crumbs you have and how valuable they can be in Jesus’ hands. Finally, based on the story of the concerned mother and the story of the feeding of the 4000, to what kind of people does Jesus give these powerful crumbs?

By Aaron Bjorklund

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