Jesus was out in nature with many people. They listened to him because they loved him. They were with him for days and heard his good words. But now everyone was hungry! Their bellies growled loudly.
Jesus looked at the many people. He knew they were hungry. He said to his disciples, “I have compassion on them. They have nothing to eat. I want to help them.”
But the disciples looked around and asked, “Jesus, where are we going to get so much bread here in the wilderness?” There was no bakery, no market, only stones and sand.
Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”
The disciples looked and said, “We have only seven loaves and a few small fish.”
Jesus smiled. He took the bread and the fishes, looked up to heaven and thanked God. Then he broke the bread into pieces and gave it to the disciples. They distributed it to all people.
Then a miracle happened! Again and again there was bread and fish, more and more, more and more! All the people ate and were fed. There were 4000 men, plus women and children. And in the end, there were even baskets full of food left!
The people were amazed. They knew: Jesus can do miracles! He takes care of us.
Questions to think about
Have you ever experienced God caring for you?
Do you know that Jesus always cares about you?
Message of history
Jesus cares for us. He knows what we need, and he helps us. We can trust him!
Bible passage
The story of Jesus feeds 4000 is found in Matthew 15:32-39:
“And Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I am inwardly moved by the multitude, for they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat; and I will not leave them hungry, lest they faint on the way. And his disciples said to him, “Where do we get so many loaves in the wilderness to satisfy so great a multitude? And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And he commanded the multitude to lie down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples gave them to the multitude. And they all ate and were satisfied; and they picked up what was left of the crumbs, seven baskets full. But there were about 4,000 men who had eaten, without wives and children. And after he had dismissed the multitude, he got into the ship and came to the territory of Magdala.”
