Devotion Corner

John 6:13 – Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

So many know the account of the amazing miracle that Christ performed in feeding the five thousand out of a mere five barley loaves and two fish. This was the fourth great miracle of the seven miracles of creation performed by Jesus, recorded by John.

In this miracle, Jesus suspends the law of conservation of matter, considered one of the most basic and universal laws of physics, detailing that matter or mass cannot be created nor destroyed. In this stunning miracle, Christ Jesus shows the world that He is the Creator manifested in the flesh of man, so that we might know the eternal majesty of God personally. 

In this awe-inspiring miracle, we see the grace of Jesus Christ in action as He overcomes fundamental laws of physics. He does so, so that He might provide for those who have sought after Him, that they might learn of the love of God through His ministering to them. 

How tremendous it is that not only does Christ provide for the great need of the huge crowd with such meagre means, but that the abundance of His provision means that there are actually leftovers! The quantity of leftovers is so great that twelve baskets worth are gathered from the original five loaves and two fish. In these quantities we see a gentle revelation of God in meeting the needs of humanity. 

The total of seven in the five loaves and two fish, reflects throughout Scripture the perfection and divine nature of God. So too does the number twelve throughout the Holy Bible, as it points towards the same perfection and glory of God. So, in these two numbers displayed in the initial offering and the leftovers gathered, we see that God is perfect in His meeting of the needs of His creation. We see that we need not worry about our needs for the day, as long as we are living for Christ, He shall supply in His perfect power and perfect love.

How often does the Lord God use times of our need to show to us how mighty and merciful He is, how good and gracious He is to world! Yet as astonishing as this wondrous display of the love of God is, it is nothing in comparison to the truth of the Cross of Calvary. The everlasting truth that He loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son for us, so that we might not perish from our sins (John 3:16).