What Do You Have?

Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they're already stayed with Me three days and have had nothing to eat, I don't want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way."

The disciples said to Him, "Where would we get enough bread in this desolate place to fill such a crowd?"

How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked them. Matthew 15:32-34

The disciples had experienced three days with the crowd as well,  probably three days without sleep with a bunch of smelly people. They may have been wondering 'Doesn't Jesus ever sleep?' 'Doesn't this crowd ever sleep.' Imagine the toilet facility need. They might have been thinking 'At last we can get some sleep, send them home Jesus.'

The last thing I would want to do at the end of a three day campaign was now be concerned with feeding such a large number but Jesus 'had compassion on the crowd.'

Compassion is a strange beast, it goes all out for the one(s) it is focused on, there is nothing that compassion will not do for them.

We are not told what Jesus spoke about during the three days, perhaps He was consumed with the healing of all their infirmities. Have you ever experienced God's compassion extended to someone you know? You are also smitten with the same and want to be involved.

What is Christ's compassion saying to you? Where does He want to go? What does He want to do? Now here the disciples knew Jesus was well able to provide for this crowd, He had done it a few days ago. 'We have only 7 loaves and a few small fish', they told Him.

The words 'we have only' are not encouraging words, but Jesus ignores their implication and says 'have them sit down.' Sorry boys we are in for another long stint'. The crowd is fed and dismissed and Jesus gets into a boat.

What do the boys do with the left overs? Who cleans up the rubbish left by the crowd? There were many lame, blind and deformed who were healed. All their props, aids and paraphernalia would be left behind. I have never seen a large crowd, leave a place clean, even in a 2 hour church meeting there are lolly wrappers, drink bottles etc.

This would have challenged the disciples compassion. Do you have your compassion challenged? Do you have to dig deep into the wells of salvation to find grace?

Yet grace is there! What is Jesus wanting to do through you? through me? What do you have?