We welcome you back to Helpful Today. Yesterday, we looked at the feeding of the 5,000. The Bible says that when Jesus Christ saw the multitude, He was moved to compassion. Because the ministry, the purpose, is all about people.

But what I notice is, as you read further into the story, that these people had a problem, that is they had a need. Jesus gave Himself that day to teaching and preaching to the multitude, but as the day went on, this amount of people, 5,000 men plus women and children, some believe as many as 10,000 to 15,000. Some even more, almost 25,000 have gathered.

And as they’re listening to Jesus teach, the day got away. It was long. They did not have the provisions they needed. They did not have food, and there was nowhere to get their resources. And so the disciples came to Jesus with the problem. They said, “Jesus, the day is late. We’re in a desert place. Send the people away. Let them go home and let them get food. Let them go to the shops.”

Jesus looked at those disciples and he said, “No, I want you to feed them.” See, the purpose of the ministry is people, but the problem of the ministry is that every person has needs. Every person is either on their way to heaven or on their way to hell. Every single person that you minister to has some sort of needs.

In that story, I find that the disciples and Jesus had different perspectives on the people and the needs of the people. The disciples said to Jesus, send them away. We see the people. We know they have needs, but we don’t want to deal with it. We don’t have enough to give them, so Jesus, just send them away.

But Jesus Christ, concerned about their souls and concerned about their needs said, “No, this is what I want you to do, disciples. I want you to feed the people.” As you come into people this week, as you go through your day and you go to your place of work, as you come into contact with people at the malls and the stores,

and the places where you do business, yes, see their need, but unlike the disciples, don’t have a desire to send them away. I don’t want to deal with it. Take time for it. As you study the life of Jesus Christ, as you see Him in the Gospels, as He’s walking the streets, He always took time for people, whether it was the layman, whether it was the beggar, whether it was a sinner. Jesus Christ always took time for the people.

And in the story of the feeding of the 5,000, yes, there was a great amount of people, and yes, they had a great need. The disciples said, send them away, but Jesus said, “No, I want you to feed the people.” Yes, the ministry’s purpose is about people, but how are we going to meet the needs of the people?

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Chris Fanara

Chris Fanara, Christian School Principal

Bro. Fanara serves as the Principal of North Valley Baptist Schools. He and his wife, Tabitha, are graduates of NVBS and have been faithfully working in the school for thirteen years.