Luke 9:10

Luke 9:10 says, And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  The disciples, when the returned, told Jesus all that they had done.  Then, He took them and went alone to a desert place near the city of Bethsaida.  We need our time alone with God, where we can discuss with Him through prayer what He wants us to do and how successful we have been in doing what He has called us to do.  Verse eleven adds, And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.  Once again, the people came to Jesus when they knew where He was.  Jesus did not tell them He had other plans so away, but began to heal them and teach them.  As I have stated several times, it would be wonderful if people were so anxious to come to Jesus today, but if they do, would we change our plans to help tham?  Verse twelve states, And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.  As it began to get late in the day, the disciples came to Jesus and told Him to send the crowds away.  They were in the desert, and the disciples said Jesus needed to send them away so that they could find food and a place to spend the night.  They were more concerned about physical things than spiritual ones, and we may at times allow physical concerns to be more important than spiritual ones as well.  Verse thirteen adds, But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.  Jesus told the disciples to feed the people, which is His command to us to do spiritually, and sometimes physically, today as well.  The disciples said they only had five loaves of bread and two fish.  They were looking at what they had and not what Jesus could do, and we do not need to do that as followers of Christ today.  They also asked if Jesus expected them to go and buy food for all the people.  They were looking to their own ability and basically asking what would it cost them to feed the crowd. They needed to look to Jesus instead, and so must we.  Verse fourteen says, For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.  There were about five thousand men there, so the overall number was even greater.  Jesus told the disciples to have them sit down in groups of fifty.  The people had to obey the disciples who were acting under the authority of Jesus in order to be fed.  If we want to be spiritually fed today, we must listen to the Holy Spirit and also to those who are teaching and preaching under God's authority.  Verse fifteen adds, And they did so, and made them all sit down.  The disciples did as Jesus told them to do, but I believe that they may have still been been looking at the five loaves and two fish and wondering what the point was.  We need to focus on what God calls us to do instead of looking at the physical or material reasons why it cannot be done.  Verse sixteen declares, Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.  Jesus took the food, which had not changed in its amount, looked up to heaven and blseed it.  If we are in a seemingly impossible situation when doing what God has called us to do, we don't need to look at our limitations, but need to look up to God instead.  Verse seventeen adds, And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.  The crowd ate, and there were twelve baskets full of leftover food, one for each of the disciples.  No one received any more or any less because of who the disciple was who passed it out.  We are not going to be more spiritually fed or less spiritually fed because of who is preaching or teaching today.  Jesus is still the One Who feeds us spiritually as Christians.