Jesus Gives More than We Need – Luke 9:10-17

Study Guide

Jesus Gives More Than We Need

An Orderly Account:

Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Luke

Luke 8:40-56

Introduction:

We’ve been walking through Luke’s gospel and, so far, it’s only been Jesus performing miracles. But in Luke 9, Jesus sends out the twelve apostles to preach and heal on his behalf.

Now, I want you to know there has never been such a tremendous season of spiritual work in the history of the world. The Son of God sent these men up and down and across Israel with divine authority and power. Every town that received them had disease and demons wiped out.

We see fake-faith healers on TV constantly—but this was the real deal, the genuine article.

And now, after a long season of intense spiritual and physical labor, they’re gathering back together with Jesus to debrief and talk about what they accomplished. And just as they are about to get a break, a crowd shows up, and they’re thrown right back into work.

Orient Towards the Main Idea

Now, this is the only miracle that all four gospel writers record. Other miracles occur in two or three gospels, but the feeding of the five thousand is recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; which means there must be something absolutely essential for us to learn that only this passage can teach us.

What does this passage teach us?

1. Jesus invites us to rest.
2. Jesus requires more than we can give.
3. Jesus gives more than we need.

The Text

On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida…

1. Jesus Invites Us to Rest

Verse ten says, “After their return…” What were they returning from? Ministry. They had been sent out into all of the surrounding towns and cities to preach, to heal, to cast out demons.

As I said a earlier, this was the most explosive, dynamic, season of sustained spiritual ministry in the history of the world. Up to this point, Jesus preached and performed miracles and the apostles were more or less observers, watching their master. Now, Jesus sent them out to do the same, which means the ministry of divine teaching and healing has multiplied by a factor of 12.

This was greater than the First Great Awakening here in early America; greater than the Scottish and Welsh Revivals in England. This was bigger than the Protestant Reformation.

In those revivals of religion, God used preaching alone. But when Jesus sent out the disciples, they preached and they healed and they cast out demons. Try to picture this: whatever town the apostles entered they essentially had the power to lift the curse God placed on creation in Eden.

And now, after weeks of intense spiritual and physical labor, the apostles have returned. They share stories of their success, and Jesus draws them away; away from the crowds, away into what Luke calls, “a desolate place.” The only place they could find quiet and respite was an uninhabited wasteland.

In Mark’s gospel, were told Jesus did this because they needed rest. So many were coming to them they didn’t even have time to eat. The ministry was so intense, they were starving themselves. John tells us they had to go up into the mountains of the desert.

Now listen – Jesus Christ, who is the Divine Son of God, who came to do the Father’s will. Who said, “I do only what the Father tells me.” (John 14:31) That Jesus was also the fully human son of Mary, who needed physical rest, and so did his disciples. And as important as the ministry was, as important as teaching God’s Word, and healing, and delivering from demons was, Jesus also prioritized rest, and invited his disciples to do the same.

He says, “Come away by yourselves and rest a while.” Now I want to say to you, that in our culture, and especially in a city like Charlotte, North Caolina, that’s a command we need to hear from the mouth of Christ.

Matthew Henry, in his commentary on this passage says, “[Jesus] took them, and went aside privately into a desert place, that they might have some relaxation from business and not be always upon the stretch.”

That’s Charlotte. That’s us: always upon the stretch.

Going, running, early to rise, late to bed. And often times, doing good things, great things, things that God loves and God approves and God calls us to do. Homemaking, business building, child-rearing, ministering, serving the church, being a good neighbor. Nothing wrong with any of those things. But always upon the stretch.

Last year when the PGA Championship came to town, someone gave me and my son two tickets. And you know what I did? Instead of simply showing up and enjoying a day meandering around a golf course, I had AI write me a 2,000 word itinerary – every minute from the parking lot to the last putt was scheduled out in order to maximize efficiency.

And here’s what this means – most of the time we don’t even take rest, and then even when we do we turn it into work.

Is that you? This is a very simple and very practical point I’m making—Jesus invites you to rest. And I don’t mean that in some metaphorical spiritual sense. I mean it in the plain sense: Jesus invites, he even commands you to rest.

How much does Jesus prioritize physical rest? He is even willing to interrupt the work of healing the sick in order for his disciples to rest.

One practical example of this. In our church, Spring and Fall are our big ministry seasons. Therefore, every Summer and December we take off from Sunday School. We intentionally build in seasons of work and rest. Have you built rhythms of work and rest into your own life?

You may be shocked to find this out, but the universe will keep spinning if you take a nap. So, take Jesus up on his invitation to rest.

Second, this passage teaches…

2. Jesus Requires More than We Can Give

As the story continues, we find out that despite their best efforts, Jesus and the apostles cannot escape the crowd. Verse 11:

¹¹ When the crowds learned it, they followed him…

This is like when you have kids, and you lock yourself in the bathroom to get a minute of quiet, and you see the little fingers poking beneath the door.

Mark tells us that the people saw Jesus was going off with the disciples in a boat to cross the lake, and the crowd ran on foot and beat them to the other side.

Notice the compassion of Jesus:

and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Though his rest was interrupted, their need was legitimate, and he doesn’t scold them. He welcomed them and preached another sermon and healed them until the Sun was going down.

Side note: welcome your interruptions as God’s appointments.

Verse 12:

¹² Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.”

And it’s here that Jesus asks the disciples to do something they were apparently unable to do.

Verse 13:

¹³ But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

Here’s something amazing: the disciples just spent weeks casting out demons and healing the sick. Jesus asks them to feed the crowd, and they act like they’ve never seen a miracle happen.

Even though they were charged with divine authority, they were still inadequate for some tasks. What is Jesus doing? He’s intentionally bringing the disciples to the end of their own resources, the end of their own energy, the end of their own ingenuity.

He’s exposing them—and this is critical—not to humiliate them, but to humble them. He asks them for more than they are capable of. He requires more than they can give. The Bible is the story of God asking more of men and women than they can possibly do.

The Bible is the story of God humbling men and women. Think about all the stories we teach our kids in church:

• God told Abraham and Sarah to have a baby, though she was barren.

• God called stuttering Moses to speak to Pharoah and lead his people out of Egypt.

• God told Joshua to conquer Jericho without lifting a sword.

• Gideon was to fight Midian while reducing his army from 32,000 to 300.

• God called Mary to conceive a child without a husband.

And God has called his church, you and I, to preach the gospel and make disciples of all the nations of the earth.

You’ve heard people say, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” There’s a word for that here in the South: hogwash. That’s hogwash.

Consider the commands of Christ. He’s constantly requiring more than we can possible give.

• Love your enemies. (Matt. 5:44)

• Forgive others as much as God has forgiven you. (Eph. 4:32)

• Give God thanks for everything he sends into your life. (Eph. 5:20)

• Consider others better than yourself. (Phil. 2:3-4)

• Never stop praying (1 Thess. 5:17)

I think that you and I, apart from the grace of God, have a much chance at obeying those five commands as we do at feeding five thousand with loaves and fish.

Why does Jesus ask them to do the impossible? Why does he expose their inadequacy? Why does he give us commands we have no chance at obeying?

He asks this of us so that we will cry out, “Jesus Christ, apart from you, I can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

To us, inadequacy feels like the end, but for God it’s the starting point for his power.

The Apostle Paul said that God intentionally gave him a physical ailment to humble him. And when Paul asked that God remove it, God refused. Instead he said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

And for that reason, Paul said, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”

Friend, Jesus Christ requires more of you than you can possibly give him. Whether you realize it or not, he is doing everything he is doing in order to humble you and get you to see your weakness, your neediness.

All the old confessions and catechisms said that the only way to be happy is to first realize your misery. We spend most of our life trying to paper over our misery, trying to disprove our weakness, trying to overcome our neediness—when that’s right where Jesus Christ wants us.

For, until we come to the end of ourselves, we’ll never fall on him. So long as we think we are strong, we’ll never truly know his power. Until we admit our foolishness, we’ll never have his wisdom. And until we confess our sin, we’ll never receive his perfect righteousness.

Finally…

3. Jesus Gives More than We Need

The apostles have the crowd to sit down. We’re told there were five thousand men, meaning there were far more with women and children.

Jesus then take the lunchable of five loaves and two fish, blesses it, and feeds then entire crowd.

How did he do it? Did he break a piece of bread, and it grew back instantly? Did fish keep popping into this hands? The text is utterly silent on the mechanics of the miracle.

And I know what some of you are thinking: “See this is why I can’t believe the Bible. Miracles!” Now, I don’t have time to give a full apologetic for miracles, but let me just give you this:

C.S. Lewis’ wrote a chapter on miracles in God in the Dock and basically said this:

We moderns don’t believe miracles happen today because we’ve forgotten that God is the one who made the vine and teaches it to draw water up by its roots. He’s the one who made the Sun to warm that fine so that it turns water into juice. And he’s the one created the process of fermentation, and therefore, God is constantly turning water into wine.

When Jesus Christ performs the miracle instantly, at the wedding of Cana, the mask if off. But the truth is that every time we pass by a vineyard, we ought to say, “Here works He who sat at the wedding party in Cana.

Here’s what I think Lewis is saying: it may be easy to doubt a single miracle. But if you look around, you’ll soon realize that the universe itself is a gigantic miracle. The fact that you and I are sitting here is the most unexpected miracle in the world.

And if it’s true that we are here because a benevolent Creator made us in his image, then it’s no problem for the hands which made all things to multiply bread and fish.

And look at the final verse, 17:

“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over”

Not only does he multiply the food to feed the crowd—me makes too much. He makes more than they needed. Why? Because Jess doesn’t just meet needs—he overflows with grace. He gives more than we need.

Notice the number: twelve baskets.

1,400 years earlier, God led another massive crowd—his people Israel—into a desolate wasteland. They were hungry, like sheep without a shepherd, with nothing to eat. And what did God do? He multiplied bread and fed the twelve tribes of Israel sustaining them miraculously until they reached the Promised Land.

And here in Luke 9, Jesus picks up that same thread. In a desolate place, he feeds a new crowd—and when it’s all over, there are twelve baskets left over. One for each tribe of Israel. In other words, Jesus is saying, “I’m the true and better Moses.”

But it goes even deeper than this, because this miracle isn’t merely a throwback to the ancient past, it’s a sign of a grace-filled present and a glorious future.

The only other time in the gospels when Jesus breaks bread and blesses it is at the Last Supper when he says, “This is my body, broken for you.” Breaking the bread is what multiplied food for the crowd, and the breaking of Christ’s body is what multiplied pardon and grace for the world. You see, the Lord’s Supper – what is it? It’s a communal meal, echoing this miracle. It’s a sign of the kingdom of Christ, where no one goes spiritually hungry.

And it’s a sign pointing forward to a glorious future: the eschatological banquet. In other words—there is a coming feast to end all feasts. For the people of God, there is a meal to end all meals; where the true Israel, from every tribe tongue and nations, sit down at a table loaded with abundance.

That’s why there are twelve baskets of leftovers. He doesn’t give just enough to get by. He gives extravagantly. He gives more than we need.

You say, “Is he really like this? Will he really give me more than I need?”

He already has. He’s given you everything you need in his perfect life and sinless death as your substitute.

And he is offered to you today. Come and eat. Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Ps. 34:8)