Christian Living
Ever since I learned about the principle of multiplication as taught by Jesus, I employ it for my ministry outreaches. And every time I’ve employed this principle just as Jesus taught it, I end up with fragments/leftovers. Now that I think of it, sometimes I unknowingly over-budget for my outreaches, but what I find is; when we get to the field, we are able to attend to everyone who is present and still have leftovers for our support team.
How Do You Get Fragments To Surpass the Whole?
If 5 loaves of whole bread+ 2 fishes fed 5,000+ persons (with 12 baskets of fragments) and 7 loaves of whole bread fed 4,000 persons (with 7 baskets of fragments), how many persons will one loaf of whole bread feed?…
The disciples of Jesus probably never solved this kind of mathematics before, so you can understand there bewilderment when Jesus tried to bring to their remembrance the 2 miracles of multiplication of loaves and fishes as recounted in Matthew 14:17-21 and Mark 8:5-10.
See Mark 8:17-19….
“He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”
Mark 8:5, 17-21 NKJV
In Mark 8:16, the disciples thought Jesus was unhappy with them because they forgot to carry sufficient bread for their journey. Jesus’s response was more of a disappointment than of annoyance…..
……“How is it you do not understand?”…….
Really, what Jesus wanted was for them to remember the 2 times He had multiplied bread which was initially insufficient to feed crowds but which left surplus fragments after Jesus intervened.
Let’s quickly look at the 2 occasions where Jesus made this possible.
#1: Surplus Fragments In Matthew 14:13-21
John the Baptist had just been beheaded and buried…..not exactly a nice way for some one to die. Jesus needed a quiet place to Himself. So away He went by boat to a deserted place. But not this multitude, they will not let Him be. So follow Jesus they did, coming out by foot from all cities. As soon as Jesus saw the crowd seeking after Him, His heart melted….filled with compassion. These people have walked a long way to meet Him. Thank God Jesus Came! They must be hungry! Jesus healed the sick among them, but by evening, it was necessary that the multitude be fed. As it turned out, the only available food was 5 loaves of whole bread and 2 fish. Certainly not enough to feed 5,000 men (not counting women and children).
What did Jesus do?
Jesus commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, then He TOOK the 5 loaves and 2 fish in His hand, looked up to Heaven, BLESSED them, BROKE them and GAVE them to the disciples to feed the multitude. The disciples followed the Lord’s instruction, but did they notice the multiplication process that took place as they fed the multitudes? Jesus tried to draw their attention to it. ‘Gather up the fragments’ He said.
Alas! they had 12 baskets of leftovers.
#2: Surplus Fragments In Mark 8: 1-9
Another great multitude thronged around Jesus. They had been with Him for 3 days- listening to His teachings, getting healed, etc. Have they stayed without food the entire 3 days or did they run out of supplies? One thing was sure; Jesus will not let them stay hungry another hour.
The disciples didn’t think bread alone was sufficient to satisfy the multitude considering their numbers and how long they’d stayed with Jesus. As it turned out again, this time the disciples only had 7 loaves of whole bread and a small fish. Who needs to eat first? Jesus? The disciples? The multitude? In this particular occasion, looking at the 2 occasions, Jesus’ concern was for the multitude.
Again, Jesus commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, then He TOOK the 7 loaves, BLESSED them, BROKE them and GAVE them to the disciples to feed the multitude with.
Again, did the disciples notice the multiplication process that occurred with the bread as they served it this time?
The total number of leftover fragments were 7 baskets!
Learning From The 2 Incidents
1. Jesus sees all our needs. Thank God that in Him, we can have all of them met. He doesn’t just care that we receive spiritual food only, He’s also interested in supernaturally providing physical food for us. Halleluyah!
2. The compassion of Jesus never fails, never stops and we would never become faint if we stay with Him.
3. It doesn’t matter what big project you are faced with, if you follow Jesus’s principles of multiplication, you will accomplish it.
Jesus’s Principles for Multiplication
Principle #1: Ensure to HAVE Bread in your hand.
……He asked them, “How many loaves do you HAVE?” And they said, “Seven.”
Mark 8:5 NKJV
Have bread in your hand….5 loaves, 7 loaves, or one loaf…it doesn’t really matter how small it is, just make sure to have something in your hand. Allocate some seed towards that project.
Principle #2: Empower the Bread in your hand to multiply and prosper..
“Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, HE BLESSED and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.”
Matthew 14:19 NKJV
BLESS the bread in your hand. Praise God for what’s in your hand and speak the blessing over it.
Principle #3: Divide your Blessed Bread/Seed into different Aspects of your project.
“Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, HE blessed and BROKE and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.”
Matthew 14:19 NKJV
Break up your blessed bread/seed.
Principle #4: Start Working with your Blessed and Broken Bread/Seed.
Share it, distribute it, set it out to work. It doesn’t matter how small what you have in your hand is, put it into your project and start working with it by faith.
Friend, any time you have a Godly project to deliver on, engage ‘Jesus’s Principles for Multiplication’.
And just like He said to the disciples back then, Jesus wants you to understand that the biblical principle of multiplication will work with the littlest of bread/seed. You just must have a startup seed in your hand.
Halleluyah!
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This article was first published on Grace Obomanu Blog on 6th July 2020 and edited 5th March 2023.
