Picking Up the Pieces

Matthew places Jesus at a moment of real loss. John the Baptist has been killed, and Jesus withdraws by boat to a solitary place. Loss does that sometimes. Loss leaves pieces behind, whether the loss is a loved one, a job, a dream, a promotion, a pet, or the picture of what life was supposed to be.

Jesus does not pretend grief is nothing. Jesus takes time to withdraw, to mourn, and to reflect. But Jesus also remembers the why. Jesus returns to the people, sees the crowd with compassion, heals their sick, and gets back to the work set before him. Jesus’ journey to the cross was not going to be stopped.

The disciples see a hungry crowd and want to send them away. Jesus says, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The command sounds impossible because the disciples only see five loaves and two fish. Jesus tells them, “Bring them here to me.” Christ takes what is small, gives thanks, breaks it, and feeds more than five thousand people until everybody is satisfied.

The leftovers matter. The twelve baskets testify that the miracle was not something the disciples could manufacture on their own. Obedience made room for the work of Christ. The disciples brought the people to Jesus, received what he gave, and fed the crowd. That is the assignment: feed them and bring them to Jesus.

The body of Christ may also find itself with scattered pieces. A new beginning can carry grief, fatigue, questions, and uncertainty. But the call does not discriminate by age, wealth, ability, or background. The question remains simple: what is God asking each person to do in this body of Christ?

The Lego picture shows the difference between trying to build alone and following the instructions. A pile of pieces without the picture or instructions brings frustration. God has not left the church to figure out its purpose alone. Scripture gives the picture, Christ gives the way, and obedience keeps bringing discouraged hearts back to the instructions.

Thomas also wanted the whole picture. Thomas wanted details, wounds, and proof. Jesus came into the locked room and said, “Peace be with you.” Jesus showed Thomas his hands and side, then called him to stop doubting and believe. Thomas answered, “My Lord and my God.”

Matthew repeats the feeding miracle because the disciples forget. Jesus remains Jesus when the crowd is hungry again. Christ cared in the past, cares now, and will care in the future. God can take broken pieces, put them together, and unleash far more than anybody can do alone.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus makes room for grief Jesus withdrew after losing John the Baptist, and that withdrawal was not faithlessness. Grief does not cancel purpose, but purpose does call sorrowing hearts back into the work God has given. Jesus shows that mourning and moving forward can belong together. [32:23]
• 2. Bring small things to Jesus The disciples had only five loaves and two fish, but Jesus did not ask them to create more before coming to him. Christ asked them to bring what they had. Obedience begins with placing limited strength, resources, and ability in his hands. [29:31]
• 3. Obedience makes room for abundance The disciples did not feed thousands because they had figured out a better plan. The disciples brought people to Jesus and distributed what he gave them. God’s abundance often appears through ordinary people doing the next faithful thing. [37:22]
• 4. Christ supplies the needed instructions The Lego pieces picture the frustration of trying to build life and ministry without direction. Scripture, Christ’s example, and prayer give the church both the picture and the instructions. Discouragement can become an invitation to return to what God has already said. [43:18]
• 5. Jesus remains faithful in repeated need The second feeding shows disciples facing the same problem again with the same doubts. Jesus does not become less able because the need comes back. Christ cared before, cares now, and will remain present to the end of the age.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [23:40] - A New Beginning Together
• [27:28] - Prayer and Scripture First
• [28:45] - Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
• [30:36] - Loss Leaves Pieces Behind
• [33:35] - Jesus Remembers the Why
• [35:42] - Twelve Baskets and Obedience
• [40:14] - Thomas Needs the Details
• [41:24] - The Lego Instructions
• [45:03] - Thomas Meets the Risen Jesus
• [49:34] - Jesus Feeds the Crowd Again
• [51:53] - Let God Put the Pieces Together

Bible Reading

Matthew 14:13–21

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. [28:45]

14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. [29:31]

15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” [30:36]

16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” [29:31]

17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”

18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” [29:31]

19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. [35:42]

21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. [51:08]

John 20:24–29

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” [40:14]

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” [45:03]

Matthew 15:32–38

32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” [49:34]

33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?”

34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground,

36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. [51:08]

Observation questions

1. What happens between Jesus withdrawing after hearing the news and Jesus feeding the crowd in Matthew 14? What actions show both his grief and his compassion? [33:35]
2. What do the disciples focus on when they see the crowd’s hunger, and what does Jesus ask them to do instead?
3. In Matthew 14, what does Jesus do with the loaves and fish before the disciples give food to the people? What do the disciples themselves do in the miracle?
4. What details does Thomas ask to see before he will believe, and how does Jesus respond to him? [45:03]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus withdraws after John the Baptist’s death but then returns to heal and care for the crowd. What does this show about the place of grief in a believer’s life and calling? [32:23]
2. Jesus says, “You give them something to eat,” even though the disciples have very little. Why might Jesus begin with what the disciples already have instead of immediately supplying the food himself? [37:22]
3. The disciples receive bread from Jesus and distribute it to the crowd. What does this reveal about the difference between trying to do ministry alone and serving as people who depend on Christ?
4. Thomas wants details, proof, and the whole picture. How does Jesus meet Thomas in his questions while also calling him to faith? What might this mean for believers who need direction before taking the next step? [47:11]

Application questions

1. Loss can leave behind broken pieces: the loss of a person, a job, a dream, health, a relationship, or the life you expected. What loss are you carrying right now, and what might it look like to make honest room for grief before God? [32:46]
2. Jesus did not let grief end his purpose. As you walk through your own hard season, what is one faithful responsibility, act of love, or act of service that God may be inviting you to continue doing? [35:42]
3. What “five loaves and two fish” do you have right now—limited time, ability, energy, resources, experience, or encouragement—that you have been tempted to dismiss as too small? How could you bring it to Jesus this week? [29:31]
4. Where have you been trying to pick up the pieces of your life or serve God entirely on your own? What would trusting Christ and receiving help from the body of Christ look like in that specific situation? [43:48]
5. When you feel stuck, discouraged, or unsure of what to do, where do you usually look first? What practical habit could help you return to Scripture, prayer, and the way of Jesus for direction? [43:27]
6. Jesus’ call to serve does not depend on age, wealth, ability, or background. What is one way you believe God may be asking you to take part in feeding people and bringing them to Jesus within your church or community? [34:36]
7. The disciples faced another hungry crowd shortly after Jesus had already fed thousands. When a need or struggle returns, how can you remind yourself that Jesus cared in the past, cares now, and will remain faithful in the future? [51:39]