The Arithmetic of "Nothing Here" (Matthew 14:13-21)

My dear ones,

Let’s face it, the disciples in Matthew 14 aren’t wrong.

Five loaves + two fish + thousands of people = Insufficient funds

Their arithmetic is reasonable. Funnily enough, Jesus nevertheless hands them the same impossible situation and tells them to feed everybody anyway.

Most of us have tried to make that math work the way math’s supposed to work. But, alas... Small congregation, tired budget, roof needs replacing, and the staff are sweating their raises this year. It’s all true, but Matthew still drops the command to feed them right back in the disciples’ laps but never explains exactly how it’s supposed to work.

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Be gentle and brave,

Derek

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