Symbolization: Passing the Broken Bread

Original Entry Date 10/12/2020: While reading Matthew’s account of Jesus feeding the 4000 something hit me like a ton of bricks! Even though I’ve read this same story many times, God speaks through His Word to us, revealing Himself and Spiritual truths. That is why it is VERY important to always be in the Word, even if we’ve read it a million times. You can definitely find Him there, in His Word.
A multitude of people were following Jesus and His disciples through the wilderness for 3 days and they had no food.

Matthew 15:32 NKJV:
32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

And of course the disciples were skeptical, showing little faith.

Matthew 15:33 NKJV:
33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”

Take note of how they are in the “wilderness” (this represents an environment that is not cozy but rather uncomfortable and uncertain). Think of your walk with God, are there any times that you felt you were out in the wilderness and God was far away? I certainly have; those are the times where we need to keep total faith in Him.
This multitude was following Jesus through the wilderness, following because of the faith and hope they have in Him. This is how we are to follow Jesus.

Matthew 15:34-36NKJV:
34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”

35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.

Now focus on that last verse…Jesus takes the bread and the fish, He gives thanks to God, He breaks the bread, He hands it to His disciples and the disciples are the ones who pass it out!
Here is a beautifully hidden symbolic picture of how Jesus has given us the “Bread of Life” (His essence, His Spirit, His gifts, spiritual nourishment in the Word of God) to feed the multitudes of today.
In the same way He passes the bread to the disciples He is passing His Spirit into us so that we can do His work here on earth.

Matthew 15:37-39 NKJV:
37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. 38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

Here we see confirmation that there will always be an over abundance of His Spirit. It also symbolizes what I stated above about keeping in the Word even though we’ve read it many times; keep reading because He is going to pour out an abundance of revelation if you keep pressing in.