Matt.14:15 – And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
There is something prophetic about this miracle. It speaks to us about Jesus being the bread of life and our responsibility to carry this bread to the world, but there is also something else here that was always on the mind and lips of Jesus. His appearing as a man proclaimed it, this age is about to end and a new day is about to start. Maybe that’s what this miracle is all about, we are in a desert place and the day is almost over. The disciples were mouthing it but had not quite grasped it yet. Have we grasped the power of that? We are in a spiritual desert in the world today and the day we are in is almost over; there is not much time left. Matthew Henry spoke about this when talking about Paul’s statement in Roman’s 13:12 – “The night is far spent, the day is at hand”. Check this out.
“When to wake up: Now it is high time to awake. We need to be stirred often to keep awake. The word of command to all Christ’s disciples is, Watch. Awake — be concerned about your souls and your eternal interests, considering: The time we are now in: Knowing the time. Consider what time of day it is with us, and you will see that the hour has come to wake up. It is Gospel time, a time when more is expected than was expected in the times of ignorance that God overlooked, when people sat in darkness. Now is the time to wake up, because the sun has been up a long time and is shining in our faces. It is time to wake up, because others around us are awake and up and about. Know that the time is to be a busy one; we have a great deal of work to do. Know that the time is a dangerous time. We are among enemies and snares. It is time to wake up, for we have slept enough.”
You have to admit that the world, especially the city of New Orleans, is a desert place. People go to church and then celebrate their debauchery as if they live in two separate worlds. Alcohol and immorality are not just permissible, they are celebrated constantly. So I have to agree with the disciples we are in a desert and the day is drawing to a close. We need to start passing out this bread from heaven while it is still day.
