The phrase uttered by Jesus, “Give ye them to eat,” resonates deeply as a call to care and responsibility towards others. Found in Matthew 14:16, it is embedded in the well-known story of the first multiplication of the loaves and fishes. However, besides telling of one of the most iconic miracles in the Bible, this passage also contains fundamental lessons about compassion, generosity and Christian service, which all challenge the church today to take practical action in a world facing major challenges such as hunger.

Today, hunger is a devastating global problem. “According to United Nations reports, in 2023 alone, according to SOFI 2024, around 733 million people will suffer from hunger around the world.”1 It’s as if one in every 11 people in the world is hungry and this number is increasing due to factors such as social inequality, economic crises, and armed conflicts. This reality contrasts sharply with the amount of food produced worldwide, which shows that the problem is not a lack of resources, but poor distribution and a lack of action.

When Jesus said, “Give ye them to eat,” He challenged His disciples to face a situation that seemed impossible—just as the challenge of feeding millions of hungry people might seem today. However, just as on that occasion, Christ’s message points to the shared responsibility of His followers to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those who suffer.

The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves took place shortly after the news of John the Baptist’s death. It was possibly because the disciples were exhausted and saddened by John’s death that Jesus withdrew with the disciples to a desert place for a time of refreshment. “When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart” (Matthew 14:13). Christ’s invitation to rest is an expression of His pastoral care for His disciples. But the desired rest was soon interrupted, as the crowds discovered where He had gone and followed Him on foot. “The people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him” (Mark 6:33).

“The Passover was at hand, and, from far and near, bands of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem gathered to see Jesus. Additions were made to their number, until there were assembled five thousand men besides women and children. Before Christ reached the shore, a multitude were waiting for Him.”2

The loving Saviour never hesitates to meet our needs. He takes pity on the crowd, welcomes them and heals their sick. “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14).

In the New Testament, “to have compassion” expresses the highest degree of sympathy for those who suffer, usually in reference to the actions of Jesus Christ. (See also Matthew 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13.)

Jesus never dismisses a person without attending to all their needs. Although interrupted in His rest, leaving His retreat, He did three things to attend to them:

1. He taught the multitudes about the kingdom of God, thus meeting the needs of the mind.

2. He healed the sick, thus meeting their physical needs.

3. He fed the entire crowd with bread as a symbol of the bread from heaven (John 6:22–40).

Thus, Jesus met their mental, physical, and spiritual needs.

It had been a busy day of activity. Jesus had taught and healed the sick in the crowd, but the disciples were now worried about how to feed the multitude. Realizing where they were, they approached Jesus, expressing their concern and suggesting that He send the people away to look for food in the surrounding villages.

“At the end of the day, the disciples approached Jesus and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat” (Mark 6:35, 36). The disciples did not see how they could provide the crowd with food; it was beyond their budget, and for them there was no other solution but simply to send the crowd away. Everything was unfavorable; the place was remote, the hour was late, the crowd was large, and they didn’t have enough money. With a vision of scarcity, the disciples emphasized what they did not have.

Listening carefully to the disciples’ suggestion, “Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat” (Matthew 14:16). Christ’s command was unexpected and disturbing, so the disciples had three challenges:

1. The crowd was large—5,000 men, not counting women and children.

2. They were in a desert far from the city with nowhere to buy food.

3. They didn’t have enough money.

The disciples were clearly at a dead end—with logistical problems, a lack of resources, and a hungry crowd.

Yet they agreed to give the few morsels they had into Christ’s hands, because “He said, Bring them hither to me” (Matthew 14:18). That little was miraculously multiplied, and everyone was filled. The miracle teaches us that, even with limited resources, God can accomplish great things through people who are willing to serve.

When Jesus commanded the disciples to feed the people, He was evoking the principle of the church’s responsibility to care for the vulnerable that He had spoken about through the prophet Isaiah. Christ, through the prophet, commanded, “Deal thy bread to the hungry;” “Bring the poor that are cast out to thy house;” “When thou seest the naked, . . . cover him” (Isaiah 58:7).

The Lord has clearly commanded us: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). “But how often our hearts sink, and faith fails us, as we see how great is the need, and how small the means in our hands. Like Andrew looking upon the five barley loaves and the two little fishes, we exclaim, ‘What are they among so many?’ Often we hesitate, unwilling to give all that we have, fearing to spend and to be spent for others. But Jesus has bidden us, ‘Give ye them to eat.’ His command is a promise; and behind it is the same power that fed the multitude beside the sea.”3

The phrase, “Give ye them to eat,” goes beyond the context of providing physical food. It is a call for the church, as the body of Christ, to meet people’s spiritual, emotional and material needs. Jesus did not allow the disciples to shirk their responsibility to care for the crowds, and this same principle should guide us in the church today.

“In the Saviour’s miracle of feeding the five thousand is illustrated the working of God’s power in the production of the harvest. Jesus draws aside the veil from the world of nature and reveals the creative energy that is constantly exercised for our good. In multiplying the seed cast into the ground, He who multiplied the loaves is working a miracle every day. It is by miracle that He constantly feeds millions from earth’s harvest fields. Men are called upon to co-operate with Him in the care of the grain and the preparation of the loaf, and because of this they lose sight of the divine agency. The working of His power is ascribed to natural causes or to human instrumentality, and too often His gifts are perverted to selfish uses and made a curse instead of a blessing. God is seeking to change all this. He desires that our dull senses shall be quickened to discern His merciful kindness, that His gifts may be to us the blessing that He intended.

“It is the word of God, the impartation of His life, that gives life to the seed; and of that life, we, in eating the grain, become partakers. This, God desires us to discern; He desires that even in receiving our daily bread we may recognize His agency and may be brought into closer fellowship with Him.

“By the laws of God in nature, effect follows cause with unvarying certainty. The reaping testifies to the sowing. Here no pretense is tolerated. Men may deceive their fellow men and may receive praise and compensation for service which they have not rendered. But in nature there can be no deception.”4

“In the harvest the seed is multiplied. A single grain of wheat, increased by repeated sowings, would cover a whole land with golden sheaves. So widespread may be the influence of a single life, of even a single act.”5

Further commenting on the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, We read in the Spirit of Prophecy: “In Christ’s act of supplying the temporal necessities of a hungry multitude is wrapped up a deep spiritual lesson for all His workers. Christ received from the Father; He imparted to the disciples; they imparted to the multitude; and the people to one another. So all who are united to Christ will receive from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food, and impart it to others.”6

The hunger Jesus speaks of can be understood in a broader way. Many people around us are hungry for justice, peace, love, and hope. The church has a mission to be a source of spiritual and emotional nourishment for a world in crisis. The apostle James reinforces this truth by emphasizing the importance of faith accompanied by concrete actions: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” (James 2:15, 16). Likewise, in his first epistle, John asks, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17).

Today’s world is full of “hungry crowds” in search of meaning, belonging and hope. The church is called to be a generous community, ready to share the bread of life and bring the transforming message of Christ.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of global problems such as hunger. How can we, with our limited resources, make a difference in the face of such a huge problem? The story of the multiplication of the loaves reminds us that, in Christ’s hands, even the little we have can be multiplied to serve many.

“Blessings, both temporal and spiritual, will accompany those who impart to the needy that which they receive from the Master. Jesus worked a miracle to feed the five thousand, a tired, hungry multitude. He chose a pleasant place in which to accommodate the people and commanded them to sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two small fishes. No doubt many remarks were made as to the impossibility of satisfying five thousand hungry men, besides women and children, from that scanty store. But Jesus gave thanks and placed the food in the hands of the disciples to be distributed. They gave to the multitude, the food increasing in their hands. And when the multitude had been fed, the disciples themselves sat down and ate with Christ of the heaven-imparted store. This is a precious lesson for every one of Christ’s followers.”7

Just like Jesus’ disciples in the past, God hopes to use us as a means of communicating His blessings. “The disciples were the channel of communication between Christ and the people. This should be a great encouragement to His disciples today. Christ is the great center, the source of all strength. His disciples are to receive their supplies from Him. The most intelligent, the most spiritually minded, can bestow only as they receive. Of themselves they can supply nothing for the needs of the soul. We can impart only that which we receive from Christ; and we can receive only as we impart to others. As we continue imparting, we continue to receive; and the more we impart, the more we shall receive. Thus we may be constantly believing, trusting, receiving, and imparting.”8

Christian institutions, missionaries and volunteers around the world are already living this reality by dedicating their lives to meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. From food programs for the hungry to projects offering education, health and basic care, these initiatives reflect the love of Christ in action. What seems small in our eyes can be the beginning of a great work in God’s hands. We don’t have to wait until we have abundance; what we have today can be an instrument in Christ’s hands to accomplish the impossible.

Christ’s request to His disciples continues to resonate today. He invites us to be part of His redemptive work in the world, especially in the global context of so much need. Hunger, whether physical or spiritual, still afflicts billions of people, and Christians are called to be God’s answer to these needs.

This call to action can begin with small gestures: a word of encouragement, a donation to those who are in need, or even with the establishment of a social assistance center in our churches that seeks to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our communities. We cannot ignore the urgency of world hunger, but as disciples of Christ, we are challenged to act with compassion and generosity.

“Jesus did not seek to attract the people to Him by gratifying the desire for luxury. To that great throng, weary and hungry after the long, exciting day, the simple fare was an assurance both of His power and of His tender care for them in the common needs of life. The Saviour has not promised His followers the luxuries of the world; their lot may be shut in by poverty; but His word is pledged that their need shall be supplied, and He has promised that which is better than earthly good—the abiding comfort of His own presence.

“After the multitude had been fed, there was an abundance of food left. Jesus bade His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.’ John 6:12. These words meant more than putting the food into baskets. The lesson was twofold. Nothing is to be wasted. We are to let slip no temporal advantage. We should neglect nothing that would serve to benefit a human being. Let everything be gathered up that will relieve the necessities of earth’s hungry ones. With the same carefulness are we to treasure the bread from heaven to satisfy the needs of the soul. By every word of God we are to live. Nothing that God has spoken is to be lost. Not one word that concerns our eternal salvation are we to neglect. Not one word is to fall useless to the ground.”9

“The disciples brought to Jesus all they had; but He did not invite them to eat. He bade them serve the people. The food multiplied in His hands, and the hands of the disciples, reaching out to Christ, were never unfilled. The little store was sufficient for all. When the multitude had been fed, the disciples ate with Jesus of the precious, heaven-supplied food.

“As we see the necessities of the poor, the ignorant, the afflicted, how often our hearts sink. We question, ‘What avail our feeble strength and slender resources to supply this terrible necessity? Shall we not wait for someone of greater ability to direct the work, or for some organization to undertake it?’ Christ says, ‘Give ye them to eat.’ Use the means, the time, the ability, you have. Bring your barley loaves to Jesus.

“Though your resources may not be sufficient to feed thousands, they may suffice to feed one. In the hand of Christ they may feed many. Like the disciples, give what you have. Christ will multiply the gift. He will reward honest, simple reliance upon Him. That which seemed but a meager supply will prove to be a rich feast.”10

“Give ye them to eat” is not just an exhortation to charity, but a call to responsibility. Jesus showed that we don’t need to have much to make a difference; we only need to give what we have into His hands. Just as the loaves and fishes were multiplied, Christ can also multiply our efforts and resources to feed the hungry crowds around us spiritually and physically.

In a world where millions of people suffer from hunger, the church must continue to respond to this call with compassion, as a reflection of Christ’s love in a society so much in need of care and hope.