Jesus’ Two Surprising Economic Values
“Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.’”
This familiar passage reveals two obvious traits about Jesus. But two surprising economic values also pop up—values that fly against today’s common sense norms.
The Feeding of the 5000 happened at the north end of the Sea of Galilee near Bethsaida. A large crowd followed Jesus to a grassy hill where He was teaching. And now, besides feeding them spiritually, He wants to feed them physically! That’s obvious trait #1—Jesus cares about the physical well-being of people—holistic ministry, we say today.
Since Bethsaida was Philip’s hometown (John 1:44), Jesus asked him, “Where are we to buy bread so that these may eat?” The disciples had no answer, but they found a boy with five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:9).
You know what happened—Jesus miraculously multiplied bread and fish for 5000. Critics say this was not a miracle but that the crowd was inspired by the boy who shared his loaves and fish. Seeing his generosity, others shared their personal provisions too. Hmmm. But where did the leftovers come from?
Make no mistake—Jesus can do the miraculous. That’s obvious trait #2.
Now, for two surprising economic values—Surprise #1 is unexpected generosity. He gave them as much as they wanted. If each person had received only one piece of bread and one small dried fish, it still would have been a miracle and the talk of Galilee for years. But Jesus surprised them—as much as they wanted—12 baskets of leftovers.
This contradicts the axiom you’ve been told 100 times, “God supplies our needs but not our wants.”
The second economic value: Gather up the leftovers. Why? Maybe Jesus didn’t want to clutter the grassy field where sheep would graze the next day? Or would the leftovers supply the next day’s meal? Or is He simply modeling, “Thou shalt not litter?”
Surprise #2: Though exceedingly generous, Jesus was not wasteful.
Consider the following questions about your own economic values:
Are you unexpectedly generous? If you tell your waitress that you just came from church, surprise her with a lavish tip. When you see a poor family at Burger King, buy their lunch—including jumbo fries! And for your missionaries, how about a bonus now and then?
I learned a valuable lesson about unexpected generosity from my wife, Alma. During our university-ministry days, we invited students to our home for Saturday evening meals—including ice cream bars for dessert. Then I would teach a wonderful Bible lesson. The students stayed around—talking, laughing, and praying.
Finally, a student-leader told me, “Do you know why we like coming here?”
“Because of the great Bible lessons?” I said humorously.
He replied, “Nope! It’s because Alma serves seconds and thirds on ice cream bars—as many as we want.”
Unexpected generosity indeed.
Are you wasteful? During harvest time on the farm, my grandfather caught single kernels of corn in a small bucket as they fell off the elevator. Why let them rot on the ground?
American schools teach the new “Three R’s”—reuse, recycle, reduce. Fine, but do you turn off lights in rooms not being used? Do you let your car run, wasting fuel while you sit inside texting? Can you create a meal out of leftovers from the fridge?
At Bethsaida that day, Jesus adhered to the old adage: Use it up, wear it out; make it do, or do without.
But thriftiness is not an end in itself. An extreme frugalist might spend hours driving around town searching for bargains but spend wildly on something unnecessary. Frugality can masquerade as spirituality. Extreme frugalists can be as obsessed with money as materialists.
Prayer: Lord of all, help me find ways to be unexpectedly generous to my family, my friends, and to strangers. And show me how to be frugal—not wasting Your resources. I long to be like You. Amen.
Excerpt From “What the Bible Actually Says About Money -31 Meditations” by Scott Morton
