Matthew 14:14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Allen Ross , Th.D., Ph.D comments on this passage at Bible.org:
As the day wore on it became clear that the people needed something to eat. The disciples came and advised Jesus to send the people away so that they could find food in the local villages and have something to eat. On the surface this was simply a wise and practical bit of advice. They were concerned with the need to eat, the day was long gone, and Jesus would have to stop for the day sooner or later. But there is something ironic in the disciples telling Jesus to send needy people away, when Jesus had been moved by compassion to help them. The disciples needed more of that compassion; they should have asked Jesus to do something, rather than tell him to send people away. Matthew does not tell us that Jesus was testing the disciples; he leaves it with the irony of the disciples offering advice to Jesus (who did not take their advice, of course; He does not send the people away).
But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.” It is as if He was saying, if you are so concerned for them, feed them. The concern for their needs was fine; but now do something about it. They were right to see the need in the people for food; but they would have to be the ones who would feed the people. This is a brief preview of His commission for them: they are to meet the needs of the people. They may not have seen this deeper meaning at the time, but as the disciples, and all ministers, looked back on the event, they would catch it–especially as Jesus had instructed Peter and the others to feed his sheep. The whole ministry is centered on feeding people, both the physical food, which is a part of the pastoral compassion and care, and also the spiritual food, the word of God. But they do not have it in and of themselves to meet these needs; they will first receive it from Jesus, and then will give it to the people. This is the way all ministry works: the Lord has chosen to give it to some, so that they mind give it to others. Paul will say, “That which I received, I deliver to you.” This is very Rabbinic; it is also very much the way the Christian faith works.
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