Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 14:16

"But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat." — Matthew 14:16 (ASV)

But Jesus said to them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

Christ seemed to say to his disciples, "If you only exercise the power that is within your reach, with Me in your midst, you are equal to this emergency: Give ye them to eat."

But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

"You do not know what you can do, since I am with you," the Lord answered. "You can feed them all." O Christian church, never give up the most difficult problem. It may be worked out. The city may be evangelized, crowded as it is; the nations may be brought to Christ, superstitious though they are; for he is with us.

Glorious word! They need not depart. We are able, when He is with us, to meet any cases of want which may arise. We never need send the multitude away to be dealt with by the State, by the parish, or by hirelings.

If we will only set to work, we will find that the Lord makes us competent for every emergency. Give ye them to eat.

You talk of their buying for themselves, but they are penniless and cannot buy. Everything must be free or they will starve. You are the men to feed them freely. Get at it. Begin at once.