Jesus performs a miracle where he feeds over 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. His disciples want to send the crowds away to find food for themselves, but Jesus tells them to feed the people instead. He blesses and breaks the bread, and it is multiplied so that everyone is able to eat until full, with leftovers filling twelve baskets. The passage illustrates Jesus' compassion and generosity in providing for the great crowd that had gathered to hear him speak.

1. Generosity
Luke 14:13-21

2. Generosity
• What is the most
generous act you
know about?
• What is the most
generous act you
have personally
witnessed?
• What is the most (or
at least a) generous
thing someone has
done for you?

3. Now when
Jesus heard
this, he
withdrew from
there in a boat
to a deserted
place by
himself. But
when the
crowds heard it,
they followed
him on foot from
the towns.

4. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd;
and he had compassion for them and cured
their sick.

5. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and
said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late;
send the crowds away so that they may go into the
villages and buy food for themselves.’

6. Jesus said to them, ‘They need not
go away; you give them something
to eat.’

7. They replied, ‘We
have nothing here but
five loaves and two
fish.’

8. And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’

9. Then he ordered
the crowds to sit
down on the grass.
Taking the five
loaves and the two
fish, he looked up
to heaven, and
blessed and broke
the loaves, and
gave them to the
disciples, and the
disciples gave
them to the
crowds.

10. And all ate and
were filled; and
they took up what
was left over of the
broken pieces,
twelve baskets full.

11. And those who ate were about five thousand men,
besides women and children.

12. What Does The
Passage Say?
• What is the setting?
• Who are the
characters?
• What happened
before and after?

13. What Does It Mean?
What theological themes are being touched on here?

14. An Exercise
Write down 5 images which speak to
you of generosity

15. An Exercise
Write down 5 images which speak to
you of a lack of generosity

16. An Exercise
Write down 5 images which speak to
you of generosity gone wrong

17. A Question
Is God generous? In theory? What about in your
experience?

18. Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless
mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it,
no less than in the excitement and
gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to
the holy and hidden heart of it, because in
the last analysis all moments are key
moments, and life itself is grace.
Frederick Buechner

19. Spiritus et Locus
Life itself is a gift – an explosion of sublime,
unfeasible generosity. Supernovas,
tortoises, loving friends, teacups –
everything is gift. How do we live out of this
awareness? What does generosity mean to
you? How do you respond to the generosity
that surrounds us? Can you even see it?
What does it mean to be generous – and
what does it look like to receive generosity?

20. Question
What picture would you take in Melbourne to
illustrate generosity – or its lack?

21. Homework
• Take a few photos to explore the generosity idea.
• Post them on the Spiritus website
• Don’t worry – if you don’t like them, we can take
them down later 

22. Blessing
Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you,
scatter the darkness from before your path,
and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory
And the blessing of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit be amongst us and remain with us ever more.
Amen