When was the last time you were in a crowd of 5,000 people?

Maybe it was at a sporting event, where you were surrounded by the sound of thousands of cheering (or booing) fans.

Maybe it was at a concert, where you listened to a talented musician sing songs that were meaningful to you.

Maybe it was at a college graduation ceremony, where you watched as the next generation took a step into their future.

Maybe it was at the service of a large church, where thousands worshiped together and received the Word of God.

Jesus’ disciples were in a much different setting when they found themselves in a crowd of 5,000 men. A crowd that would fill stadiums or concert halls or amphitheaters found them in a remote place on their journey toward Bethsaida. The area was filled with the presence and sound of people desperate to hear Jesus’ teaching and to be healed by him.

And even though there weren’t chairs to sit in, or a planned schedule of events like we’d have at a large scale gathering today, we know from Luke 9 that Jesus “welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick” (v.11).

Jesus met the needs of the crowd that came to him, and he challenged his followers to do the same.

When the disciples suggested sending the crowd away so the people could get something to eat, Jesus instead charged the disciples with this responsibility, saying simply “You feed them” (v. 13).

The disciples looked at the five loaves and two fish they had, knowing that the meager meal wasn’t enough for everyone, and that it would cost them a lot to go buy food for a crowd of that size (much more than they could afford).

Imagine, you and eleven friends at a baseball game are charged with the responsibility of feeding the whole crowd there, with five hotdogs and two buckets of popcorn between you, which, if you’ve been to a sporting event lately, you know isn’t exactly cheap! You wouldn’t know what to do!

But Jesus had a plan, a way, and the power to provide for the needs of all these people. He just wanted his followers to trust him, and to participate with him.

Jesus breaks and blesses the food into smaller pieces, but he has the disciples distribute it to all the people.

And … “they all ate as much as they wanted” (v.17).

Jesus made this miraculous provision possible, and he worked through his followers and friends to bring it about. He didn’t need the disciples’ participation to feed all the people, but he asked them to participate so that they also could see his glory on display. That’s the privilege and the responsibility we have as followers of Christ. God is inviting us and instructing us to participate in something that we can only do because of and through him.

Whether you’re involved in offering pastoral ministry, running a business, providing humanitarian relief, raising the next generation, studying in college, or doing anything else the Lord has called you to do right now, there are likely days where you look at the task before you and wonder, “How can I do what God’s asking of me?” But God worked miraculously while the disciples obeyed and engaged in meeting the crowds’ needs. God can do far beyond what we can imagine when we’re obedient to responding to what he’s called us to do.

For us at Tyndale, we believe that our purpose and calling is to minister to the spiritual needs of people. We also believe that God has asked us to participate in this ministry work, and we aim to obediently respond to this call in two ways.

Through Tyndale House Publishers, we aim to minister by publishing literature consistent with biblical principles. We know that, alone, we would not be able to produce enough content or speak enough truth to meet the deep spiritual need experienced by everyone who purchases our products. But God uses the truth of his Word, stories and truth told through authors and Scripture, and our expertise in publishing to provide the truth of the gospel that we need.

Through Tyndale House Foundation, we aim to minister through offering grants to other charitable entities. We partner with hundreds of Christian ministries globally to provide relational and financial support that equipes organizations and their leaders to answer the call and meet the needs God has placed before them. We know that, on our own, we would not be able to meet the needs of the crowd, but when we come alongside our brothers and sisters doing ministry around the world, we are all able to obey our callings. In doing so, the spiritual needs of people are met far beyond what we could have imagined, and far beyond what we could have done on our own.

So far, just in 2026, Tyndale House Foundation has provided grants to 115+ organizations around the world. These organizations are doing a variety of critical activities, like:

• Training pastors to be equipped for ministry in Rwanda
• Translating Scripture into local languages
• Broadcasting Christian content across the Middle East
• Discipling first-generation immigrant youth in France
• And so much more!

Grants are funded primarily through the proceeds from our books and Bibles at Tyndale House Publishers, and also through the generosity of other believers who join us in this work. Every book or Bible purchased, and every donation made, helps Tyndale partner with organizations in strategic and relational ways.

As we continue forward through 2026, join us in prayer for our ministry, our partners, and for God’s Kingdom work happening around the world.

Pray specifically for:

1. Our ministry partners to be equipped with more than they could ask or imagine as they minister to those in their care (Ephesians 3:20).
2. The whole church to be obedient to God’s call to love the Lord fully and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
3. All needs to be met, spiritually, physically, and emotionally (Philippians 4:9)
4. Everything to be done for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).
5. The Scriptures Tyndale publishes, the words our authors write, and the ministries our partners steward to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

We know that on our own and by our own strength, the call to minister to the spiritual needs of people would be daunting. But no crowd and no calling is outside of God’s control, and for over 60 years, it has been Tyndale’s privilege to witness God be glorified through our products and partnerships.

Want to stay informed about significant events happening in the wide universe of Tyndale House Foundation partner organizations and about additional ways to pray? Join the Tyndale House Foundation Weekly Briefing Newsletter! Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

Since 1963, Tyndale House Foundation has used publishing profits each year to give away millions of dollars in grants to Christian ministries around the world. Your purchases make it possible for THF to engage, equip, and empower local leaders around the globe for gospel impact. Want to read more about how you can partner in this work? Read more here!