Matthew 15:29-39
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Jesus has completed three jam-packed days of ministry to the multitudes. Among the crowds a catalog of illnesses and maladies have presented and he has healed all of them. The mute speak, the blind see, the lame walk, and the maimed are whole after three days. The kingdom has been proclaimed with word and demonstration of power. The disciples and Jesus are exhausted. It's time for the crowd to go their way and for Jesus to go his. But wait, a stomach growls. Eyes glaze over in the heat. They multitude is hungry.
At this point in the story it would be easy and understandable for Jesus simply to send the crowds away. After all, his healing and restoring powers have ensured that all will be fit and able to work for food when they return home. He has already done more for them than they could ever thank him for. The healings alone represent more glory than they had ever seen in one place. Jesus could simply have sent them away and told them, "As for food, you're on your own." He could have berated them for their poor planning and left them to fend for themselves. But he couldn't allow them to go away hungry because they might not make it home. He had compassion on them.
Beloved,in addition to the realization that Jesus has the ultimate capacity to stretch a few resources into a feast, we observe in this scene that Jesus cares too much about us to let us go without anything essential. And following his example, we understand that our role as his disciples is to hang close enough to distribute the good he provides until everyone is filled.
Let us pray:
Jesus our Savior, you alone are the source of all of our provisions. We thank you for ministering to all of our major needs. We see with new eyes, ear with new ears, understand with new minds. But you don't just handle the big things. You notice the growling of our stomachs and attend to the more mundane things that would cause our strength to fail. Help us likewise to attend to one another for your name's sake. Amen
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Even the cucumbers are provided! I went to the supermarket after church yesterday. Picked up a few items for my meals for the coming week including salad. I thought about getting cucumbers and the thought left my mind. I left the market and went to my mother's house.Since my stove has only one working burner, I started the meat cooking for my greens and stringbeans and then went home to put the rest of the groceries away, change clothes, clean the greens and beans, and then head back to Mommy's to cook the vegetables. We talked and explored some things on the internet. Then my mother said, "Oh your aunt left some cucumbers for you." It then dawned on me that I'd completely forrgotten about buying the cucumbers while in the store.
So God cares enough that he not only heals but he loves me so much that he supplies cucumbers. Such a seemingly small thing to some but a humongous gentle reminder that He loves me enough to "supply ALL my needs...."
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