As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. - Matthew 14: 15-20
We live in a world where there is an abundance of food. Yet millions of people go to bed hungry every night. There are wealthy people who throw away tons of food every day, while others around them go hungry.
How many of us, who are not wealthy do the same? We often go into restaurants, order a meal, and barely touch it.
Where is our empathy for the needy and the downtrodden of the world. The world has all the resources needed to feed every hungry human in existence. Yet, millions go hungry every night.
Governments waste billions on useless projects. These funds can go towards providing food and comfort to the indigent of the world.
Why do so many go unfed and unnoticed around us? They do because the love of God is absent from the hearts of the people concerned.
In the text, Jesus makes an interesting statement to his disciples who suggested that he let the people go so they could travel to a nearby village and get something to eat. They had been in that isolated place, being instructed by Jesus, the whole day.
The text indicates that there were 5,000 men besides women and children. These people had searched out Jesus and had come to hear him preach and have him cure and heal their sick.
Jesus responded to his disciples, "They need not go away; "you give them something to eat."
To the disciples, Jesus has instructed them to perform an impossible task. Five loaves of bread and two fish could not go very far towards feeding such a large crowd. But then, they did not know that Jesus already knew the outcome of his instructions.
He would show compassion to the people and provide them with a meal. Every individual in the group would get something to eat and be filled. Yes, he would provide for their needs.
At the same time, he showed the disciples that things which look impossible to humans is not so for God. God does the impossible for us humans every day of our life. When we come up against impossible odds, God in Christs steps in and makes the impossible possible.
Jesus broke the bread and had his disciples distribute it among the people. They all ate to their complete satisfaction.
That day, Jesus provided both physical and spiritual food for the people in that wilderness place. God provides for his people. He provides our daily bread. Yes, God provides us with good things in Jesus.
Through Jesus, we have God's gift to us, everlasting life. Our Lord came into the world, suffered, died, and was resurrected from the dead so that in him we receive the gift of salvation.
In Christ, we come into God's kingdom and are called the children of God. We come into God's family through baptism into our Lord's death and resurrection. Amen.
• Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Nassau, 119 John F. Kennedy Dr can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas; or telephone 426-9084; website: www.nassaulutheranchurch.org.
The post God in Christ makes the impossible possible appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
