Scripture text for Monday, March 29th, 2010: Luke 9:1-9:36
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Today we look at the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000. He had sent the disciples away to proclaim the kingdom of God, and perform healing. They were instructed to take nothing with them, making them totally dependent on God. Upon their return they report all they had seen and done, and scripture tells us, that Jesus withdrew to a city called Bethsaida, but the multitudes followed. Jesus did not send the people away, but welcomed them, told them about the kingdom of God, and healed those in need of healing. As the day drew to an end the disciples wondered how they would feed the crowd, all they could find were five loaves, and two fishes. Jesus takes the five loaves and two fishes and looks to the heavens, He blessed them, and broke them, and handed them out to the disciples to feed the multitude. Now scripture tells us that the men ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces filled twelve baskets. This miracle is also accounted in the gospels of Matthew 14:13, John 6:1 and a similar account in Mark 8:1 (this is a different story, but a similar miracle, this crowd included many gentiles, unlike the crowd in Luke). In Mark Jesus feeds 4,000 with seven loaves and a few small fish, and had seven baskets full of what was left. As we read the story in Luke we find it an amazing miracle of how God cares for his peoples every need, not just their (our) spiritual needs but those more basic needs. For the Jewish people we wonder if they saw even more to this act of compassion. Did it remind them of the manna that God provided to feed the children of Israel, or Elisha who fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread in 2 Kings, which said “they will eat and have some left over.” What is the significance of the leftover’s here and in Luke and Mark?