This is a well-known passage, but I am thankful for the new
ideas God gives me from reading it again.
Jesus was always concerned about many things.
He wanted to meet the physical needs of these thousands of
people by giving them food, by showing them he is God, by showing them he cared
for them.
He was also training his disciples, to believe in him, to
take care of people’s needs.
And he always had to keep his mission in mind, slipping away
so the people wouldn’t capture him and mess up the timing.
He was god, but he was also a man who got tired and
discouraged.
Thank you, Lord, for your continuous love.
John 6:1-15:
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the
Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people
followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The
Jewish Passover Festival was near.
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward
him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He
asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to
do.
Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s
wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother,
spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but
how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of
grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were
seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered
them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left
over by those who had eaten.
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to
say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing
that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a
mountain by himself.
"He was god, but he was also a man who got tired and discouraged." -- This spoke to me today. I was walking home from the bank and I saId, "God, I'm tired. I'm really tired. Help me." (I was feeling discouraged, actually). Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAmy