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THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND (MARK 6:30-44) LENT DAY 38

“The feeding of the five thousand” is the theme for our reflection. It is natural to eat when you are hungry and this is why Jesus told his disciples to give the people food to eat after listening to Jesus teach for a while. (Mark 6:37) We shall reflect on the fact that Jesus satisfies our hunger by giving us both spiritual and physical food to eat.  

Beloved in the Lord, Jesus has the power to feed or provide our need both spiritually and physically. In Mark 6:30-44, we learn that the people followed Jesus to listen to Him. ” When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:34). In other words, Jesus fed them spiritually with the Word of God. Indeed, the people discovered that they were spiritually hungry therefore they followed Jesus to satisfy their spiritual hunger. Jesus admonished us in Matthew 4:4 that “…Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). Jeremiah confirmed the joy of feeding on the Word of God when he said “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty. (Jeremiah 15:16) Dear friend, do you yearn for the Word of God as food for your spirit? How often do you read the Bible and attend Bible studies? Do you derive joy and satisfaction when you read the Bible? Is the Word of God at the centre of your life, and does it impact every aspect of your life?

It is important to also note that Jesus is the embodiment of the Word of God therefore, John says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5). It is for this reason Jesus who is the Word of God, assures us that “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51). The more we feed on Jesus the Word of God or the Living Bread, the more we are spiritually nourished for the eternal life. We are greatly encouraged from today forward to start a journey of feeding on the Word of God daily and yearn for the Word of God like the five thousand who yearned to listen and feed on the Word of God for their spiritual satisfaction.

Dear friend in Christ, after the five thousand had been fed spiritually, little did they know that Jesus had the power to satisfy their physical hunger with five loaves of bread and two fish. Mark tells us that, “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴² They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³ and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴ The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. (Mark 6:41-44). Truly, beloved in the Lord, when you “…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,… all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33). The people first sought after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and when they were physically hungry, Jesus fed them, numbering five thousand men with just five loaves and two fish. Jesus can satisfy us spiritually and physically because He is our Lord and Saviour. Let us not depart from Him but always yearn to have a relationship with him. It is possible to be born in the Church but because of disobedience and unbelief, we may not become the beneficiaries of the spiritual and physical food that Jesus feeds His own. Let us repent, believe in Jesus with all our hearts, love Him with all our minds and body, and have a personal relationship with Him.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “The feeding of the five thousand.” We have discovered that Jesus satisfies our hunger by feeding us both spiritually and physically. Shalom.

Prayer
Holy Spirit, may we always yearn to feed on Jesus as the Word of God and the Living bread of life even as we depend on Him for our physical needs. Amen.