Hunger

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they (the disciples) did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” (Mark 6:31)

Jesus and his disciples attempted to do just that. They entered a boat and went to a solitary place, only to discover that the crowd of at least five thousand had arrived ahead of them.

Jesus knew that he and his disciples were hungry and tired, but when he saw the crowd, he was touched by his Father’s character of compassion and willingly turned away from his needs and those of his disciples to minister to the crowd. Only he knew that his plan to give respite to his own was God’s plan to extend respite to thousands. It’s as if Jesus had one “ear to the ground” in knowing his disciples’ needs, and “one ear to the sky” in knowing God’s plan for his respite. The miracle of feeding the five thousand follows this incident, followed in turn by Jesus’ miracle of walking on water.

Postponing his and his disciples’ dinner in favor of the crowd seems to have been a greater renewal for Jesus than if the time apart had never been interrupted. As a result they shared a meal with at least five thousand people, the culmination of Jesus pouring out a spiritual meal that was more fulfilling than the bread and fish. His “eye to the sky” produced an immortal miracle that led to a second immortal miracle on the lake afterward.

As a Christian, how often my “ear to the ground” in focusing on my own needs and the needs of family obscures my “ear to the sky!” Yet, the fruits of the latter are clearly larger and more lasting than the fruits of the former.

Jesus desired to bring relief to himself and his disciples but saw an even larger need in the crowd. I can’t help feeling grateful, as through Scripture I feel part of the crowd who was fed both on the ground and in their spirits by Jesus on that day.

After they had all eaten their fill, there was time alone for Jesus and his disciples in another boat. That day and night they surely never forgot, and it still feeds hungry followers today.

Love in Him,

Prue