Feeling Hungry?

 

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:14-21 ESV).

 

Physical hunger is very real in our world today. The United Nations estimates that up to one billion people in the world struggle with food insecurity. That’s about one out of every seven people. It is easy to think of these “hungry” people as being outside of our country; however, hunger has been increasing dramatically in the United States over the past decade. Regardless of the physical hunger that exists in our world, there is a much more destructive hunger that affects all of mankind. It is the spiritual emptiness and insecurity that extends from the poor to the rich, and from the young to the old. Of course, precise statistics on spiritual hunger are impossible to determine. But it’s safe to assume that the number of those who are spiritually hungry in this world is much higher than a billion.

 

In today’s reading Jesus reaches out to people who are both physically and spiritually hungry. Taking five loaves and two fish, he looks to heaven and gives thanks. After breaking the loaves, he gives them to his disciples to distribute to the large crowd of people. And the miracle happens! Everyone eats and is satisfied, and there are lots of leftovers.

 

Some readers of this passage try to give “rational” explanations as to what happened. But it was a true miracle. God promised that with the coming of the true Shepherd the wilderness would become a rich pasture where his sheep would be gathered and fed (Ezekiel 34:23-31). Jesus is the Shepherd who provides for all our needs. AS we come closer to our traditional celebration of “Thanksgiving,” please remember those who are not able to eat as well as we will; and, remember to give thanks for the spiritual bounty of God’s provisions through His grace.