As my husband brought the groceries in, I looked at the four bags he placed on the counter. “Is that all we got for $80?” I asked.
“Yep,” he replied. “That’s it.”
I put the groceries away, thinking, how are people who have very little money to spend on food ever going to survive the way prices are today?
I thought about the feeding of the five thousand. When Jesus blessed the food which they had on hand…two fish and five loaves of bread… the five thousand ate till everyone was satisfied…and they had twelve baskets of food leftover. Perhaps a basket for each of His disciples. Later, He did the same and fed four thousand.
When I turned my computer on later that day, I saw a story of a little boy at school asking his teacher if the backpack lady was coming that day. He had gotten a backpack with food in it and it was all gone. He wondered if there would be more. The teacher’s heart ached for this young man, and assured him there would be more food soon. He went to the other teachers and explained the situation. They put their money together and made sure the boy’s family received plenty of food. They also started a food pantry at the school and asked for donations so any family in need of food could take it.
A while later, someone from another city posted a photo showing a line of cars waiting to get in to a food bank. Why, in the United States, are so many people needing food? I’m so glad these food pantries and banks are available, but evidently more are needed. If every church and school could offer food and see that it gets to those who need it, we can maybe get a handle on preventing hunger.
Shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven, He sat down with Peter and asked, “Peter, do you love me?”
“Lord, you know I love you,” Peter answered.
“Feed my lambs.” Jesus said.
Two more times Jesus asked the same question and Peter assured Him, “You know I love you.”
“Feed my sheep,” Jesus replied each time.
In this scripture, Jesus is telling Peter to take care of His flock of followers and continue the work He had started by feeding them from the Word of God. Every Christian has a responsibility to minister in some way, and to share our stories of what Jesus has done for us. I believe we also have a responsibility to see that no one is without the nourishment of their daily bread…food for the body to function. Let’s take Jesus words: “Feed my sheep” literally, and do our best to see that no one goes hungry…while feeding their souls with the Word of God as well.
