Devotion • August 15
Today's Scripture
John 6:1–15
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (NRSV)
Reflection
When as a child I first heard this miracle, I desperately wanted to be there and witness how Jesus fed 5,000 with just five loaves and two small fish from a boy’s lunch. I have long wondered how he did that, especially when realizing that the boy’s lunch likely was a handful of small wafers and fish the size of sardines. And there were leftovers!
(An aside: I hadn’t previously heard of Jesus’ question to Philip about where they could buy enough bread to feed so many. If I had, I undoubtedly would have had the same response as Philip: it would take a miracle, because they hadn’t enough money to purchase that much bread.)
Today, though, when I ponder “feed the multitudes,” my food for thought turns to the 40,000-plus meals that Fourth Church and its volunteers fix annually for those who need weekday sandwiches, a complete Sunday Night Supper every week (for roughly 200 people), and food items for each Monday Night Supper meal at Catholic Charities.
Or, I marvel at the countless meals that Chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen have prepared and provided since 2010 to crisis zones worldwide — and continue to deliver to the hungry impacted by the horrific conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and elsewhere.
What’s increasingly clear is that our Lord wants us to assist the helpless, homeless, hapless, and hungry where we are and with what we have. We consider food, in particular, to be a universal human right. Thankfully Fourth Church and World Central Kitchen, among so many others, recognize they’re directed toward fulfilling this shared purpose in the global communities they serve.
As Paul signaled in Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” And as Christ himself declared (John 6:35), “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Please click on this link and listen to the children’s Bible song “Feeding the 5,000,” which captures today’s Bible passage in a way children and adults alike should enjoy.
Prayer
Our heavenly Father, thank you for our Bread and Water of Life, your Son Jesus Christ, who showed us the necessity of feeding the hungry. Bless those everywhere, including at Fourth Church, who share their blessings in doing just that. Guide us in offering up what we have, and inspire us to join hands across borders to eradicate hunger everywhere. Amen.
Written by Tim Schellhardt, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
Devotion index by date | I’d like to receive daily devotions by email
YouTube
Podcasts
/fourthchurch
#fourthchurch
#fourthchurch
@fourthchicago