have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. If I send them to their homes
hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long way.” His disciples replied,
“Where, in a deserted place like this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?” He
asked them, “How many loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.” Then he ordered the
crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them, and
handed them to his disciples to distribute.
And they distributed them among the people. They also had some small fish. So Jesus said a
blessing, and asked that these be shared as well. The people ate and were satisfied, and they
picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now those who had eaten were about
four thousand in number. Jesus sent them away, and immediately got into the boat with his
disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
Reflect
Jesus satisfies four thousand people with seven loaves and some small fish – and has seven
baskets left over! What hungers do we have that Jesus can satisfy?
Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree because they hungered to be like God and to know good
and evil. We may hunger for fame, for power, for riches. But these hungers are never satisfied.
The more fame, power, and wealth you acquire, the more you desire. Getting more gives you
less pleasure. All too often, the acquisition becomes an obsession, overtaking any enjoyment or
pleasure. In a way, that reflects the curse that Adam bears. He will strive and strive but never get
what he wants, never have enough.
But Jesus upends that pattern. He sees the needs of the people who follow him. He not only fulfills
their desires, he gives them more than they need. Apart from Jesus, we can never be fulfilled. But
in him we are made whole.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023