Late in the afternoon the
twelve disciples came to him and said, "Send the crowds away to the nearby
villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is
nothing to eat here in this remote place." But Jesus said, "You feed
them." "But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,"
they answered. "Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this
whole crowd?" For there were about 5,000 men there. Jesus replied,
"Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each." So the people
all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven,
and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the
bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. They
all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve
baskets of leftovers! Luke 9:12-17
 |
| The Sea of Galilee - near Bethsaida. |
There is nothing
to eat here in this remote place. Have you even had nothing to eat? That is how it was after Jesus had been teaching
these thousands of people…and they were hungry and tired. There was a little
boy with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Jesus blessed that food
and it stretched…it was enough to feed five thousand men and their families. They ate as much as they wanted! They didn't go away hungry--and there were leftovers!
What was going on before Jesus did this
miracle? Jesus had sent His disciples out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of
God and to heal the sick. When they came back He wanted to take them to a
quietly away to Bethsaida but people followed them.
But the crowds
found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and
taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. Luke 9:11
Jesus welcomed them. He taught and
healed them…and then He fed them. What a compassionate savior we have! Not
thinking about Himself…He met their needs. He gave them as much as they wanted. How much do you want of what Jesus has to offer you?
How many times do you wish for a little
quiet time…in your office, your home or even when you take a vacation…and you
just get surrounded or confronted by others? Whatever their need…food for
thought or food for their stomachs…people are basically the same as those
during Jesus time. Can you provide for them if they have no food? Is it spiritual or physical food of which they are in
need? For those five thousand men and their families it seems that it was both
spiritual teaching and then a good meal that they needed. Jesus provided both.
Like them—we may be searching for both, too.
Prayer ~ Lord God, show us Your promises and help us to live pure
and holy lives that are acceptable to You. Thank you for so generously supplying
our daily bread. Please provide for those in need…just like You did when You
fed the 5,000 men. No one went away hungry...spiritually or physically.
Bible Reading: December 28: Revelation
1-5
Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table
As usual every Friday is Feast Day—Feasting
at the King’s Table. We can’t live on just spiritual food …nor can we live
on bread alone. We’ve got to have some meat, veggies and fruit. Are you still
full from all the feasting and snacking of Christmas? I am. We had such a
wonderful Christmas dinner. I felt so blessed by the bounty that God has provided
for us…and I felt a twinge of guilt knowing that there were homeless people out
in the cold. What did they eat on Christmas day and would they eat today? Would
they find the Mission that was serving a good hot meal? Sometimes the most I
can do is pray for them and give to support the Missions efforts. Will we all
sit around the same banquet table in heaven one day…feasting on prime rib?
My Favorite Prime
Rib Roast
Choose a rib
roast considering ½ pound of meat for each man and ¼ pound for each woman at
the meal. Allow the meat to come to room temperature.
Spread Dijon mustard
over the meat, sprinkle with granulated garlic and onion, then with Montreal
Steak seasoning. Roll the roast in rock salt.
Preheat a
meat smoker or oven to 220 degrees and roast the meat for about 20 minutes per
pound or until a meat thermometer comes to an internal temperature of 130
degrees for medium rare. Immediately remove the roast from the smoker and place
the roast into a preheated 500 degree oven for five minutes to brown. (Alternatively
you can sear the meat in a 500 degree oven for 5 minutes and then cook at 220
degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees.) Remove the
roast from the oven and cover loosely with foil to let rest for about 15
minutes. The internal temperature should rise to at least 140 degrees. Carve and
serve with horseradish sauce or a cranberry-orange sauce.
Consider all
that the Lord has provided to you…like He provided for those 5,000 men who came
to listen to Him.
Three Days After
Christmas
© 2018 photo and
text by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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