Tuesday, July 24, 2012
John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
JESUS GIVES ABUNDANTLY
"Stop and get gas!" My wife will tell me as I assure her the gas light has been on for only "a little while" and that there are "plenty of vapors left" in the gas tank. Sound familiar? How often do we try to make a little money, a little fuel, or a little food go a long way? At times it may feel like we are just scraping by and are so uncertain of tomorrow.
Jesus' Feeding of the Five Thousand shows the abundance of His giving; the abundance of His love for His people and all of His creation. Jesus is the Master of all things, and therefore the master of making a little go a long way! Just two chapters earlier, the Gospel of John recorded Jesus teaching the Samaritan woman at the well about the "living waters" of His Word. Waters in which Jesus would explain to His disciples later that, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).
The woman at the well had, at first, gotten caught up only with what Jesus could do for her in connection with the cares of this world. Like praying for a gas tank that never goes empty, the woman thought Jesus would give her physical water that would never go dry! But Jesus helped her realize He was speaking of the waters of life that come through the good news of who He was and what He came to do for her sins!
The woman went away excited to tell everyone what Jesus had taught her! As the woman was coming back with her townspeople to see Him, Jesus, our "Bread of Life," reminded His disciples, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work ... Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" (John 4:34b, 35b). Ought there to be uncertainty of tomorrow in our hearts? Are we really just scraping by in this world?
Jesus certainly has a miraculous way of abundantly providing for our lives and our very souls beginning with little or even nothing!
