During
the ministry of Jesus, great multitudes eagerly followed Him—desiring to learn His word and to
witness His miraculous signs and wonders. In the miracle of feeding the four
thousand, the people faithfully followed Jesus, even to the point of neglecting
their physical needs. Jesus not only taught and showed them marvelous works,
He also had a true heart of love towards His followers.
I have compassion on the multitude, because
they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do
not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way. (Mt 15: 32)
Like the
multitude following Jesus, we too may become tired and hungry—especially when it feels as though
we have been following for a while. We may find the journey tedious, perhaps
even burdensome. We may face problems, and feel as though our needs are not
satisfied—to the point that
we lose sight of why we are following Jesus.
However, Jesus knows this. Just as
He knew that His followers were tired and hungry, He knows that our journey is
long, that we too will become hungry. He knows that without Him, we will faint
if we have nothing to eat. Furthermore, He sees that despite all of these
hardships, we continue to follow Him with faith. And so as a father provides
for his children, how much more will our heavenly Father tend to our needs!
Therefore
do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
(Mt 6:31-32)
Jesus knows the things that we need
and will thus provide. He not only cares for our physical needs, but will also
give us the spiritual strength to carry on in our journey as His disciples.
Although we may grow weary, the Lord
will not send us away hungry, for He does not want us to faint on the way to
our heavenly home.
Questions for Reflection
1. Has
there been a time in your journey of faith when you felt weary and hungry?
2. How
did God comfort and strengthen you?