Food...there is just something about sharing food that shows our love for friends, family, and even strangers. Food is a big deal in my family. While holiday meals have always been special, they took on special importance decades ago when family members started having limitations around the food they could eat. I am allergic to several foods, other family members have food intolerances. As new generations (and adopted family members) have been added, more food intolerances and allergies have joined the list. The list of modifications that were needed started to grow crazy long. Yet somehow, my Mom always remembered them. Always. Oh, and she ensured every single food was safe for everyone. This started long before food limitations became an issue. When it came to eating together, She was a firm believer that no one should ever go hungry or be left out.
Her dedication to meeting the physical and social needs of others wasn’t limited to allergies and dietary intolerances that required modifications. It was just as important to make sure that on holidays that centered around food, no one ate alone. I will never forget our first holiday after moving to Hawaii. The thought of a holiday meal without family seemed less than ideal. Another family from our church was invited. That invitation multiplied until we had a full house. That day, strangers became family around the dinner table, stomachs were filled, and hearts were loved.
In Matthew 14:13-21 we find another story of food meeting more than just a physical need:
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (ESV)
Now, this was not the only miracle that Jesus performed related to food, however, this is a very special one. Have you ever come home from work, exhausted, and filled with dread at the thought of having to do anything else? Yeah, that is about where Jesus was. The crowds were following him. He was on his way to just get respite, when he saw a great crowd. Never one to ignore an unmet need, He healed the sick in the crowd.
“They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Enter the Disciples. Now, to their credit, they were clearly trying to be the voice of reason. They were trying to protect the One they had laid everything down to follow. While the passage mentions 5,000, there are estimates that it could have been three to four times that, as the women and children were not counted. The Disciples remind Jesus that they have five loaves of bread and two fish. There is literally no way the math is going to work out on this one. It just isn’t possible. But Jesus knows better.
And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
All I can picture when I read this is some sweet Grandmother adding water to the soup and seats at the table. But this isn’t just feeding a few more hungry mouths. There are estimates that the crowd could have been as large as 20,000. There is just no way water in the soup will make that work. What we see here is that Jesus’ love is not the only thing that is limitless; His capacity to work wonders to remind of us how limitless and all-encompassing His love for us is.
You see, Jesus doesn’t limit His love for us to our spiritual lives. He doesn’t keep it in a neat and tidy box. His love is profound, limitless, and impossible to contain. He wants to wash over you with His love. He wants it to consume you.
Her dedication to meeting the physical and social needs of others wasn’t limited to allergies and dietary intolerances that required modifications. It was just as important to make sure that on holidays that centered around food, no one ate alone. I will never forget our first holiday after moving to Hawaii. The thought of a holiday meal without family seemed less than ideal. Another family from our church was invited. That invitation multiplied until we had a full house. That day, strangers became family around the dinner table, stomachs were filled, and hearts were loved.
In Matthew 14:13-21 we find another story of food meeting more than just a physical need:
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (ESV)
Now, this was not the only miracle that Jesus performed related to food, however, this is a very special one. Have you ever come home from work, exhausted, and filled with dread at the thought of having to do anything else? Yeah, that is about where Jesus was. The crowds were following him. He was on his way to just get respite, when he saw a great crowd. Never one to ignore an unmet need, He healed the sick in the crowd.
“They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Enter the Disciples. Now, to their credit, they were clearly trying to be the voice of reason. They were trying to protect the One they had laid everything down to follow. While the passage mentions 5,000, there are estimates that it could have been three to four times that, as the women and children were not counted. The Disciples remind Jesus that they have five loaves of bread and two fish. There is literally no way the math is going to work out on this one. It just isn’t possible. But Jesus knows better.
And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
All I can picture when I read this is some sweet Grandmother adding water to the soup and seats at the table. But this isn’t just feeding a few more hungry mouths. There are estimates that the crowd could have been as large as 20,000. There is just no way water in the soup will make that work. What we see here is that Jesus’ love is not the only thing that is limitless; His capacity to work wonders to remind of us how limitless and all-encompassing His love for us is.
You see, Jesus doesn’t limit His love for us to our spiritual lives. He doesn’t keep it in a neat and tidy box. His love is profound, limitless, and impossible to contain. He wants to wash over you with His love. He wants it to consume you.
Dear one, will you join me as the sea of the love of Jesus washes over us?
In Love, JSB
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