You Feed Them!

“Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging.’ He replied, ‘You give them something to eat’” Luke 9:12-13.

Jesus – one…the 12 disciples – zero. In the preceding section of Scripture it is written that Jesus had given the Twelve ‘power and authority to drive out demons, cure diseases and heal the sick.’ They had gone around the region doing just this when they found themselves back in the company of Jesus. They must have been on a spiritual high, recounting the things done in the name of God. How they had been blessed by Jesus. I am sure that along with their exhilaration came exhaustion from work. While Jesus was still immersed in the needs of others, the disciples came to Him and decided those people needed to leave. The disciples were looking at things other than the challenges and plight of others. The very people whom Jesus was serving were the people that the disciples wanted to dismiss. They even ordered Jesus to dismiss them in their uncompassionate hearts because they had dismissed them. But Jesus had other plans for these people with challenges...plans to bless and plans to make sure they didn't feel invisible.

Christ died on the cross to give mercy and love to all people no matter what their sin or weakness may be. God descended to earth so we could all have the option of ascending to Heaven. We all limp up to His cross with our own disparities and weaknesses with none being greater or lesser than the other. The ground at the base of the cross is level for all of us and is not up to us to determine or judge. We have our own disparities to focus on without focusing on someone else’s weakness. Jesus was ministering to a people who all had fallen short and had found themselves seeking Him for healing. He judged not…He extended to all…He loved the unlovely …He dismissed none. Jesus commanded His chosen to feed the very people they wanted Him to send away.

 
Every day we are each faced with people who need our compassion…who need our mercy …and some days just need an act of love from us. God will place people in our path whom He has determined needs to see a glimpse of Him through us. How are we responding to this call? “And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” Matthew 25:40.