They Kept Coming Back To Jesus

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 22, 2022

They Kept Coming Back To Jesus

Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.

Luke 9:16b

Read: Luke 9:1-17

Today’s passage includes Luke’s telling of Jesus feeding the 5,000. I see some interesting nuisances in the story, such as Luke using the words that were later incorporated in the church’s sacrament of Holy Communion: Jesus ‘took the bread’, ‘blessed it’, ‘broke it’, and ‘gave it’.

I also noticed, “. . .  he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.” (v.16b) Jesus didn’t break the loaves into pieces and then sit back as the disciples distributed them. He gave a piece of the bread to the disciples, they distributed it to as many people as they could, then they came back to Jesus and got another piece of bread. They kept coming back to Jesus.

Our natural tendencies are to try to solve our problems the best we can, as the disciples did when they suggested sending the crowd away to find lodging and food. Jesus’ response to the suggestion of his disciples reveals three principles in learning to make the life in Christ my way of life.

First, there are some practical, logical things I can and should do, like Jesus organizing the very large group into more manageable parts. Secondly, God does not intend for me to go it alone. As we saw yesterday, God invites me to come boldly to His throne and receive His mercy and grace.

My Takeaway: Thirdly, as a disciple of Jesus, I need to keep going back to Jesus, over and over, so he can fill my cup. 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.