Never Hungry, Never Thirsty

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which^* comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:24-35

It has been mighty hot here, excessively warm and muggy for this far north, even in the summer. Oh yes, we get hot days but this stretch has been unusually long. The problem for me, besides the heat, is that I dehydrate very easily and I have done so several times in the past week, resulting in dizziness and nausea. I am blessed to have family around me and clear access to water and other fluids. I ache for those to whom clean drinking water is scarce and at a premium Likewise, there is no shortage of food in our house and I am often hungry but have never starved or been without for any length of time. Too many of our neighbors, in this town and across our country are food insecure. Too many of our neighbors across this world live deprived daily on the minimums of food.

The crowds, aching and hungry were searching for Jesus, and when they found him, they had so many questions. Their questions came from real, lived needs. The crowds that sought out Jesus were not the wealthy or the comfortable, but those who were broke, broken and deprived. They were those who the powers in the world had ignored, abused and climbed over. Jesus knows their need. He had fed them all the day before and there had been an abundance left over. His answers, at first seem a bit obtuse, yet he is moving the from immediate need to the heart of the matter. Faith, compassion and love are essential to life as well. The religious leaders, listening in are furious by these words and the troubles for Jesus begin in earnest from there on. A full belly is one thing but it is a resolved and compassionate heart is what gets us through. We are invited to respond to the needs of others but also to nurture their hearts and their spirits.

Today, I ask God to give me the strength to serve the whole person, the needs seen and unseen. Too often we feed others without considering their dignity, their spirits, their hearts. May we all serve the hearts and souls of the needy and hurting around us.