M(eat)ing Needs

February 23rd

Leviticus 15:1-16-28

Mark 6:30-56

Psalm 40:1-10

Proverbs 10-11-12

What do you think about when trying to meet someone's needs? Food? Transportation? Money? Housing? Love? 

Jesus demonstrates in today's reading that he's concerned with meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of his people. As the disciples return and report all they had taught, Jesus says "come with me to a quiet place and get some rest". He's meeting their physical and mental need of rest, or at least that was his plan.

What I didn't put together before today is that the disciples had gone with Jesus to "a solitary place" to get rest, but they were like celebrities who had been noticed and couldn't sneak away secretly. So this morning, I imagined a scene of thousands of people running on foot chasing the boat that was carrying Jesus and the disciples.

These people must have heard or seen what the disciples were doing and teaching and they wanted to learn more, so much so that they ran and chased this boat. 

When Jesus landed, he immediately noticed these people were like sheep without a Shepherd. In this famous five loaves and two fish passage, after meeting the five thousand people's spiritual need for shepherding, Jesus provides them with food. Five thousand of them! 

It was a miracle, but it was also meeting a basic need, especially considering this place was likely far from sources of food.

This scene reminds us that when we meet someone's needs, we have to think about both the physical and the spiritual. They are intertwined. 

God, thank you for meeting so many of our needs that we don't even think about because we are so fortunate. Please help us to identify those people who are like sheep without a shepherd. Give us wisdom and courage to see and meet these people's needs. Let us be like shining stars in the darkness that others are drawn to. In your precious name, Amen.