(Luke 9:11b-17)
But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. (NKJV)
In these chapters of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus demonstrates his great compassion for the poor and hungry. He makes the crowd welcome even though it is a deserted place. Jesus satisfies the people gathered with a great abundance of food. He fulfills Old Testament prophecy of God feeding his people. In the Beatitudes, Jesus says “blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied”. Jesus performs one of many miracles by ministering to the people. He teaches His disciples through His own behaviors and direction, how to be humble and serve the poor and hungry.
How often do we drive by a homeless person or a beggar and simple avoid eye contact? Too often we immediately conclude that this person is hustling or is lazy and doesn’t put forth the effort to get a job. We think about how hard we work for what we earn and that this person is probably sitting with thousands in his pocket from people he’s bummed off of. As a Christian, we are asked to live the gospel in everything we do. To demonstrate stewardship as a way of life. What would Jesus do for this homeless or hungry person? We see in this Gospel of Luke exactly what Jesus would do! Jesus is showing us the way in his deeds, words and actions. Why then, do we deny those in need? In the Corporal Works of Mercy, we are told to feed the hungry; Give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to provide shelter for those without a home; to visit the sick; to minister to those in prison and to bury our dead. Jesus Himself asked these things of His disciples. They were confused and wanted to know when they hadn’t fed Jesus or clothed Jesus, etc. It was at that point that Jesus reminded them that if they didn’t do this to the least of His people, they failed to provide for Him.
The next time you’re walking or driving down the road and see someone who is asking for help, I challenge you to dig into your wallet or ash tray and commit an act of kindness. We wait for the return of our Lord Jesus. What if He is already here and testing our compassion? What if THAT person you’ve driven by or spat at is our Lord? Are you the best you that you can be?
