We have an interlude of the death of John the Baptist - an important figure in Jesus' life as the one who baptized him. John also spoke to the world about righteousness in similar ways to Jesus.
But John was an ascetic, fasting in the desert. His disciples already asked in chapter nine of Jesus' disciples, why they didn't fast. Jesus was known more for his feasting than his fasting.
And then he hears of John's death, and it must have been difficult because he goes away by himself. The crowds follow and Jesus seems to emphasize the priority of feasting over fasting in that he tells his disciples, "You give them something to eat."
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| When we recognize abundance, sharing is easier. |
As the disciples later cross over the sea, people in that day would have had more of a natural fear of the isolated places - these were places of ghosts and evil spirits. Maybe they still had some of the leftover belief that God was not really present there - like Jonah seeking to flee from God's presence.
They discover through their doubt that it isn't a ghost, but in fact it is God who walks with them even in the isolated places. We see the disciples' movement toward Jesus as the Messiah. And even though Peter wants to do what Jesus does, he reminds us that we still hold onto our fears.
In naming Jesus as the Son of God, the disciples are recognizing him as the Messiah.
Even the crowds who are healed at touching the fringe of his cloak would make sense to a first century Jewish audience. They would know the legend of the fringe of the prayer shawl of the Messiah providing healing for any who touched it.
And so, as we see the ministry of Jesus, we find that he first provides health and wholeness and the food of life before asking anything of people. But whether this is done through teaching or miracles or healing, we may find that we are called to offer life as well.
And like Jesus, this may come on the heels of our losing someone close to us. How might we honor the life of someone we love by making the world a better place for others?
Prayer for the day:
God of the present moment,
God who in Jesus stills the storm
and soothes the frantic heart;
bring hope and courage to each of us as we wait in uncertainty.
Bring hope that you will make us the equal of whatever lies ahead.
Bring us courage to endure what cannot be avoided,
for your will is health and wholeness;
you are God, and we need you.
Amen.
Prayer from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia in A New Zealand Prayer Book.
Photo by frankieleon via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
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