By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:35-37a).

Have you ever come home famished after a long day and reached for a bag of chips or a box of cookies? Then, after scarfing down one too many handfuls (or double-stuffs), you thought to yourself, “Why did I do that? That was completely unsatisfying?” You realize you just consumed a bunch of empty calories and are still hungry for something more substantial and life-giving. 

In our passage this week, when the crowds gathered around Jesus and the disciples by the lake, Jesus recognized their spiritual hunger and had “compassion on them.” He sought to satiate them by “teaching them many things.” Jesus saw their desperation and fed them the Truth about the Kingdom of God, and pointed them to the healing and wholeness which only comes from above. 

The disciples apparently still didn’t understand all that Jesus came to do when they said to Him, “It’s getting close to dinner time. Let’s wrap up this session so folks can go home and eat.” But Jesus wanted them to see the opportunity they had to give the crowd food that would last forever. He responded by saying, “You give them something to eat.” 

The Bread of Life stood before them and the disciples thought, “Gee, we don’t have the cash to buy enough food for this large crowd.” They thought only of the temporal, physical needs of the people before them and failed to consider their eternal, and yet unmet, longings. 

When we put our faith in Jesus and trust that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life, we receive the gift of His indwelling Holy Spirit. We then have the privilege and call to be God’s ambassadors. We carry the sweet aroma of Christ when we serve others by sharing the hope we have in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. He died, so that we might live. He offered His body and shed His blood that we might eat and drink and never be hungry or thirsty again.

Just like this scene by the lake, we too are surrounded by people who are hungry. The good news is we know Who to point to, the Bread of Life. He is the only One who truly satisfies. 

We are each entrusted with this Good News. Ask the Lord to give you eyes to see those who are hungry, and the courage to go ahead and ask them to come and meet the One Who truly satisfies.