Why Go Hungry?

A rather portly pastor had been encouraged by some members of his congregation to lose weight. Finally, he decided to take their advice. His doctor gave him a detailed diet plan which he followed meticulously, carefully weighing every portion of every meal. The result was a dramatic weight loss over a period of months. He was so proud of his achievement that he never missed an opportunity to talk about it. For example, one Sunday morning he went into the pulpit and began his sermon on one of the miracles of Jesus, saying, “Amazingly, the Lord Jesus fed more than five thousand people with just two fish and five loaves of bread.” Then he added, “And that’s only 12 grams of fat!”

In today’s Gospel Lesson Jesus has preached to thousands of people who are feeling the need to satisfy their hunger. And after He has cured those in need of healing, the Apostles say to Him: “Send the people away, and they can go…