An Amazing Letter
John 6:1-2 Later, Jesus went across Lake Galilee. A great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he did in healing the sick.
Question: how much of your giving portfolio, the money you give away, do you spend on feeding the poor? Actually putting food in the mouths of those who don’t have enough to eat.
As you can imagine, I receive a lot of emails and letters from people. Most are encouraging, some aren’t and some – are downright scary.
I received a long letter the other day from a man who’d heard me talking about giving to the poor and he wrote to say that Christians shouldn’t bother feeding the heathen; they should only feed other Christians.
Man, I’d love to take him to some of the poverty-stricken villages I’ve walked through in places, where it was all I could do not to weep, as I saw the extreme poverty in which people lived.
There are a few times when Jesus miraculously fed large crowds. Sometimes it was a Jewish crowd and other times – on the gentile side of the Sea of Tiberias, it was gentiles.
Now understand with me please, that this was a radical thing to do – because in the First Century, Jews by and large thought that God was only for them, not the gentiles. In fact, they referred to gentiles, as dogs.
Later, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberias). A great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he did in healing the sick … Jesus took the loaves of bread and gave thanks for them. Then he gave them to the people who were waiting to eat. He did the same with the fish. He gave them as much as they wanted. (John 6:1-2,11)
Question: do you think that by feeding these hungry gentiles, Jesus opened the door to their hearts, to hear the good news of the kingdom of God?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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