“The people ate and were satisfied.” That’s the happy ending to the story of the feeding of the four thousand. Everyone got enough to eat. There were as many baskets of food left over as there were loaves of bread to begin with!
But here’s the tragic part of this happy ending: most of the people whose bellies were satisfied that day left it at that. They were happy that their physical need was met. They talked about the tasty fish and the filling bread, but they didn’t follow the miracle back to its source and draw the necessary conclusion. That was too much work! It was easier to simply enjoy the free meal.
When our bellies are satisfied, it can sometimes be hard to remember that our souls are hungry, too. The One who can feed thousands with a few small loaves of bread certainly must be able to satisfy the need of our souls as well (and the need of our souls is far more serious than the hunger of our stomachs).
Sometimes I allow myself to be satisfied with God’s good gifts rather than learning to find my contentment in God himself. A meal satisfies for a moment. God satisfies for an eternity.
I think it is cool that Jesus took delight in giving all those people a meal. I think we give Jesus even more joy when we learn to delight in Him as the one who really satisfies.
So, here’s a really happy ending: The people believed in Jesus, followed hard after Him, and were eternally satisfied in the deepest part of their beings. Let’s be the “people” in this ending!
Kip
