When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
At the end of a long day of healing, the disciples were ready to pack it in. It was late, folks were hungry, it makes sense.
Jesus' response, however, is to ask "Why do people need to leave when you have what they need?"
The crowd had already traveled to the middle of nowhere and now the disciples suggested they be sent away to find rest. They needed food, they needed to decompress, they needed to relax... they needed some community.
And Jesus said you do it.
You do it.
But the disciples didn't have faith that they were equipped to do the work; to be the comfort, fill the gap in this world to provide for others.
So, Jesus showed them: take what you have and share it. It will be enough because it's not about the "stuff", it's about the sharing. The power is in the community.
In what ways do you feel passionate about change in the world but inefficient to act on it? How can you "feed" those around you and let community power change?
-- Katelin Champion
We invite you to take it one step further, and drop us a quick note about what strikes you in today's frame.
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