March 17, 2026
Food for Thought - Part 2
John 6:4
03/17/2026
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at
hand. (ESV)
Sunday's Gospel lesson was Saint John's account of the
feeding of the 5,000 men, plus women and children. Saint John
noted not only the place, the wilderness, but the time of year:
``Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.''
What is the significance of this? The Gospel of John does
not directly speak of the Lord's Supper, which Jesus gave to the
Church the night He was betrayed. From the other Gospel accounts
we know that Jesus was celebrating the Passover when He took the
bread and wine, saying, ``This is My body, this is My blood.''
The rest of this chapter in John's Gospel speaks of Jesus being
the ``Bread of Life.'' Over the centuries since John wrote, many
theologians have suggested that this chapter is truly about the
sacrament of Communion, that the feeding of the 5,000 opens the
discussion of this gift of life and salvation which Jesus gives
the Church.
Last Sunday the Church prayed:
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new
every morning; and though we deserve only punishment,
You receive us as Your children and provide for all our
needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily
acknowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all
Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience.
In this prayer we confess that we deserve God's wrath, but
He gives us His mercy. We have sinned against Him, we have
sinned against our neighbor, yet He provides for both our
physical and spiritual needs. It is because of God's love that
we receive our daily bread. It is because of God's love that we
receive the forgiveness of our sins which leads to life
everlasting.
May our Lord grant us faith to see and acknowledge His daily
mercies. Amen.