Thousands

"When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there," Matthew 14:13.

When he heard what? That the king had chopped off the head of Baptizing John, Jesus' preacher cousin. So what did Jesus do? He left for a wilderness retreat. Did he find time to meditate? No. Why not? Because thousands and thousands (thousands!) of people second-guessed him and beat him there. How did Jesus feel about this? He felt compassion. So what did Jesus do? He treated their sick. What else did he do? He got 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish that evening and fed them all. None walked away hungry. Not one. So what's the moral to this story? The sky kingdom suffers inhuman violence from human kingdoms. The savior from that sky kingdom overcomes with compassion, healing, and sustenance for clueless humans. Grace.

We visit today with a brother or sister sustained by Jesus, our Lord and Christ, who loves us more than we know. And, together, we praise God for the overwhelming flood of his mercy in kindness toward us in Christ.