Lent - Week 4 - Sunday

Welcome to Luther 4 The Busy Man, the week of Lytare Sunday, our scripture reading comes

from the book of John 6 verses 1 through 15.

After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of

Tiberius, and a large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was

doing on the sick.

Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.

Now the Passover, the Feast of the Jews, was at hand, lifting up his eyes then, and seeing

that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, where are we to buy bread

so that these people may eat?

He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

Philip answered him, 200 Janari worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to

get a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, there is a boy here who

has five barley loaves and two fish.

But what are they for so many?

Jesus said to him, have the people sit down.

Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down about 500 a number.

Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those

who were seated, so also the fish as much as they wanted.

And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, gather up the leftover fragments

that nothing may be lost.

So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves

left by those who had eaten.

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, this indeed is the prophet who

has come into the world, perceiving then that they were about to come and taken by force

to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Our scripture lesson comes from the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33, seek first

his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

In the gospel of the feeding of the 5,000, Christ once again teaches us the need for faith

without anxious worry about food and clothing.

Then he stirs us up with a miracle in which he actually demonstrates, indeed, what he says

in words in the sermon on the mount, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and

all these things shall be yours as well.

We see here that the people follow him to hear God's word and to witness signs.

They are seeking God's kingdom.

Jesus does not forsake them but provides them richly with food.

He shows quite clearly that before those who seek God's kingdom should suffer want,

the grass and the wilderness should rather become corn and one piece of bread should

rather become a thousand loaves so that what he declared to the devil at the time of

his temptation would stand fast.

Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

So that this principle of God's word should be confirmed and stand fast, he proceeds to

provide for these people what they should eat.

He consults Philip about the matter even before they make any complaints and ask for food.

From this we also should learn to let him do the worrying for us, and we should realize

that he thinks about us more and sooner than we think about ourselves.

Let us pray.

You know all our needs, O Lord, even before we think about them ourselves.

You have promised never to leave or forsake us.

Be with us then, O Lord, at all times, for the sake of your truth and mercy, Amen.

Find the print version of the Luther for the Busyman Daily Devotional at AmbassadorPublications.org.

Luther for the Busyman is produced by the free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary in

Plymouth, Minnesota.

Visit flbc.edu to learn how you can start here.

Go anywhere grounded in God's word.