Summary: Come, Holy Spirit, come. Come as the fire and enkindle in our hearts the love of the Lord Jesus. Come as the dove and bring to our lives the peace of God. Come as the wind and blow away those clouds of doubt and uncertainty which would keep us from following Jesus Christ as Lord as Savior. The scene is this: The Gospel writer Mark tells us the Apostles have been out on a mission trip, teaching and healing, and they return worn out physically and spiritually. Jesus suggests a quiet respite away from the crowd, but the crowd follows them. Seeing the great throng, Jesus has compassion on them and begins to feed their hunger. Ah, we think, we know what is coming. In our minds we jump in anticipation to the five loaves and two fish. But Jesus is aware of a deeper hunger than growling stomachs. Before Jesus gives them the fish and bread, he first begins to "teach them many things." The Word of God, in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth, feeds their soul's hunger with the good news of God's love, mercy, and grace. Now, don't get me wrong, bodily hunger is real and present among us even in America which seems to be flowing with milk and honey. For the last ten years I have served on the Board of the Harvest Hope Food Bank which strives to meet the hunger needs of almost one-third of the state of South Carolina. We collect and distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of food--some donated, some surplus, some purchased--to begin to meet the hunger of the body. I see it as a Christian imperative. Hunger of the body is real. Jesus knows this and later in this chapter of Mark we see Him feeding the crowd the five loaves and two fish. It is clear that Jesus' compassion touches the hunger of the body as well as the soul.
