Just What Was Needed

Matthew 15:29-39

Our gospel reading for today recounts a scene from the healing ministry of Jesus. “Great crowds came to him,” it tells us, “bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30-31).

Not to overstate the obvious, but according to Matthew Jesus gave to those who were mute the ability to speak, to those who were blind restored sight, to those who were lame the gift of walking. To each was given what was needed. Those who were maimed did not receive wholeness and a plot of land. The blind were not granted sight along with wealth. The mute did not gain speech and great intellect. But then, when Jesus had healed their infirmities, he did meet one more need, food for the multitude. This is grace; Jesus reaches out to us with the thing we need, the healing for our sickness, the light for our darkness, the hope for our despair. And this also is grace; as a community, too, we receive what we need, the food for our hunger, the strength for our struggle, the courage for our living, the salve for our longing.

The wonder of it all is that even when God meets our needs so directly, we find ourselves with an abundance, with baskets of leftovers we might say, and certainly with enough to share. When Jesus meets our needs we are empowered to meet the needs of others with generosity. Thus from individuals we become a new whole, far greater than the sum of its parts.

Prayer: Lord, meet our needs and open our hearts to one another so that we may live as your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.