Gospel Presentation

1. Aidan Bradshaw Block1Mrs.Bassett 12-16-2013 Gospel Presentation

2. Gospel,Matthew 15: 29 - 37 Gospel, Matthew 15:29-37 29 Jesus went on from there and reached the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and he went up onto the mountain. He took his seat, 30 and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. 31 The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel. 32 But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, or they might collapse on the way.' 33 The disciples said to him, 'Where in a deserted place could we get sufficient bread for such a large crowd to have enough to eat?' 34 Jesus said to them, 'How many loaves have you?' They said, 'Seven, and a few small fish.' 35 Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and began handing them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. 37 They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

3. This act of kindness from Jesus was a miracle and teaches us about Jesus’ power and care for us when we are in need. This shows us that no matter how desperate we are for something Jesus will help us through it. This also shows that Jesus can help us through anything. The readings are about the abundance that comes from God. This is what salvation means – the fulfilling of all our needs: spiritual, emotional, social and physical. In the Gospel, full of trust and confidence, people bring their lame, the crippled, the blind and dumb. Jesus healed them all and the crowds were amazed. There then comes a scene which is a kind of parable of what Jesus stands for: the compassion of God and his desire that the needs of all be supplied. They have been with him for three days and are hungry. They must be fed. There’s not much to feed them with – seven loaves of bread and a few fish. It is enough for Jesus. And again and again people who have dedicated themselves to caring for the hungry and homeless have found what they needed turning up on their doorstep. The readings are about the abundance that comes from God. This is what salvation means – the fulfilling of all our needs: spiritual, emotional, social and physical. In the Gospel, full of trust and confidence, people bring their lame, the crippled, the blind and dumb. Jesus healed them all and the crowds were amazed. There then comes a scene which is a kind of parable of what Jesus stands for: the compassion of God and his desire that the needs of all be supplied. They have been with him for three days and are hungry. They must be fed. There’s not much to feed them with – seven loaves of bread and a few fish. It is enough for Jesus. And again and again people who have dedicated themselves to caring for the hungry and homeless have found what they needed turning up on their doorstep. Summary

4. Reflection Questions • Have you ever been helped through something that was very difficult? • Have you ever helped someone else through a tough time?