December 18, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Advent 2025 – Day 18 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Growing Opposition
Read Sections 4.4 through 4.7 (pages 71-76)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
Life of Jesus 4.4-4.7
What an amazing miracle this feeding of the 5,000 is. There is no other explanation than that Jesus did something miraculous. I wonder if Jesus said for the apostles to give them something to eat so they could recognize their inability to do something, which then highlights Jesus’s ability to do something. And then after praying, Jesus walks on water. Of course they reasoned that He was a ghost, because what other explanation could there be in their understanding of things? And what a beautiful picture of the power that is made available to us if we will only keep our eyes on Jesus and believe. And Jesus not only desires to provide His power on the outside of us, He desires to fill us from within. So in the same way that bread sustains our physical bodies, Jesus, as the bread of life, sustains our spiritual life. And in Him is true fulfillment. Things of the flesh are fleeting and will need to be fed time and time again and more and more. But Jesus is able to fill us completely so we have no other hunger. And Jesus does not talk about eating and drinking Him like we would actually do that. How could we? There would not be enough of Jesus’ physical body to go around and God would not condone cannibalism. But Jesus provides this as a picture of how intimately we would know and engage with Him. That He becomes part of us and the more we avail ourselves of His presence, the more satisfied in Him we will become.
Jesus Fed way over 5000 people with five loaves and two fish we think what we bring to Jesus is minimal, but how he can multiply whether we bring our talent, time or our money. Jesus can multiply into thousands. You never know you could just share a simple testimony with someone and they could become a very influential Shepherd leading many other people to Christ. I love this picture of Jesus walking on the water during a huge storm would probably 4 to 5 foot seas in he’s walking right on top of what the apostles are so afraid of and when Peter was drowning, he knew exactly who to go to as he cried out. save me, Lord.!!!! we have to make sure we’re in the right frame of mind all the time so when it comes to a time of drowning for us, we can cry out. save me, Lord. !!!!!
The story of Peter walking toward Jesus on the water is one I hold close to my heart because I identify so much with it. The times in my life when I have been focused on my faith are times when no matter what is going on under my feet I can stand confident knowing He has got me! But in the times when I have taken my eyes off of God then even the smallest thing can make me feel like I am sinking. So for me this story is such a good reminder where my focus should always be. God is provision, He is the bread of life. His provision doesn’t always look like wealth or excess but sometimes in the fact that daily we have enough. It might seem like not enough, like the fishes and loaves, but again when our eyes are fixed on Him we always seem to get by. He is a provider, not a slot machine, but a provider. I see provision when the bills are paid, there is food in the pantry, when the cars are running, and when we are healthy. Take nothing for granted because it is enough and be grateful for every thing big and small. And even when those things aren’t there be grateful we have a God that is by our side through it all leading us as we walk on the water with Him!
Advent 2025 – Day 18
Psalm 53; Jeremiah 30; The Life of Jesus 4.4-4.7
It’s always interesting when the different passages I’m reading through align.
Today I read in Jeremiah:
“‘Their leader shall be one of them, And their ruler will come out from their midst; And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 30:21 NASB2020
Which I think connects well with when Jesus says “The only one who has seen the Father is the one who came from God. He has seen the Father.”
I always think that Jesus is provoking the Jewish leaders here when He pushes to the limit the consumption of His body and blood. He makes the connection to the manna. I was thinking of the manna as a conduit for their relationship with the Father as they traveled in the desert, it was their only sustenance, it was provided daily, they needed to gather in obedience and not on the Sabbath. The total dependance on the manna mirrors the relationship Jesus is explaining to the Jews and His disciples. We must consume Him.