Sit down on the grass

Grass is everywhere isn’t it! In England we have lots of grass and I live in the North East near the countryside so we have loads of it. I remember particularly in my earlier years of being a Christian that I would sit in the middle of our back garden on the grass and I felt close to God.  I wonder if this is why God created so much grass. I wonder if it was to encourage us to stop and sit down and spend time with Him.

Below is the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. This can be found in the Bible in John 6: 1-13. In the story Jesus tells the people to sit down and they sat down on the grassy slopes….

After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy there with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

“Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So, they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” So, they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

Every time I read this story something new seems to stand out to me. The instruction that stood out to me recently is when Jesus says, “Tell everyone to sit down.” Jesus told the people to sit down so that He could feed them. He did not ask them to sit down but he ‘told’ them to sit down. He did not suggest that they eat on the move or eat on the go. Jesus wanted the people to stop and sit and wait for Him to feed them. I think this story could be more than just about food for their stomach. I think this could be about food for the soul. I think this could be about us sitting down on the grass and allowing Jesus to feed us good solid food. The food that will give us eternal life.  Have you heard the saying? “You are what you eat!” Well, the condition of our bodies is largely impacted by what we consume. You get out what you put in. It is the same with the condition of our soul. You get out what you put in.

But I hear you say, “I don’t have time!” or, “I am too busy!” We get so caught up in the busyness of life that we feel like we cannot stop to think and reflect. Often the things we are doing are not wrong but may not be the things we are meant to do or were created to do.

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.” Luke 17:33

What do you think this means? When we cling to our lives’ we live our lives with little consideration to the one who gave us life in the first place. We think that all that we have and all we have accomplished is down to us and our skills and abilities.

We cling to ways of living because we think that is all there is or because that is how we have been brought up or taught to live. What if we let go of what we have learned and started with a blank piece of paper. What if we let go of what we have learned and started again only this time listening to the One who created us to be here in the first place. Surely the one who gave us life knows what is the best way for us to live it. When we are fed by the Lord, we end up with a lot more than we need just like in John 6:1-13.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

All the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the

Lord

Forever.

Amen