And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry. Mark 11:12
Have you ever been hungry? I mean really starving, desperate for anything to eat. I guess we all have, at some point in our lives. And we don’t want to go back there. That is why we eat as often as we do, because we don’t like the feeling of hunger. And we often forget that Jesus knew that feeling. It is amazing that the Maker and Sustainer of the universe, the One who enables every successful crop, the One who sends the rain and sunshine to make food grow, knew what it was to be hungry. How could One who was so wealthy in Heaven stoop to such poverty, accept such human feelings?
The fact that Jesus was hungry tells us that He was truly human, just as much a human being as the rest of us. His body needed nourishment and water, just like us.
There are days when my aging body feels its increasing limitations, and I long for a day when our bodies will be made like unto His glorious body. I did not choose these limitations, these dependencies on food. But Jesus did. He knew before he came that He would know hunger and thirst. And He still came. My body’s frailties are the result of my sin. Jesus’ human frailties were the also result of my sin. He willingly stopped to accept my frailties, so He could be punished for my sins.
Remember today that whatever your body is feeling of pain and deprivation of any kind, Jesus has been there and knows. Find comfort in His caring. -Jim MacIntosh