In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Well, in the sermon on the Mount Jesus said,

seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and then all these things will be added to you.

He tells you that the priority in your life is first and foremost to be the kingdom.

And that when you make the kingdom your priority, you just don't need to worry about food and drink or clothing or any other kind of worry because you've got a heavenly father who cares for you and who takes

care of all that stuff. So today's gospel is a case in point. The people have been with Jesus

three days. Now, I don't doubt that they had packed some snacks to bring along with them, but after three days,

the food is long since gone, and yet they wouldn't leave him. They listened as he taught, and they

soaked up every word.

I don't know about you, but I get a little irritated with St. Mark that he doesn't tell us

what Jesus preached on for three whole days. But I think you can be sure of this. He preached

on the kingdom of God because that was a theme that was

never very far from his heart. In fact, he'd come into the flesh to open the kingdom of heaven

to all believers. I don't doubt that he preached to them about how much the Heavenly Father loved them

and how he would provide for their every need.

And then he certainly would have told them about himself, the Savior,

the Lamb of God, sent into this world to take away its sins and to smash open the gates of paradise

and bring the lost children of Adam and Eve home. He preached about the kingdom, and one day

slipped into the next slipped into the next three whole days the food long gone and they didn't want to

leave this man who had the words of eternal life.

Yet the one who is feasting them on the bread of the word of life,

...