At least twice, after teaching people, Jesus fed people. He talked with his disciples, asked what they had available, and distributed it. And in the process of distribution, there was enough food to feed the crowd and to feed the disciples.
The disciples themselves were depending on the support of their friends and families. They were depending, for example, on women who had resources and followed Jesus to feed them.
And Jesus, when teaching his disciples how to pray, included daily asking for bread for that day. And Jesus, when giving the disciples a way to remember him, picked bread and wine.
So when Jesus says that the king will say, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,” he was affirming that sharing food matters. People who have food share it. People who have resources turn them into food for people who are hungry.
Sometimes this looks like cinnamon rolls for neighbors. Sometimes this looks like supper together. Sometimes this looks like a community garden. Sometimes this looks like a neighborhood food bank. Sometimes this looks like people in rich countries providing consistent resources to children who are dying in poor countries.
This can look like lots of things. But apparently, Jesus doesn’t want it to look like this: “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.”
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