But Jesus does not operate by human arithmetic. He takes what is insufficient, and He gives thanks, and He distributes until everyone is full and there are twelve baskets left over. He does not run out. He will not run out. Not on that hillside, not at that Upper Table, not at this rail.
Most of all, you give thanks for the gifts that will not burn: Baptism that has buried you with Christ and raised you with Him. Absolution that silences the accusations of your conscience and of the devil. Preaching that keeps dragging you out of yourself and back to Christ. The Supper that feeds you with the very body and blood once offered for you on the cross, now given into your mouth for the forgiveness of sins. That is the real Thanksgiving feast; that is the foretaste of the feast to come.
This is where the kingdom begins to break in. And this is where your repayment begins — not in money or reward, but in resurrection, in mercy, in joy that never ends. So when Jesus says, “Invite the poor,” He’s not just telling you what to do. He’s telling you who you are. You are the poor. You are the blind. You are the one who can’t repay. And still, He invites you.
