For the people of Jesus' time, observing God's law was of immense importance. On the Sabbath, work was forbidden, including the act of reaping. Thus, when the disciples plucked grains of wheat to eat, this could be viewed as breaking the Sabbath law.

It must have come as a surprise when Jesus advocated that these hungry followers be allowed to eat, even if this violated the ritual law.

What he said next may have been even more stunning, he himself is "lord of the Sabbath." It is God who made the Sabbath and God who allows these people to be fed. Christ shows a deep concern for the people and acknowledges their hunger.

Yet people are hungry for more than just grain. People are hungry for meaning and fulfilment in life.

The first reading is a call to all people to be fed. It is an invitation to choose what is good, to be reconciled to God, to believe the good news, and to enjoy the hope that springs from this. God wants us, and all people to be nourished - and to be nourished forever.