The account of the stoning of Stephen is brutal and reminds us of the Crucifixion of Jesus. Stephen was a faithful follower of Christ. As he was arguing in defence of himself, Stephen accused the Jews of not following the Law nor believing the Prophets. The crowd couldn't contain their anger when Stephen shared his vision of heaven, and they began to stone him in fits of anger. Yet Stephen forgave them just as Jesus forgave those who killed him.

Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 and then went alone to the other side of the sea. The next day the crowd followed Him and asked for a sign so that they could believe in Him. When the people asked Jesus for a sign like the manna in the wilderness, He told them that it was His Father and not Moses who had provided the manna. Jesus then revealed Himself to the people by stating "I am the bread of life." By saying this, Jesus redirected the crowd's rudiment story to a deeper connection with God, the Provider.

Similarly, all that Jesus asks of us is that we come to Him and believe in Him and not in material provisions. That sounds very simple but during difficult times in life, it can be very challenging. At those times, we need to look back and see how God has been there for us in the past and know that God will always be with us.