When Life Gives You Tomatoes, Make Ketchup!

That was our approach to mealtime when our daughter Sarah was very young. After squaring off repeatedly at the table, Sarah on one end of the fork and my husband and I on the other, we finally got her to eat certain foods by serving ketchup as a side dish. Meats,

vegetables: it all became amazingly enticing when it was covered in ketchup. Perhaps that is why Jesus, the consummate storyteller, used parables to serve up weighty eternal truths. On the surface His stories were amusement. But lying within, covered in yummy mind pictures, was a wholesome kernel of instruction that slid down easily and went to work edifying the mind and body. 5 Little Tomatoes is the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes, one of many miracles that form

the Biblical backbone of Christ as Messiah. This miracle, in particular, was a deliberate demonstration by Jesus to help us understand that we, alone, are not enough. We need the bread of life that only He can provide. There's no reason why that bread can't have a little ketchup on top, though. 5 Little Tomatoes is the perfect recipe for a tasty, teachable moment.