In the Gospel, this weekend, we heard of a community meal of sorts: the feeding of the five thousand.
In the 19th Century, there was a German Protestant biblical scholar by the name of Heinrich Paulus. And it seems he was the first to put forth the theory regarding this passage of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, that you may have heard.
Heinrich Paulus claimed that the real miracle occurred when the crowds saw the generosity of the boy who shared his lunch, that they all brought out bread that they had secretly stashed away, and shared it with each other. And that’s why there was really plenty of food to go around.
Now, I guess that’s a nice idea. The charity of one inspires charity in others. If ordinary Christians, like you and me, we were all just a little more generous and a little more trusting of each other, we’d have a lot more resources to share for the work of the church. A nice moral lesson.
And yet, is that the really point of the story? For, the passage itself indicates that the Lord Jesus did something ordinary people could not do. He effected a miracle in which twelve wicker baskets were filled, not with fragments stashed in everybody’s knapsacks, but from the five barley loves.
To read this passage as if Jesus did not perform a miracle is to do violence to the Bible - it's distorting the words of the text, not interpreting them.
The text is clear: there was not enough food to feed everybody. Not even a year's salary (two hundred denarii) could buy enough for such a feast, as Philip nervously points out.
Again, what’s the point of the story? There are problems in this world that we cannot solve on our own—neither science nor politics nor simple humanitarian effort. There are problems that money cannot solve. Man’s natural talents and ingenuity are incapable, ultimately, to defeat the forces of evil. Human strength is insufficient to overcome selfishness, lust, and greed that rage within the human heart. No amount of human cunning, cleverness, brute force, or application of natural resources are able to bring about a solution to sin or death.
Only when we put all that we have and all that we are into Jesus’ hands will we ever be truly fed, united, and delivered. Because Jesus is God. That’s the point of the story. We must go to God to be fed, united, and delivered and he is abundant in feeding us, uniting us, and delivering us when we bring ourselves to Him.
This of course is not to say that we should not exert great effort in feeding the hungry of the world, working for peace through political means, and seeking to heal the sick and relieve human suffering. Christians even need to work together with people of different faiths to accomplish these goods.
However, human endeavors ultimately fail, when they are not rooted in God. In vain do the builders labor, unless the Lord builds the house.
And yet, more is at stake than mere earthly, temporal peace. Ultimately, this passage is about eternal life. St. John begins the 6th chapter of his Gospel, which we will be reading through for the next five weeks with this miracle story. John wants us to know, that the Bread, the food, that brings eternal life, comes only through Jesus Christ. For in today’s Gospel Jesus is doing something that human beings cannot do on their own. For he is God. Only He can feed the multitude of the peoples’ of the world.
And yet, it isn’t helpful to completely ignore the role of the ordinary people in today’s Gospel. Jesus in fact DID ask the apostles to bring to Him the little they had, and he did work wonders with what they gave him.
We are invited, commanded, taught to entrust to Jesus the little we do have. Grace accomplishes what human effort cannot, but human effort is still needed. For what is not given is not multiplied. What is not offered is not transformed.
He does ask of us to bring to him the little we have—the little time, talent, and treasure, which I know you’ve heard before. But when the little we have is given to God it is infused and multiplied by Him.
Time in prayer, especially, given to God throughout the day becomes a conduit for God to reach into our lives and heal wounds, and transform hearts, and multiply our meager resources, physical and mental, clear away confusion. 5 Minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the evening with bible in lap, television turned off, phone set aside can do wonders.
Father, I’m too busy to pray. False. You just haven’t given the Lord the little time you do have, in order for it to be multiplied. Make time for God and he will make time for you.
Not only our time, but our talent is held back from God. Sometimes we minimize what we could do, so we don’t have to do it. But the Lord wants our meager talents, our parish needs live people showing up to do work. Our legion of mary, our svdp, our garden club, for example, could really use some new members. It’s becoming clear that the Lord is presenting us with some mighty challenges, some wonderful opportunities, but we need folks to show up. It just can’t be the same small handful of folks. Your pastor is appealing to you. Get involved. Bring your ideas, your talents, your words of encourage. In your daily prayer ask God, what can I do for you today that I’ve never done before?
And folks. I know. I’ve been there. I ask the Lord what do you want from me, an idea pops into my head, and I’m like…how about something else. Can’t I just do your will sitting in my office? Can’t I just stay at home? I’d have to rearrange my schedule if I were to do that…Lord, can’t you think of something more convenient for me?
But trusting in him, willing to give up our plans, our time, our treasure into his hands, he multiplies them, transforms them, making us his instruments for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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