7th Sunday After Pentecost
Matthew 14:13-21 (NRSV)
Jesus feeds 5,000
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Reflection
Compassion-Healing-Giving-Blessing-Filling
Jesus had compassion on the people and saw a need for curing the sick and did so. The disciples saw a need for food and Jesus simply took what was available, blessed it, broke the bread and multiplied the food enough to fill all those present.
God has been doing this all along. God has always been multiplying bread and fish, so why not here? To us this seems amazing, but to Jesus, creation is normal. The breaking and distribution seems normal to Jesus as well. We give a piece of ourselves in relationship with God and God to us. That piece given is distributed to those we are with and spread about. As it spreads it feeds many others of whom we have no contact with. The Holy Spirit works in and through those other people to spread that piece, that Word to even others. A normal creation and multiplication of God's Word and way to Jesus.
It is amazing when we become part of this process through the distribution of the bread and fish. And it is an example of how we are to live our lives. We are to give pieces of ourselves back to God and to those God gives us so that God's Word and Way may be multiplied.
So what looks like division is multiplication. Just imagine what that Messianic banquet at the end of the age will be like. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Lord, I give you thanks for your compassion. I give you thanks for your healing. I give you thanks that you show me how to give of myself and yet have an eternal supply of your grace still on hand. I give you thanks that you gave yourself to all people to save each individual who believes in you. I give you thanks for teaching me that giving is not subtracting or dividing the whole but adding and multiplication of the whole. Thanks! --- Amen
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