Here again is an example of Jesus, besieged by his followers, trying to get away from it all. A few weeks ago, I mentioned the idea that sometimes a part of the Scripture that is quite important is left out of our reading. Today is a good example of that. The context of the Gospel is this: at the beginning of the chapter, Matthew told the story of John the Baptist's death at the hands of King Herod Antipas. John had been critical of Herod because he had married his deceased brother's wife. John had been imprisoned for a long time, and finally executed. Just before our reading begins today, Jesus learned about the terrible fate of his cousin, John. Jesus has gone out in a boat, perhaps in an effort to be alone with his grief. After a short time, however, he was besieged by those who wanted their own needs met. True to form, Jesus had compassion on the people he met when he came to shore, and he cured those who were sick.

Sometimes, it seems as though all the problems in the world besiege us, just as Jesus was besieged by the crowds that followed him out to the lonely place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. How can one person make a difference in the lives of so many who have nothing? It's not that we don't want to help; it just seems as though the task of feeding and clothing the poor, nursing the sick, providing safety and security to our neighbors far and near is just overwhelming. We are afraid, too, that if we help one person, someone might think we're an easy mark. Soon all the needy people in the neighborhood will want something from us, and how will we supply all those needs without giving up so much that we have nothing left for ourselves? 

Perhaps those very thoughts crossed the disciples' minds, prompting them to suggest to Jesus that he simply send the crowds of people away, so they could go to the villages and buy food. Did they even consider that if it were growing dark, stumbling around in the wilderness looking for something to eat wouldn't be the safest thing to do? Nevertheless, the disciples were probably hungry and tired, helping Jesus minister to the sick all day long, and I'm sure Jesus was ready for a rest and a meal as well. As usual, though, Jesus turned things upside down. Rather than send the people on their way, he told the disciples that they should feed them. I can just picture the expressions on their faces as they looked at each other. "Oh no," they must have thought, "Here he goes again!" In a parallel telling of this Gospel, Mark relates the story in pretty much the same way, but adds the detail that the disciples got a little testy about the challenge that Jesus put before them. They said, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread?" A denarius was the amount of money the average person got for a day's labor. The disciples estimated that it would take six months worth of wages to buy enough food to feed five thousand men plus the unknown number of women and children who had come with them. For Jesus and his disciples, such wealth was not at their fingertips. As it was, five loaves and two fish were just about the amount it would take to feed Jesus and his disciples. From a practical point of view, they were all set. All that needed to happen was to disperse the crowd, and they could settle down and have their supper in peace.

Jesus had a better idea. He offered up the five loaves of bread and the two fish to God, turning his face to heaven, and he blessed the provisions. His gesture will be repeated again for his disciples at the end of this Gospel, when Jesus blesses the bread and wine at the Last Supper. But in this lonely place, Jesus did not focus on how little there was in the face of that massive crowd; instead, he counted what food was available as a blessing. He did not look at the vast number of people that needed to be fed; instead, he saw the opportunity to do something for each of the people that were present. Most importantly, Jesus recognized that we are not the providers of anything in this world-God is. Jesus did not look at his own hands, thinking, "Ok, let's do some magic here." He looked up to the heavens and asked God's blessing on what was provided, and God answered him with unbelievable bounty. 

Now there are two ways of looking at this situation. In one respect, we can view this episode as a wonderful example of a miracle. Jesus had the power, with God's help, to overcome the laws of physics and create a vast supply of food from a small amount of resources. One can imagine the disciples, grabbing a chunk of bread, tearing it off the loaf, and handing it to a person, then going on to the next guy, tearing off another piece, and on to that guy's wife, tearing off another piece, and then handing a smaller piece of bread to the child she was holding. Yet the original loaf did not get any smaller! Piece after piece was torn off the loaf, without diminishing it at all until all the people were fed. Same thing with the fish-maybe a disciple started out with a basket holding the two fish, and every time he reached in and removed a fish, another one took its place. Those baskets of bread and fish were like bottomless pits, replenishing the supply of food as quickly as it was handed out. This was, indeed, a miracle of huge proportions!

Here is another take on this episode in Jesus' ministry. What if, when the people in the front rows saw Jesus bless the bread and fish, and the disciples begin to distribute the food, they reached into their own bags and knapsacks? What if, witnessing the generosity of Jesus and his followers, they suddenly remembered the provisions they had packed for themselves before they set out to find Jesus? What if they began to share those provisions with the acquaintances, relatives, and strangers who did not think to bring anything with them? Would it diminish the power of Jesus in any way to think that he brought about a new generosity of spirit among the people with whom he had so graciously shared everything he had? Would it be any less miraculous to see thousands of people freely sharing all they had with perfect strangers? 

While some might see this later interpretation of the loaves and fishes story as denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, I think we could argue that the transformation of people is just as important and miraculous as the multiplication of fish and bread. In all honesty, I believe that the bread and fish were multiplied by the power of God. You may believe that the bounty happened when people shared their provisions. Whichever way you look at this story, there were twelve baskets of the pieces that were left behind after everyone had eaten their fill. Twelve baskets of leftovers from what would have barely filled two or three baskets to begin with! 

Just as it is the job of the disciples to take the bread and fish from God's hands and give it to those in need, it is our job to take the resources we have and use them to make a difference in the world. Just as God's compassion for people took bread and fish and multiplied it, he will also multiply what we have and make it possible to feed those who hunger and thirst not only for food, but also for justice, peace, love, and a relationship with God.

I could not have picked a better Gospel reading for today if I had tried. Today is the first Sunday of the month, the Sunday when we take up an extra collection to give to the Daily Bread program, which feeds the hungry in Turlock. We give of ourselves to the Glory of God; God, in turn, will take what we offer and multiply it. It is God that supplies the provisions, and God loves to do what we are not able to do ourselves. When we trust God, and begin to turn our lives and resources over to him, he takes great delight in turning our crumbs into an overwhelming abundance. With our efforts, our trust in the Lord, and God's generous grace, we can feed the world.

Amen