A. BACKGROUND... Jesus had “charisma.” From Greek, the word means “gift.” Nowadays we use it for people who are “gifted” in holding everyone’s attention – we say they are “charismatic.” Jesus had charisma of both kinds. He clearly had God-given gifts AND he attracted crowds. His public ministry was only three years, but people flocked to hear him and be helped by him. That’s the background for today’s scripture.
C. SUMMARY. This is the rare Bible story that appears in all four Gospels. For the sake of summary, I will blend the four. Because of Jesus’ increasing popularity a huge crowd showed up to see him on this day. As the day wore on the disciples urged Jesus to send the crowd home since they couldn’t afford to feed everybody. But Andrew brought a youngster to Jesus who had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus then organized the crowd into groups of 50 and 100, had them sit down, then proceeded to feed everyone. At the end, Jesus had the Disciples collect the leftovers, which filled 12 baskets.
D. KEY POINTS
1. METHODOLOGY. Jesus offers a simple formula for handling most crises, especially crises of want, shortage, and need.
a. Jesus takes what is offered
b. Doesn’t complain
c. Gives thanks
d. Organizes
e. Shares
f. Conserves what is left over.
In life (personal, family, national, international) we often force crises of need and distribution. We will soon see this played out with the Covid-19 vaccine, thank God. Who gets it? Who gets it first? How do we get it to all who need it? Etc. We’ve seen this with famines and energy and HIV/AIDS medication. Jesus is showing us that there is enough if we are willing to pray, organize, share, and conserve.
2. MIRACLE or miracle? See the difference? Did the loaves and fishes miraculously multiply so that thousands got fed? That’s “Miracle” with a capital M. Or did the example of the youngster sharing his home-packed lunch with the disciples, and the disciples sharing with the crowd, inspire everyone in the crowed to share their home-packed lunches? Maybe that’s not a capital M miracle, but getting people to share is no small thing! At least a small “m” miracle. The Bible doesn’t tell us. It’s a straightforward story for us to apply as we will. Back to the formula: take what you have, don’t whine, give thanks, organize, share, and conserve.
3. WHY groups of 50 and 100? I am guessing that Jesus anticipated the possibility of sharing. Such a large crowd no doubt came from some distance and would have taken some food for the journey – just like the youngster’s mom no doubt made sure he was prepared. By breaking down an overwhelming crowd of thousands into manageable groups, Jesus made the people aware of and accountable for those nearby. Sometimes a number can be so big we get overwhelmed and can’t imagine a solution. But Jesus makes it personal, neighborly. And doable.
