Thoughts for the Day

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.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The story of the feeding of the 5,000, which appears in all four Gospels, encourages us to look deeper at themes like compassion, faith, and community. First we should note that Jesus, in his grief, had spent time alone with God after hearing of the death of John the Baptist. Escaping by boat he has sought isolation further along the coast. But the people are desperate, and the crowds follow him along the shore-line. They have brought their sick with them and are tired after their journey from the surrounding towns.

We are told that Jesus has compassion for them and heals their sick, but his response to the disciples who show concern for the people is somewhat odd. "You give them something to eat!" he says. The disciples bring out their limited resources of five loaves and two fish. Then it is that through prayer and thanksgiving the offering is multiplied until it feeds the huge crowd with plenty left over. This is a miracle whatever happened, after all 5,000 men plus women and children were fed.

Perhaps though we can say something else about this miracle. While individual selfish attitudes prevail nothing much can be achieved, but when compassion for others take centre stage along with faith, and the collaborative effort of many thousands of people, miracles can and do occur. Our world can change when people involve God in their plans and ask His blessing, and when they pull together as community, no matter our own small personal input.

Father God,
let us not despair when faced
with impossible challenges for with Your help
our small efforts can be turned into miracles.
Give us compassion for others
and the desire to work together
to make changes to our world.
Amen.