7-29-20 - How To Feed a Crowd

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here. 

Today is the feast day of Mary and Martha of Bethany, who were among Jesus’ closest friends. It is sweet irony to celebrate these sisters, one a paragon of spiritual devotion, the other a champion hostess, the same day that we study Jesus and his disciples challenged with feeding a crowd numbering in the thousands, with very little food and no planning to speak of. But Jesus channeled some Martha energy and got it organized:

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.

Sure, he had the power of God working through him. He also had a savvy grasp of logistics and crowd control. He had people sit down; we’re often much more receptive when seated. Other accounts tell us that he had people sit in groups of 50 and 100 – now we’re talking manageable groups. We can imagine feeding 50 or 100. Then Jesus took what was on hand, the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven – presumably in prayer, a prayer of blessing, a prayer of thanksgiving for what was about to happen – then blessed the food and broke it up.

And here’s how it got to the people: he gave it to the disciples, and they gave it to the crowds. Jesus didn’t personally feed anyone that day – the disciples did. And as they did, they kept having enough. It doesn’t say that Jesus prayed up a mountain of bread and fish, from which they refilled their baskets. It just says they gave it out, and kept not running out. “And all ate and were filled.”

So often we think something is impossible, insurmountable. Well, if God says it is possible, and if we sense God inviting us to bear God’s power into, say, entrenched racism, a global pandemic, peace in the Middle East and on our own streets, we don’t have to know how it will work; we don’t need to see the whole picture from the start. We can step out in faith, doing the next manageable task, and then the next one, trusting the provision of the One who sent us. God already has the whole thing worked out – and for some reason is waiting for us to carry the baskets, hand out the food, bind up the wounds, help to transform structures of injustice.

Is that a lot of pressure for us? Yes and no. Yes – I do believe that if every true Christ-follower in the world helped to feed others, no one would go hungry. And if more of us stood up to violence and injustice, more people would live in safety. The challenges are only insurmountable because so few do take action. That being said, it’s NOT a lot of pressure, because it isn’t our work – it’s God’s work. We simply make ourselves available. We don’t have to engineer it.

Given what’s going on the world this year, this week, I can hear how “pie in the sky” I sound. I also believe it’s true. So I must ask each day, “Lord, who do you want me to feed? What do you want me to be doing about racial equity?”

What challenge do you sense, which you feel is way beyond your capacity? Is God asking you to do something about it? Then God will show you what resources you already have, and provide what’s lacking. Spend some prayer time on that one today. Then take it, bless it, break it, and give it away.

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