Fish sandwiches with Jesus

I often think about the miracles that Jesus performed around food and beverages.  I bet the wine at that wedding party at Cana was some good drinking.  Luke's account of the feeding of the five thousand is another example of good eating with Jesus at its best.  Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two small fish. 

Luke's account of the story is as follows:
"The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces."

 I was reminded by my pastor, Rev. Jemonde Taylor that the miracle was not Jesus feeding the five thousand, but rather taking what the disciples had from within them, blessing it and multiplying it.  As we opened our Vestry meeting last night with spiritual formation, this same text was the focus of our discussion.  As the text was read; three things resonated very deeply with me.  The very first thing that Jesus told the disciples was "You give them."  In a world in which we tend to hoard and want to keep things for ourselves, it is clearly evident that we are to be givers, whether that be of food, time, money, or talents.  We are called to give, and not only to give, but give cheerfully. 

The next thing that I took away from this story is that everyone ate and was filled.  The very ministry of Jesus was to level the playing field, to bring equity to a polarized society.  Wouldn't it be something, if everyone's basic needs were met and there were leftovers to share, even after all needs had been met?  At the end of the story, everyone was filled and there were twelve baskets of leftovers.  The lingering question that convicts me is this: "What's left over after you give?"  I know that in this challenging and unstable economic time, we can only focus on what we have.  Take what you have, give it to Jesus.  Let him bless it, share what you have with others.  As was the case with the five thousand souls fed by Jesus, you may have so many fish sandwiches that there may not be enough Texas Pete to go around.  If you give "them" what you have, everyone will be filled and blessed.  What will be left over after you give?

Peace,
Karsten