(Audio)
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
Jesus came that we might have life and have it in abundance. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. His Father pours out good gifts on those who love him. Yet we stop short of believing this when we see that all we have from an earthly point of view is five barley loaves and two fish. What good are these in the face of the wants and needs that surround us?
Our gifts, insignificant though they seem, are given to us for a reason. We are meant to offer them to Jesus. We may not see immediately how they fit into the larger picture but we are told that they do.
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable (First Corinthians 12:22).
If we go off on our own and try to feed the crowds there will assuredly by a lot of hungry and probably angry people. But if we first bring our gifts to Jesus he will use them, weaving them together with those of others into a tapestry we could not have foreseen. It is precisely in this sense that our gifts must be treasured and cultivated.
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
These fragments might have seemed unimportant in the light of the power Jesus displayed in this miracle. After all, he could just do the same thing again as needed. But Jesus insisted that they should be kept. When Jesus makes use of our gifts for his kingdom we should be thankful. We should reflect on what he has done, treasuring these things in on our hearts just as Mary did. When we remember to be thankful the gifts have an effect that even outlasts their initial use. Our faith is strengthened and we are more ready to be used by Jesus again in the future. The fragments themselves help us to transcend the scarcity mindsets that we so often adopt and come to believe that he really does intend for us to have life in abundance.
It is the hidden abundance in the message of the kingdom that sets it apart from other movements in the time of Jesus, and other religions in our own day.
So now I tell you,
have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.
For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,
it will destroy itself.
Christianity looks the same in the aspect of many of its externals. In the face of the cold world of scientific rationalism, or the point of view of economic utilitarianism it seems insufficient. The bread it offers does not seem to be enough. Yet the more Christianity is afflicted the more the secret source that keeps it alive becomes apparent. Jesus has bread about which the world does not know. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.
For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,
it will destroy itself.
But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God.
Let us learn to see the abundance Jesus offers, not just in the abstract, but even operating within his body, even in ourselves. Let this give us confidence when we come up against what seem to be our limits.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
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