“Give Thanks…!”(Jn.6:1-15).
The story of Jesus feeding five thousand people with “five small barley loaves and two small fish” is one of the very few stories that is found in all four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Again, the story is to teach us that Jesus is the bread of life; not only spiritually, but physically too.
Someone may say the vast array of people who have made it in life are/were not Christians. There’s no argument about that, but Jesus himself was not a Christian and the five thousand people he fed were not Christians too!
The great crowd whom he fed miraculously followed him simply “because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed…” Jesus did not consider their religious affiliations. He was interested in their humanity. Hungry people have to be fed, notwithstanding their religious inclinations. This is how deep God’s love is for all humanity.
The above notwithstanding, we focus on three points of importance as gleaned from the text:
- When Jesus took the loaves, he gave thanks. He did the same for the wine. Lesson: Small as it can be once we give thanks to God he can multiply it to the extent that we would have leftovers.
- When eating was over, Jesus ordered the disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” Waste will always cause want! Ours is a culture of waste – even when we know that waste is the very reason for our present financial and economic predicament! It was easy for the disciples to allow the remains to waste because Jesus the miracle worker could provide enough, anytime.
- Lastly my friend, the end of the pericope cannot be ignored. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” Jesus did not do what he did to gain cheap popularity so as to readily allow himself to be made a mundane king. Today we bribe people to give us titles and positions; but not so with Jesus!
Beloved in the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ remains the bread of life – irrespective of whether you accept him as such. When the need arises that he should feed you, he will do so unequivocally. Note however that he did not go about feeding those people always. He fed them when there was no possibility for them to help themselves.
For the rest of the time, earn your daily bread honestly.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ thank you for providing for us in our times of greatest needs. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.