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God provides something out of nothing. That is the basic story of creation, and it is the way God provided manna for his people in the wilderness. But the story in this week's gospel is different. Jesus does not make something out of nothing here. No — he takes what God has already provided. He draws out the resources that are already present in the community.
Jesus gets the disciples, and us, to see what’s there with new eyes. The disciples are coming from a place of fear, of scarcity: there will never be enough! What Jesus shows us is that, whatever we have, whatever God has already given us, is always enough. If we look at it in the right way. If we decide to share. If we let go of our fear and stop holding onto to what’s “ours” so tightly. If we can do those things, we absolutely have enough bread to feed the whole world.
Whatever we brought with us is what we have to share, and there’s plenty for everyone, and more left over besides. This is a pretty compelling picture of what the Kingdom of God is like.
Read Debie Thomas' "The Miracle of Gathering."
Here’s another way of looking at it: this story about feeding the five thousand is the first supper, instead of the last supper. Jesus sat down and broke bread with his friends many times over the course of his ministry, not just that last night in the upper room. It’s important to remember that the last supper is not the only Eucharistic feast in the Gospels. Every time Jesus broke bread with friends, it was a thanksgiving meal (for that is what eucharist means—thanksgiving).
-The Rev. Jason Cox in "Take, Bless, Break, and Give. " See also Jessie Larkins, "Dream or Deliverance?"
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