Can you imagine what life must have been like when there were no modern food stores around? If you wanted some vegetables for dinner, you didn’t hop in the car and run down to the grocery store. You either went to the cellar and gathered from the stored harvest, or you did without. Those were the conditions when Jesus poses his question to Phillip about where to buy enough food to feed the huge crowd following along.
Along with the obvious lack of resources for that purpose, the amount of money it would take to buy the food even if it were available completely baffles Phillip. The disciples manage to come up with the five loaves and two fish, and the miraculous results fill twelve wicker baskets. With this miracle, Jesus aims to show that he is enough for all our needs, both physical and spiritual. All we have to do is entrust all that we have to his care.
The significance of this miracle is undeniable for that reason and others, especially since this story is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. We have John’s version, which he uses as one of seven signs that reveal who Jesus is and what he is about (The Gospel of John, Barclay, p. 9). The multiplication story serves as a prelude to the bread of life teaching that occurs when Jesus says to the people, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (Jn 6:35). The Eucharist is the bread of life, a mere morsel that feeds and nourishes the many, just as the multiplied bread had fed and nourished the many on the grassy knoll.
The supporting characters in the multiplication story provide additional insight into who Jesus is and what he is about. Phillip is the first. When Jesus asks him where to buy food, Phillip’s immediate response is to throw up his hands in frustration and desperation. He is overwhelmed. He sees no available option. Not only is no food available, the money needed to buy for so many is absurd. Phillip suffers from the common ailment of paralysis by analysis, so he does nothing. He doesn’t even think to ask Jesus for his opinion on the matter.
How many times do we respond like Phillip when faced with what appears to be insurmountable odds? Our anxiety and worry lead us to forget the advice of Peter who urged the early Christians to “Cast all your cares on God, because he cares for you” (1Pt5:7; Ps55:23). Jesus likewise cautions against worry and urges us to have courage. Seek first the kingdom of God, he says, and God will provide everything else we need (Mt 6:33-34). We find it very difficult to accept that level of trust at face value. We forget that God responds generously to those who put their trust in him (Ps 118:8; Mal 3:10).
Andrew is another character in the story with a lesson for us today. He is a little more positive than Phillip. Andrew’s first response is to point out the boy with the bread and the fish. Andrew’s positive approach quickly fades into skepticism, however. He doubts the usefulness of such meager supplies for such a crowd. Andrew has little confidence in his ability to do anything, so he simply relies on someone else to solve the problem.
How often we act like Andrew. We are hopeful at first that things will work out well, but our confidence soon turns to doubt. We act like the seed that fell on rocky soil. Our anxiety and fear hold us back, and we do not let our trust in Jesus take root. We ignore the idea that Jesus pleads for our trust when he says, “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).
Then, there is the boy. We don’t even know his name, but we know that he brings all that he has with complete humility and trust that Jesus will accept his meager supplies and take care of the rest. He surrenders himself to Jesus and lets Jesus take care of everything, and he does so without question. His guideposts are total abandonment and trust in Jesus. Wittingly or not, this young man took seriously the advice found in Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; on your own intelligence do not rely. In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths” (Prov 3:5-6).
The lesson that all these characters offer is clear. When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (Jn6:35), he claims that he alone can nourish our spirits. He alone can satisfy our hungry hearts. Jesus is enough for all. The challenge for us is that we doubt this guarantee. As a result, we don’t know how to find genuine nourishment. We look it in the wrong places. We spend our spiritual coin for what is not bread, our wages for what fails to satisfy (Is 55:2).
There are times we experience spiritual poverty and feel as though we have nothing to eat or drink. Yet, the Lord Jesus calls us out of our poverty. He invites us to come to his banquet with trust. He invites us to bring all that we have—our hunger, our thirst, our troubled hearts—bring it all to him, and then do whatever he says (Jn 2:5). He is enough.
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