A Meager Offering – Matthew 14

A text – Matthew 14:13-21

14:13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
14:14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
14:15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
14:16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
14:17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”
14:18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.”
14:19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
14:20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.
14:21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

A reflection:

Much has been preached and written about this story over the centuries. In the first place, how could it be possible? In the second place, how was it done?  In the third place, why didn’t somebody write how the loaves and fishes multiplied so we would know? No matter our speculation for centuries, the end of this episode is the same: all ate and were filled, and leftovers were gathered that amounted to a good deal more than the original amount of food offered to Jesus when he said, “Bring them here to me.”

Five loaves and two fish. Not a quantity equal to the task. But this small offering was made into the mission of God. The kingdom of God was coming near, Jesus was pointing that out, bearing witness of the kingdom breaking in, and this food was a part of that work of witnessing. So the Triune God made it work in the exact way God wanted it to work. The hungry were fed, and good news was preached to the poor.

Whenever I am feeling not up to the task, feeling my resources are meager at best, about to pray for God to let me off the hook and send the people away to buy their own food, it would be wonderful to remember that a meager offering might do exactly what the Lord wants to be done. This is not to say “Never rest. Always be working.” Because Jesus himself goes away for a rest at the start of this passage. No, rather it is to say that God’s mission will challenge us, but we too can offer our meager stores of food or energy or kindness or compassion, and God will multiply them to get God’s work done. Every time. Providence. It is one way we see God’s generosity and abundance wherever we look.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us a part of your mission to do, even when we are feeling under-equipped.  Help us to recognize that you will get the work done. We are simply asked to contribute to it out of your gifts to us.  Amen.