Saturday 24 May 2025

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.  A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.  Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.  Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.  When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’  He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.  Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’  One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,  ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’  Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.  Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.  When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’  So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.  When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Reflection

‘Where are we to find food for all these people to eat?’ Well, these days we’d just call Deliveroo, wouldn’t we, and a host of motorbikes bearing pizza would arrive in convoy within the hour. But without the wonders of the internet, the disciples were at a loss. But the generous offering of a small child was the one step needed for a miracle to take place.

The Bible passage talks of a crowd – in other gospels the number of men are mentioned and the women and children just taken for granted as extras, not worth the counting but there none-the-less. It got me thinking, if the women and children were there this time, then they were almost certainly there every time. Try reading those gospel stories again, but this time imagine them from a child’s eye view rather than, as I expect you do, as though you were there as an adult.  Does it change your perspective?

Maybe when we’re looking for the answer to a problem, it might not be the privileged people in the room, the ones who ‘count’, who have the answer. And the answer might not be the one you expect. Are you in the centre, a person who ‘counts’ in your congregation? You may be blessed when you intentionally make space for the contributions of those on the margins. Do you feel yourself on the margins? Perhaps it is time for you to speak out or use the gifts God has given you, however small they may seem, because Jesus might just be waiting for you to help a miracle take place.

Prayer

All-inclusive God,
You call each of us to give what we can,
no matter how small,
and to enable others to give too.
Open our hearts to hear your call,
our eyes and ears to perceive the need around us.
Take whatever we give, whatever we do, whatever we say,
and use it to further your kingdom here on earth. Amen.