From the pulpit
You feed them
Today's Gospel is the Gospel of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, one of Christ's most well-known miracles. Even people who do not practise Christianity know this story. It is also the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels, making it the one miracle every Evangelist deemed essential to proclaim throughout the world.
In the Orthodox Church, we often refer to it as the Gospel of Blessing. We look to this passage and receive its blessing, so much so that whenever there is a fifth Sunday in the month, the Church appoints this Gospel to be read again, allowing the congregation to receive its abundant grace.
It begins with a problem
As we unpack this Gospel, it begins with a problem.
The people had been with Christ all day. They were in a deserted place, and they were hungry. They turned to the disciples looking for help, but the disciples didn't know what to do.
Earlier in the chapter we read that "the apostles returned." They had come back from preaching in neighbouring towns. They were exhausted. They had given everything they had and simply wanted to spend time with Christ. In their minds, their work for the day was finished.
It's much like us as parents. We've worked all day, we're physically and emotionally drained, we finally sit down, and then one of our children asks for something. We feel we've tapped out. There's nothing left in the tank to give.
The disciples faced a second problem: they lacked resources. They were in a deserted place. There were no shops, no food, no obvious solution. To make matters worse, they too were hungry. The very problem the crowd brought to them was the same problem they themselves were experiencing.
How often do we find ourselves in that same position? We feel depleted. We feel low on resources, out of ideas, out of strength. The very struggles people ask us to help with are often the same struggles we are trying to overcome ourselves.
"You give them something to eat"
So the disciples present the problem to Christ. His response seems almost surprising.
"You give them something to eat."
They come seeking His solution, and instead He turns to them and says, "You solve it."
Of course, Christ sees the whole picture. He knows their exhaustion. He knows their limitations. Yet God insists on using His people to accomplish His work. He desires His glory to be revealed through those who serve Him.
Throughout Scripture, this is God's pattern.
- When the Ten Commandments were given, God could have spoken directly to all of Israel, yet He chose Moses.
- When David faced Goliath, God could have sent fire from heaven, yet He chose David.
- When the leper sought healing, Christ sent him to the high priest, even though He Himself was the true High Priest.
Again and again, God chooses to work through His people.
Humanly speaking, involving us is often less efficient. Yet He still calls us to participate.
It's like cleaning the house and having your young son or daughter insist on helping. You know they'll probably slow the process down. You may even have to fix what they've done afterwards. But you involve them anyway, because the relationship matters more than the efficiency.
In feeding others, we ourselves are fed
So why does God call us to serve?
I believe the answer is found at the end of this miracle. In feeding others, we ourselves are fed.
After everyone had eaten, the Gospel tells us that twelve baskets of leftovers remained. That number is no accident. There were twelve disciples, and each disciple carried home a basket overflowing with bread.
Their reward for serving was abundance.
Each basket became a reminder that in feeding others, they themselves had been nourished.
By serving, we are served.
In the Book of Genesis, God says, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." We were created in the image of a God who exists in perfect communion. When we journey together as a family, as a church, and as a community, we reflect something of that divine unity.
Notice how the disciples began this Gospel. They served reluctantly. They grumbled. They questioned whether they had enough.
But they didn't leave empty. They left victorious. They left satisfied. They left carrying more than they had when they first arrived.
Sometimes we see service as another burden, another demand on our already busy lives. But the disciples didn't leave that day feeling as though they had done God a favour. They left feeling blessed. They carried those baskets home to their families as a testimony that God had multiplied not only the bread but also His grace in their own lives.
Perhaps we need to rediscover the privilege of serving.
We are called to feed one another
We are called to feed one another. Sometimes that means food. Sometimes it means companionship. Sometimes it means prayer.
Perhaps our excuses are the very same as the disciples'. "I don't have the right words." "I don't know enough Scripture." "I don't have enough to give." Yet God can still make us His mouthpiece.
Many people today are hungry, not for bread, but for compassion, encouragement and prayer.
I recently heard of a priest who, whenever someone asked him to pray for them, would take out a small notebook and write down their request. He would take that notebook home and pray over every name as though he were praying for his own family. When God answered the prayer, he would simply cross it off the page.
He prayed with sincerity. He prayed with love.
Many people around us are hungry for exactly that kind of care. They are hungry for love.
And Christ still says to us today: "You give them something to eat."
Let us not respond by saying, "I'm too tired," or, "I have nothing to offer." When we reject the call to serve, we often miss the miracle ourselves. We miss the privilege of becoming part of God's work.
I once heard Fr Anthony Messeh pray that God would bless his ministry in the same way Christ blessed the five loaves and the two fish. May that become our prayer as well.
May we stop making excuses. May we willingly answer God's call to serve, trusting that in serving others, He Himself will nourish us.
I'll finish with a beautiful anonymous prayer:
Lord, let my hands be Your hands: heal through them. Let my eyes be Your eyes: help me see people as You see them. Let my feet be Your feet: lead me wherever You desire. Let my heart beat as one with Yours. Crucify my will and resurrect Yours. I surrender. Take over.
Glory be to God forever. Amen.
