John 6:1-21
More than once, I have heard people saying that Jesus had a good sense of humor. The first time I heard this, I thought they were disrespecting Jesus, because the image I had of Jesus was a “serious person”, always preaching and talking about serious matters, like God’s kingdom and salvation. But little by little I began knowing him better and scriptures like the one we read this morning, confirm -I believe- that in fact he had a good sense of humor.
Can you imagine Phillip’s face when Jesus told him “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” and Phillip saw 5000 thousand men plus women and kids in front of him, and the gospel of John says, “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” I will paraphrasePhillip’ answer to Jesus: Jesus it is not matter of where we are going to get bread, is matter of how we are going to buy it “Two hundred denary worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” (KJV) Another version says, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
The Bible does not say it, but I think in his mind Jesus said, “Phillip, I got you” and maybe he even smiled a little.
“Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” that was the question; and bread to feed more than 5000 people. Phillip’ reaction to the question and to the need was very logical: there is no way; we do not have enough money for all to have a bite.
Phillip had a very logical mind, we can see that in chapter 14 of the same gospel, when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” … “Without me, no one can go to the Father and If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.” Phillip couldn’t find any logical explanation for this, how can one know someone without seeing, and he said: let us see the Father, that is all we need.
Reading the Gospel this morning, I cannot help to feel sorry for Phillip, Jesus put on his shoulders the responsibility to feed over 5000 thousand men plus women and children and “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” What a sense of humor. How was he going to do it, the Gospel does not say it. After Jesus put on Phillip’ shoulders the burden of feeding all these people, something happened, Andrew shows up with a little boy. Maybe this little boy was playing and overheard Jesus asking Phillip how they were going to get food for all this people, and maybe he saw Phillip’s face showing the helplessness before the task that Jesus had put on his shoulders, and with the innocence only kids have, he said to Andrew “Jesus needs food, I have these fish and these bread”
As I have said before is good to put our imagination to work when we read these stories from the bible and try visualizing these events. Imagine how Jesus felt when his grown-up disciple, the one who saw him heal a cripple, clean the skin of lepers, make people free from the power of evil spirits, transform the water in wine and now he is telling Jesus that there is no way to feed these multitude, that they do not have how.
Now, try to imagine Jesus’ face when this little kid placed in his hands his lunch, so he could use it. I think -and this is part of my personal interpretation that Jesus was going to make manna descend from heaven, the same way God did it before. As God did when Israel was in the wilderness, or maybe he was going to transform stones in bread. But now he is willing to change the menu and the miracle of feeding the multitude because a little kid was willing to help.
I know that the center of this scripture is the multiplication of the fish and bread, but if we see the scripture closer, it will also reveal us how personal, how simple, how humble our God is. The almighty God, the One who in the beginning created heavens and earth just by himself, the one who opened the red sea and made water come out from a rock, the one who defeated Pharaoh’s army. He, in Jesus Christ allows and invites his creatures, men, women and children to work hand by hand with him. He allows his creatures to be part of his miracles.
In the Old Testament when the almighty heard the cry out of his people and wanted to liberate them, he invited an eighty-year-old man called Moses to do so. In the New Testament, he invited a young lady called Mary to be his partner in the business of incarnation; he invited and prepared 12 uneducated and unprepared men to be his partners in the business of his kingdom. Now he is allowing a little kid to be his partner in the business of catering.
Thanks God, for the little ones; they –most of the time – do not question, they do not use logic, they are spontaneous. The kid from our story just wanted to help, he was not aware of what Jesus was going to do, he just came to Jesus with what he had. If we compare five pieces of bread and two small fish with the need of a hungry multitude of five thousand men plus women and kids, five pieces of bread and two small fish is literality nothing. But this little boy did not think, he only wanted to help, and his desire to help was the spark for a great miracle.
“And Jesus knew what he was going to do” When Jesus saw the multitude, he knew what he was going to do; he had plans for them and maybe he tested Phillip because he -Phillip had a lunch bag, as the little kind, but unlike the kid he kept it for himself.
God has plans for this church, God has plans for every one of us, but he does not want to fulfill them alone, he is inviting us, as he did with some many before, to be his partners. In this partnership he will put his almighty power to work on me and you and on all the gifts we have. What we have might have no value before our eyes or before someone else’s eyes, but in God’s hands everything changes. Once I heard someone saying, how much money can you make with a basketball in your hands? Maybe not much, but how much money can Michael Jordan make with the same ball on his hands; how much money can you make with a soccer ball in your feet, maybe not much; but how much money Ronaldinho or Messi can make with the same ball on their feet. You see the value of what we have depends on what we do with it. Two small fish and five pieces of bread in a kid’s hands is worth a lunch for one, in Jesus’ hands was worth lunch for a multitude.
When Jesus looked around, he saw a hungry multitude and he knew what he was going to do; Phillip looked around and said there is nothing we can do; the little kid heard Jesus talking about the need, then saw inside his bag and said this is what I have.
What kind of need is Jesus looking around us today? What would your answer be to this need? Would it be like the one Phillip gave? Or would you look in your bag and bring what you have, so Jesus can use it as he did with the little kid’ lunch? You might be saying I have nothing to bring, but that is not true you have your life, surrender it to him. Abraham did, and that was the spark of a nation; Moses did it when he was 80 and God led his people out of Egypt; David did and he defeated a giant; Esther did it and she – a simple young woman- saved her country and I can go on and on with men and women who compare with the need they had before them, they were a simple “lunch bag” but in partnership with the almighty God, they were and made great miracles. Let’s work hand by hand with Jesus and I tell you he will do great miracles with us and through us.
Reading the story of the multiplication of the fish and bread it reminded me the “stone soup story” Jesus is the traveler or the soldier (depending on the version we hear) who had the pot, the stone and the water. He knows there is a famine, a spiritual famine among us and he is inviting us to participate in what he wants to do. He wants to show you what greats things we can do when we work together with him; he wants to show you that your tomatoes and your onions and your cabbage, and your beef … by themselves might not be much, but all together in Jesus’ pot can create a delicious soup that will revive and will bring new strength to this community.
In an interview a reporter said to Mahatma Gandy, you have accomplished great things, Gandy replied: you said that I, one skinny and short man had accomplished a lot of things, now imagine what India can accomplish if work together. Jesus is working in our midst, he wants to revive the church, and he is looking for partners, would you like to be one?