Have you ever watched a magician at work at a magic show? Perhaps he pulls two or more rabbits out of a small hat. Somebody in the crowd will invariably say, “How did he do that?” Someone must have asked that same question one day when Jesus fed the multitudes. 

Our rational inclination today is to try to explain the event. “Inquiring minds want to know!” Some people have suggested that other people came forward with more bread and fish. Others have suggested that everybody had brought their lunch, but it was tucked up their sleeve. The miracle was that Jesus gave everybody permission to share what they had brought. I don’t know exactly what happened that day, but I do not doubt the story or the miraculous feeding. 

There are a number of popular quips about this story. One is where the little boy in Sunday school was asked what his favorite story in the Bible was. He replied quickly, “I like the one where everybody loafs and fishes.” And the other is a saying that goes like this: “The only thing that casts doubt on the miracles of Jesus is that they were all witnessed by fishermen!” 

I believe Jesus performed many miracles. As one who was extraordinarily close to God, as one who had the mind and heart of God, he could heal diseases, he could change water into wine, and he could multiply loaves and fish. For me this feeding story is clearly one of Jesus’ miracles. 

It obviously made a distinct impression upon the early church. It is one of the few stories that is contained in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It not only appears in each of the four Gospels, but it appears twice in Matthew and Mark. The only real difference in these six stories is the crowd count. We have what we call the “ushers” count, and we have what we call the “preacher’s” count. If the ushers’ count was 4000, the preacher’s count was 5000. 

Then we have what is called the “sexist” count. It says 5000 men plus women and children. In Matthew 14:21 we read, “The number of men who ate was around 5000, not counting women and children.” (TEV version) 

I have heard this story since childhood. I heard the story many times in Sunday school. I read the story to our children and to our grandchildren. John’s version has always been my favorite because it tells of a little boy who gave up his lunch in order to feed the crowd. I have heard references to the story used in humorous situations. I have been invited to duplicate the miracle. At some church supper where we’re running out of food, someone says, “Do you think you could do a little ‘loaves and fishes’ miracle today, Reverend?” 

It’s a wonderful story. It really is. But the question is what it means. Let me tell you some issues about which this story makes me think. 

1. PHYSICAL NOURISHMENT IS IMPORTANT 

First, our physical nourishment is important to God. Jesus is the image of God and the revealer of the nature of God. Jesus could have said, “I don’t have time for this. I have more important things to do.” Instead he said, “Tell the people to sit down.” 

It is not God’s intent or God’s desire or God’s will for anyone to be hungry. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” What that really means is, “Give us enough bread for today.” And we will pray the same prayer tomorrow. 

The people were hungry. Jesus saw the need, and he also knew God’s intent. The lead singer from U2, Bono, says, “If you’re looking for God, look for the poorest, the most vulnerable people. That’s where God hangs out.”[i] 

2. HUNGER IS EVER PRESENT 

Secondly, the story reminds me that hunger is ever present in our world. It is not obvious to us, but it is always present. 

The former president of a small Christian denomination wrote an article recently. He was commenting on the huge response to the tsunami and Katrina events in 2005. Here is what he said.

It is good news and a great blessing that dedicated and caring members of the Christian communion are moved to respond so graciously in time of need. The bad news is that most of the time poverty and hunger… do not come in sudden, devastating waves. Rather, day by day they slowly and unspectacularly sow their debilitating destruction. And because there is no sudden alarm, we tend to forget that the reality of the need is ongoing and relentless.[ii] 

There were people in the crowd who probably could have afforded to buy the food for all of those people. There were also plenty of people who had a small store of food for themselves and their families. However, I am absolutely sure that there were also people for whom this would be their only meal in a three-day period. Look into the faces of the crowd in your mind’s eye this morning. Can you see the hunger in their eyes? I can see it. 

I serve on the board of the South Hills Interfaith Ministries (S.H.I.M.). We met this past week on Thursday morning. Toward the end of the meeting there was some discussion about the S.H.I.M food bank to which you contribute each month with the food you bring here to the church. Someone commented that there are a few people who come to the S.H.I.M food bank in very nice cars and obviously live in nice homes. Are they cheating? Are they making habitual use of a free food opportunity? More likely they are in the midst of a divorce, or they have run out of unemployment benefits and they are simply out of cash. They may arrive in nice cars, but they have children waiting at home for the first meal of the day. Hunger is an ongoing issue in our world. Jesus knew that. 

We still hear staggering statistics about hunger in America. One of the ones that leaves an impression on me is this: one out of every five children in America is hungry. Not starving—not necessarily visible—but hungry. 

3. THERE IS ENOUGH 

Thirdly, the story reminds me that in God-centered kingdom living, there is enough. A question was raised recently as to what is the world’s single largest source of food. You know what the answer is? McDonald’s! But a better answer is this: the world’s largest single source of food is the providence and care of God. 

Two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands would mean a couple of fish sandwiches. In God’s hands, it will feed thousands. It depends upon whose hands it is in. 

The miracle story is actually a story of “super abundance.” Very intentionally the story reminds us that 12 baskets of leftovers were picked up after everybody had eaten. Kingdom living and Kingdom thinking multiplies the power. 

We will receive our One Great Hour of Sharing offering next weekend. I have been a strong advocate for this offering since seminary days. One Sunday while at my student appointment in seminary, I heard a powerful sermon by Harry Haines, who was then the director of the United Methodist Committee on Relief and a passionate advocate. I learned from him that money given to the One Great Hour of Sharing goes farther and buys more than any other resource we know. It is used by God. It is blessed by God. It is enabled by God. 

There are some practical, common sense reasons for this. First of all, we know where to obtain excess resources at a good price; but secondly, we are already using in-place mission personnel to distribute the food. However, I think there is a deeper reason. Gifts in the hands of a loving and compassionate God go much farther. 

The best Christian political action lobby in America is Bread for the World. The implication from BFW is that there is always enough. There is bread for this world. They are a faith-based lobby, and I believe them. 

Again, from U2’s Bono:

More than ever, Americans have reason to believe that we can do what seemed impossible before now—beat hunger.[iii] 

These days I hear more and more leaders say, “There is enough in this world that none need to go hungry.” If we clear away the greed, if we take care of some distribution issues, if we remove some prejudice, there is enough to feed everyone. I believe there is sufficient abundance. In God, there is enough. We need to remember who is the author of such abundance. 

A while back a man stopped by the church. He had a small family. He had been unemployed for two years. He was totally out of cash. His family was hungry. Could we help? 

I pulled out a couple of Giant Eagle certificates and handed them to him. As he reached for them I held on to them for just a moment. I said, “I’m giving you these on one condition—that before you eat the food that these certificates purchase, will you say a short prayer of thanks to God with your family?” He looked at me kind of strangely for a moment. He hesitated, and then a broad smile broke out on his face and he said, “Yes sir, Reverend, I sure will.” 

In Kingdom/God-centered living, there is enough. There is power in this text. 

4. OUR OWN NEED IS FOR ENOUGH 

And then, this in the story: our own need is only for enough. We do not need abundance. But we need enough. Our only real need is for day to day—if not literally, then at least symbolically. We need a highly developed theology of enough! 

Novelist John Updike has said, “In America, it is difficult to achieve a sense of enough.” Walter Bruegemann, one of the great now-retired Old Testament professors in this country, says, “The power of the future lies in the hands not of those who believe in scarcity, but those who trust God’s abundance.” 

5. MEANT TO BE SHARED 

Finally, this story reminds me that whatever you and I happen to have, it is meant to be shared. That does not mean it all has to be given away—but it should be shared. 

We have a lot of special offerings here each year that relate to hunger. The purpose of these offerings is to raise needed funds. But the purpose is also to help you and me learn to share. We try hard to make all of our special offerings here count for good: the One Great Hour of Sharing, the IHN soup pots once every eight weeks, the Thanksgiving hunger offering, the HIV/AIDS offering received in late January of 2006, the food bank collection and others. Each of these offerings stimulate you and me—remind you and me—to learn to share what we have. 

A few years ago the governor of Mississippi challenged 5500 churches and synagogues in his state in a very special way. Each church was challenged to help one poor family get back on their feet. By that challenge the governor helped the churches to understand a portion of their mission. 

The late Spurgeon Dunham told a story from the World Methodist Conference in Nairobi, Kenya a few years ago. It was a huge conference and they decided to close it with communion. They also decided to use real loaves of bread. There was a Methodist family nearby in the town that owned a bakery. They asked the bakery to make 70 loaves of bread for the communion service. As the people came forward there was a beautiful panorama of United Methodists in native dress. It was a spectacular sight. 

At the close of the service they had 25 loaves of bread that remained unused, and some 15 more that were only partially used. What to do? Dunham knew what to do. He loaded his family and the bread into his car and drove to the outskirts of Nairobi. He drove to that place where the desperately poor wander in search of food most waking hours of each day. He and his family each broke off small chunks of bread and passed them out to eager waiting hands. As they passed them out they said, “This is the body of Christ shared with you by United Methodist friends from around the world.” 

I came across a United Nations prayer recently. I’m not sure of its exact source, but it could easily be a Christian prayer. It goes like this:

O Lord, our planet Earth is only a small star in space. It is our duty to transform it into a plant whose creatures are no longer tormented by war, hunger and fear, no longer senselessly divided by race, color and ideology. Give us courage and strength to begin this task today so that our children and our children’s children shall one day carry the name “humankind” with pride.

 Whatever we have is meant to be shared. That’s part of what it means to be human. It’s certainly what it means to be Christian. 

I invite you today to go home and read the story of the feeding of the multitudes. If you can, read the versions in all four gospels. They are not hard to find. Here we have a powerful miracle story in the Christian tradition. 

This story helps me understand the intentional abundant nature of our God, the need for a theology of enough, and the power and promise of learning to share. 

“Then Jesus took the loaves and fish. He gave thanks. He distributed to all. As much as they wanted. And then they collected the leftovers. 

In this miracle story is both very good news and a further call to discipleship.