One of the most interesting stories in the Bible is the story of the Fish and Loaves Miracle, or “Feeding the Multitudes.” It goes something like this: five thousand men, plus an unspecified number of women and children (who weren’t yet, at that pointed, counted as people), followed Jesus out into the desert, where he healed the sick and weak among them. One of Jesus’s disciples suggested sending them away, since they were far from home and needed to head back to town to get dinner.
Jesus, as you might expect, didn’t tell them to go home. Instead, he looked at the five loaves of bread and two fish that they had on them, and said that he would feed them all using only this tiny amount of food. He broke the loaves and bread and told the disciples to distribute them, and soon, every single person in the crowd was fed—with twelve baskets full of bread left over.
I think it’s time to rethink this miracle. At this point, if you believe the story of the Bible, Jesus had already done plenty to show that he had the power to perform miracles. One more “magic trick” wasn’t necessary. There was something deeper to be said about this, and I think that the miracle wasn’t a matter of divine intervention at all: it was a miracle of human kindness.
What exactly happened when Jesus, with only five loaves and two fish, said that he would feed the masses with them? I suspect that, inspired by this act of generosity, the people in the crowd who were carrying food with them—something that many would have done anticipating a day-long trek through the desert—were inspired to do the same and share their food. All it took was one man saying, “I don’t have much, but here it is, everyone!” for everyone else to decide to do the same.
It’s something of a first-world cliché to joke about feeling guilty for not finishing our meals, and many a disappointed mother has reminded her kids about third-world starvation when her kids haven’t met the criteria for the Happy Plate club. But the amount of food—and other resources, like shoes, clothing, toys, and electronic devices—that we throw away reminds us that we don’t live in a world with too few resources to care for its people. We simply live in a world where resources are unevenly distributed—where some members of the crowd are carrying a dozen loaves of bread, while others haven’t eaten in days.
I challenge my fellow UUs to take a look at this powerful story and take its lesson to mind. Next time you have something “extra”—even if it’s not much extra—take the bold and important step of sharing what you do have. The ripple effect is powerful, and people do pay it forward. You just might find out that those five loaves and two fish miraculously feed a crowd of thousands.
THE NUUSLETTER NOVEMBER, 2013
INTERDEPENDENT WEB
by Juniper Russo