Feeding Thousands

I've been thinking about the feeding of the five thousand. And the feeding of the four thousand, for that matter. You know the story. 

A large crowd had gathered to listen to Jesus teach, but it was getting late and they were far from home and the disciples were worried about everybody going hungry, so they came to Jesus. Andrew, who always knows what's going on but also seems completely clueless at the same time, mentions that there's a little boy who brought his own lunch. It's true, but...

Then, Jesus takes the little boy's lunch, raises it, blesses it, breaks it, and starts passing it out. And...there's plenty. 

Actually, there's so much that there are leftovers. 

But Jesus didn't break five thousand pieces off that loaf. And this is important. 

Jesus broke the loaf into twelve. He gave a chunk of it to each of the disciples, and through His blessing on it, it continued to produce (just like the widow's oil continued to pour) until everyone had enough to eat. Jesus did the first miracle; His disciples did miracles #2 - #5,000. 

That's the miracle of the meal. 

The same is true with this Table we share today. So often, I think that we think of this Table as a rest stop for our weary souls, a place to come and get filled up, a place where Jesus breaks the bread - breaks His body - just for us. We think of it as our private moment with Jesus before we get back to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, and it's this thing that Jesus gives us just for us. Just to fuel us. 

But there are 4,988 other persons on this hill. 

Do you get that?

There are thousands of other persons around us who are hungry. Thousands who are waiting for a piece of bread. Thousands who need the gift of Christ that is raised, blessed, broken, and given for us. ...raised, blessed, broken, and given through us. 

What if the cracker isn't just a single cracker, but a small part of what we are meant to keep dividing? To keep breaking pieces off from? To keep giving out? To use to feed the hungry around us? 

What if the Table isn't for us just to come, but for us from which to go? 

What if Jesus is still doing this same miracle and we're missing it because we're so busy just taking our chunk of bread and going on our merry way without continuing to break it and share it and feed the hungry around us? 

This is a beautiful Table, a breathtaking moment. But it's not just for us. 

It's for every other person on that hill who could be fed by God's blessing continuing to produce through us. 

Brother, can you spare a bite?