How Many Loaves of Bread do you have?

‘How many loaves of bread do you have? And He said, ‘go and see’? (v.38)
On our Saturday night’s vigil prayer we meditated on the passage where Jesus feeds five thousand people (Mark 6:30-44). Right in the middle of this passage we read an intriguing question that Jesus poses to His disciples – ‘how many loaves of bread do you have? And he said, ‘go and see’? (v.38)

When we read and re-read this question there could be several counter questions that may come up in our mind. For the benefit of easier understanding, we spilt our responses into two halves as if it were a movie. The first half of this episode was all the questions that a natural person would have asked. For instance, the disciples naturally thought of the possible obstacles such as distance, time and the massive crowd (v.34-35). If you thought like the disciples then you can be forgiven because it was getting too late for them in the evening and particularly after a hard day’s work you don’t want to be bothered to take up another massive task. The second half of the story like in most movies is the most interesting part; this is where we wait for the action and climax. We see the miracle of multiplication, 5 loaves and 2 fishes being used to feed more than five thousand people.

Let us look deeper into this question:

1. Can you think about a time in your life when you were cornered by a difficult situation?
I am sure we all can recall at least one incident in our lives where we did not have answers. For instance, your boss may have asked you to finish a project without giving much information or the necessary guidance or your spouse may have high expectations on you which you could not fulfill. Do you recall how you reacted to those situations? Perhaps you may have overlooked some of the answered you already had at that time.

After our night vigil, on the following day as I was reading the text to prepare for my academic assignment, I stumbled upon some wise suggestion by Professor Jeffery Pfeffer of Stanford University. According to Pfeffer, we need ‘self-control and self management to be able to influence ourselves’ and he adds that ‘some emotions (e.g. anger) can interfere with our ability to make good decisions and it can also cause problems in our relations with others’ (Leading with Power, Stanford University 2010). If we put this into the context of our discussion, I am sure we can recall times when we reacted emotively or looked for an easy way out of the dilemma we were in.

The disciples looked at the obstacles but Jesus looked at the opportunity. Sometimes it would be wise to step back a little and let God speak to our circumstances, situations or dilemma. We may get too bogged down in the details or become too personal and sensitive causing our responses to become emotional. I can see the anger in the eyes of the disciples when Jesus told them to ‘go and see’ (v.38). We too can learn from this passage not to overlook what we already have before we call it quits.

2. Do you recall the times when you became the nourishment for the others?
The idea we get from the passage we are meditating so far is about providing nourishment for the others and this was the challenge the disciples had also but the actual expected response which I believe is in our being available to nourish the others their thirst, hunger, desires, expectations and so on. When Jesus offered his body to be consumed by us (Luke 22:19, 1 Cor 11:24), it was for our nourishment. His body is symbolically the bread. Furthermore, the bread also refer to the Word of God (John 1:14). Therefore, we not only are to provide nourishment to the others, we also should become nourishment for the others. So how can we become nourishment for the others? Can you recall the times when you became bread for the others? Here are some examples of how we can become the bread for the others. Simply extending a smile to a stranger, encouraging others, going the extra mile to get the job done, volunteering to say a small prayer for the others in need or simply to be there for someone who is lonely. There are many more ways to become nourishment for the others. It would be worth noting the link between Body of Christ, the Bread of life and the Word of God. It was the Words of Jesus that the disciples had to listen and obey to get the job done.

3. Do you recall a time when you emptied yourselves (even reluctantly) only to see God multiply your basket?
Disciples had to look from within and be creative even to the extent of emptying themselves to face up to the situation and the result was astounding. A well fed crowd and about 12 baskets full of remaining food was a great outcome. But their intention was not to multiply but to place in the hands of Him who can make the increase. If our intentions for giving anything only in the hope of seeing it multiplied can be some sort of greed. We don’t want a transactional relationship with God; disciples did not have one with Jesus. It is by obedience and total dependence on Him who is able to do far greater things than our minds can comprehend.

Here are some of the ways we can empty ourselves to the others. Sharing our resources with the needy, our time in a time starved world, the use of our talents to help the community and many more such activities. What good it would have been if the 5 loaves and 2 loaves were left in their sack bag, it may not have been enough even for the disciples. The moment they placed it in the hand of Jesus, they saw the power of multiplication right before their eyes. Do you have some talents which you have locked up inside you? What good it does to you and others when it is not used? It is like the parents putting away all the birthday gifts of the child only to give it back to her on her 21st birthday.

4. Think about the time in your life when you thought about your own need selfishly but ignored the rest.
The disciples were tired and hungry; they wanted to rest and eat after a hard day’s work. I think that was a reasonable expectation. However, if we look at this from Jesus perspective, even He was tired, it was a remote place even for Him, it was getting late for everyone and Jesus also saw the very large crowd. When Jesus saw the large crowd, He was moved with compassion (v.34) but when the disciples saw the same crowd they saw them as trouble. Jesus saw the opportunity to become bread for the others but the disciples saw the obstacles.

Do you think the crowd would have waited to listen to Jesus preach had the disciples not been sensitive to their needs? Sometimes we too want the ‘right of way’ to get things for ourselves and our families. We want the best seats in the church; our children should be given the key role in the play. How many of us want to use the church but not willing to stack the chairs or clean the floor? How many of us want to be the lead singer rather than backup singer? How many of us who have talent to play music and sing would only use them in a major event only to be applauded by the large gathering. It is in the daily toils and doing thing not in the hope of multiplication but in the becoming of bread to the others we can see God’s words reaching masses. Do you recall a moment where by your action or inaction you have failed to be a witness for Jesus? Had the disciples turned the back on the crowd, they would have turned their back on them also. Our action will certainly speak louder than our words. Do you know of anyone who had been active in your church once but now is shying away from you? Perhaps you action has become a stumbling block for that person.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
When we are cornered with life’s challenges we do a good job in finding excuses and obstacles and we also tend to become a stumbling block for the others. Help us to look at our situation through your eyes. Help us to place our gifts, talent, time and resources in your hands so that it may become nourishment for the others. Help me to empty my basket only to see you refill it time and time again. This we ask in the Name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen