Sunday Readings here.
The hero of today's Gospel is a little Jewish boy.
He proved himself not only to be smart enough to pack a lunch but also to be among the rarest of individuals. He was willing, after packing his lunch, to give it away. However, in doing so he once again proved his intelligence because he gave it to Jesus.
You might say that he made a very shrewd investment. He went home with 12 baskets of leftovers after the huge crowd had had their fill. Because he gave the little he had, we are talking about this miracle to this day. Let us not forget of course that it was Jesus who mentions that this exhausted mob must be hungry, showing once again that He is interested not only in life after death but also life before death. He looks towards His disciples to be problem solvers and that’s how this little fellow was found.
Jesus did not embarrass the little boy and his meager offering. He accepted his gifts with ceremony and gratitude. Can you imagine the look on the boy’s face as Jesus starts to share his food with the crowd, and especially as he saw that his lunch never ran out? Maybe Jesus held him up in His arms for the crowd to see. Somehow or other, I think there are some lessons to be learned here.
The next time you are asked for something you feel you cannot give, remember this Jewish boy and think again. Even if your gift is small, know that Christ will receive you and your gift with open arms and do amazing things with it. He will literally use it to feed the world. But if we hoard the little that we have, we just might prevent Christ from performing one more amazing miracle. If we find ourselves worrying about whether we have enough money perhaps we should remember this child, and ask ourselves if maybe our worry is a sign that we need to give more away and see what God might do with it. The psalmist says “a child will lead us,” but I leave you with this question, “Are you smarter than a little Jewish boy?”
- Rev. Joseph Maloney, Pastor