Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes; Art in the Christian Tradition; Vanderbilt Divinity Library; JESUS MAFA is a response to the New Testament readings by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa
The story of Jesus feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle story that is found in all four gospel accounts. It is a story that tells how Jesus helped a community move from holding a myth of scarcity to a theology of abundance. When it didn’t seem like there was enough food to feed the crowd of people that had gathered, Jesus showed them that in fact, they had plenty. Even enough to have leftovers.
I grew up in a house that didn’t have a lot of unplanned company. We would have to ask days, if not weeks, in advance if we wanted to have someone stay for dinner. It wasn’t that my parents didn’t entertain, because they did, a lot. But it was always planned. To be fair, that was the model in which my mother grew up … quite formal and not much happened by chance.
So it was an absolute marvel to me when I joined the Martin family and every Sunday I would watch my mother-in-law stretch a meal she had made for 6 into one that would feed double that number. They lived in the country, and folks would be out for a Sunday drive, and they would drop in for a visit. And of course they would be asked to stay for dinner. And somehow, there was always enough food.
Eric Law, in his book Holy Currencies – 6 Blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries, tells a wonderful story about his own family meals growing up. He writes:
“When I was a child, my family always had guests for dinner. On any given night, there might be twelve to 15 people at the dinner table. Dinner was a time of joyful sharing of food and stories. I thought we were quite wealthy, feeding so many people every night. Only when I was older, while talking to my mother about the good old days, did I find out that we were not rich at all. My mother told me that some days she only had three dollars to feed fifteen people. How could that be? I could not remember a day when there was not enough food!
… Not only was everyone around the table filled every night, there were always leftovers. I believe the way we dealt with the leftovers at the dinner table is indicative of how this miracle of doing “more with less” was accomplished.
Toward the end of the dinner, there was always something left on a plate in the middle of the table. Everyone would be staring at it, especially when it was a piece of meat, which was an occasional, special treat. But no one would make a move to take it. Then someone would say, “Why don’t you take it Grandma? You are the oldest?” But my grandma would say, “No, I’ve been eating this stuff all my life. Give it to the little one. He’s the youngest and needs the nourishment to grow up to be big and strong.”
Now all eyes were on me, who was the youngest. But I, who also learned this ritual, would say, “No, not me. I am completely full because I have the smallest stomach. Give it to my older brother. He has an examination at school tomorrow. He needs it so he can do well.” My oldest brother would say, “No, not me. Give it to my sister. She has a piano lesson tomorrow …” The ritual would go on around the table; each person would find an excuse not to take the leftover piece of food.
While we offered it to each other, we also affirmed each other’s worthiness in the family. As a result, the piece of meat would sit in the middle of the table, destined to be left over, to be transformed into a new delicious dish the next day.
The leftovers became a symbol of our appreciation of each other’s worth. This leftover piece of food became a sign of the abundance we shared – we can do more with less.
… The spirituality I learned at my dinner table begins with the assumption that there is enough and therefore it is okay to have less than the other. By insisting on having less than the other – “No, not me; let someone else have this” – we kept the blessing flowing in the form of the affirmation of each other’s worth. The dynamics of passing the “leftover” around, generating a spirit of appreciation and affirmation, did so much more than fighting over the last piece of meat, as a fear-of-scarcity minded group would do.”[1]
When we are able to challenge the myths of scarcity in our own lives, surprising things can happen. The spirituality of abundance also leads to a spirituality of generosity.
Where do you see people living out of a myth of scarcity? How might the practice of “passing the leftovers around” help us to to adopt a theology of abundance - in our own lives, in this faith community, and in the world?
Art in the Christian Tradition; Vanderbilt Divinity Library
[1] Holy Currencies, Law, Eric, Chalice Press, p. 14-15