The multiplication of the fishes and the loaves.

The miracle of the overabundance. (Mt 14, 13-21)

This design captures the two more relevant aspects of this great miracle of the Lord, that having just five loaves and two fishes was able to feed more than 5000 people, children and women excluded.

When I was young, I was explained this miracle as the miracle of human solidarity, by considering that all the people that followed Jesus shared what they had for lunch. By sharing all their food, everyone ate something and even at the end, there were some remainders.

I must say that this explanation satified my human undestanding but, somehow, relieved the real transformative action of the Lord in the human side of the life. Thinking that Jesus is able to feed our spirit but not our body physically, brings me back again to judge Him from my limitations, not letting Him be God.

Since some years ago and thanks of the reading of the Exodus book and how Yahveh fed Israel with the manna, I have stopped to see it as the solidary miracle and I have started to look at it as the miracle of the overabundance of God.

In this sense, the key sentence in this miracle for me now is the request from the Lord to the disciples, talking about the five loaves and the two fishes: “Bring them to me”. This statement implies three actions: Bring, a voluntary action from your side; to me: To Jesus, in this case; Them: whatever it is, big or small… even if you think it is not enough… just trust God, he will do the rest. The love of God is multiplicative with ours offers, efforts, “loaves and fishes”… But, if I just put zero, God´s love will not multiply your zero. Pure mathematics 😉

Apart from this statement, this design is also possible with a second option: “and they took up twelve full baskets”. This sentence is really representing the overabundance from God. Jesus not only gave them something for lunch, they got satiated and still there was food left, that was collected back.

Can you imagine the face of the child that gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes when he saw the twelve basket full? Clearly, when we put our effort in God’s hand, his glory surpasses us and He gives us in return much much more and we can just thank him from our humility and smallness.