Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

John 6:1-21

Rev. Neli Miranda

In Spanish, there is a saying, “En donde comen dos, comen tres...” which in English translates to “Where two can eat, so can three”.  I have heard this saying several times in my life, and it usually comes from people willing to share their food with others.

Today’s Gospel revisits the well-known passage about the feeding of a large crowd of five thousand people. Just as in last Sunday’s Gospel, we witness  great crowds following Jesus. These people belonged to the most marginalized socioeconomic groups in first-century Jewish society. They lived desperate looking for their daily food and were constantly anguished because of the sick people among them. They followed Jesus because he embodied a compassionate shepherd, attentive to their needs and much suffering.

Today, John tells us that Jesus is with his disciples on a mountain where a great multitude reaches them. Multitudes were familiar to Jesus; however, he did not only see a large crowd but humans with vast human needs. So, looking up at the huge crowd coming toward him, he immediately thinks of a vital human need, food. He knows they are widows, orphans, peasants, and day laborers surviving on meager wages. This day, they are not working but following Jesus to listen to his teachings and to seek healing for their loved ones.

So, concerned for the people’s well-being, Jesus turns to Philip and asks, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip, surprised by Jesus’ question, doubts the possibility of feeding such a multitude, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”  Philip is not thinking of “Donde comen dos, comen tres… Where two can eat, so can three.  On the other hand, Andrew looks for a way to feed the crowd and brings Jesus a meal shared by a boy in the multitude, five barley loaves and two fish. However, he reasonably affirms that this little food is nothing for the multitude, “But what are they among so many people?” he asks.

Despite the apparent scarcity of food, Jesus pays no attention to Andrew’s comment and commands the people to sit down on the grass.  Then, taking the loaves, Jesus gives thanks and distributes the bread and fish to the people “as much as they wanted”.   When the people were satisfied, Jesus asked his disciples to gather the leftovers, so that nothing may have been lost. People with a satisfied stomach is one of the signs of the Kingdom of God in the world.

How can five loaves and two fish feed a large crowd?

Last week I attended a university meeting, organized by the Faculty of Theology of a local University in Guatemala City. Students from other cities such as San Marcos, Totonicapán, and Quetzaltenango had also been invited. To welcome them, students from the Central Campus had prepared tamales y café. As the students arrived from the different cities, I noticed that some of them had brought small bags of bread to share.  By the end of the event, we had an abundance of food, leaving us with leftovers to take home.  Many of them were willing to share their “five barley loaves and two fish”.

So maybe, when those in the multitude following Jesus saw the boy sharing his humble meal, they also took theirs out and shared with others in the crowd.  At the end of the day, everyone had food! That day, the great multitude returned home filled with Jesus’ words and with a full stomach!

In Jesus’ time, five barley loaves and two fish were an essential, frugal, and accessible meal for the poor. However, this simple but essential meal and a boy willing to share produced abundance that day on the mountain when poor people ate all they wanted. How many more people responded that day to the signal from the boy who shared his food? When we share, miracles can happen!

This passage also teaches us about the importance of stewardship.  Jesus instructed his disciples to gather the fragments, emphasizing the value of leftovers, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” Leftovers, often overlooked, have the potential to sustain others in need.  How do we handle leftovers in our homes? How often do we save leftovers in the fridge until they spoil, and we must throw them away?  Perhaps we may not think about leftovers as someone’s only meal that day.

Sisters and brothers, today’s Gospel becomes a reality every day when we see so many hungry and sick people asking for help. How do we response to those in need? Are we like Phillip who is clueless about solutions to hunger? Do we embody Andrew’s proactive search for solutions? Or do we follow the boy’s generosity in sharing what little we have?

What do you have in your lunch box today? Loaves and fish? Share it! Remember that “En donde comen dos, comen tres”.  Even the smallest offering can make a difference!

May the compassionate Jesus inspire us to share even the little we have with others!

Amen.