We are in a lonely place near Bethsaida, in Galilee. Jesus is speaking to the crowd about the Kingdom. The teacher had gone there with the apostles so they could rest after their long mission in that region, where they had preached conversion, "proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere" (Luke 9:6). Tired, but with hearts full, they recounted what they had experienced.
However, the people find out and come. Jesus welcomes everyone: he listens, talks, and cares. The crowd grows. Night is approaching, and they are beginning to get hungry. The apostles realize this and propose a logical and realistic solution to the teacher: "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding towns and villages and find lodging and food." After all, Jesus had already done so much... But He answers them:
"You give them something to eat"
They are bewildered. It's unthinkable: they only have five loaves and two fish for several thousand people; it's impossible to find the necessary supplies in tiny Bethsaida, and they wouldn't have the money to buy them.
Jesus wants to open their eyes. Moved by people's needs and problems, he sets out to offer a solution. And he does so by starting from reality and valuing what exists. It's true, what they have is little, but he entrusts them with a mission: to be instruments of God's mercy, who thinks of his children. The Father intervenes, and yet he needs them.
The miracle requires our initiative and our faith, which will grow in this way.
"You give them something to eat"
So, to the apostles' objection, Jesus responds by taking care of it, but asks them to do their part, even if it's small. He doesn't disdain it. He doesn't solve the problem for them. The miracle happens, but it requires them to participate with everything they have, with what they have been able to acquire and have made available to Jesus for everyone. This involves some sacrifice and trust in Him.
The teacher begins with this situation to teach us how to care for one another together. When faced with the needs of others, excuses are useless ("it's none of our business"; "I can't do anything"; "they have to manage, like we all do"…). In the society God has envisioned, blessed are those who feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and go to those in need (cf. Mt 25:35-40).
"You give them something to eat"
The narration of this episode reminds us of the image of the banquet described in the Book of Isaiah, a banquet that God himself offers to all peoples, when he "will wipe away tears from all faces" (Is 25:8). Jesus commands them to sit in groups of fifty, as on important occasions. As Son, he behaves like the Father, which underlines his divinity.
He himself will give everything to become food for us in the Eucharist, the new banquet of communion. Faced with the many needs that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Focolare community of Barcelona created a group through social media to share their needs and pool goods and resources. It is impressive to see how furniture, food, medicine, and household appliances circulate... Because "alone we can do little," they say, "but together we can do much." Even today, the Fent família group contributes to ensuring that no one among them goes without, as in the early Christian communities (cf. Acts 4:34).
Silvano Malini and the Word of Life team
