More than a Picnic
The Distribution of the loaves and fish is one of Jesus’ “signature stories”. There are 6 different accounts of such feedings in the four gospels. Scripture students assume that Jesus performed such actions often.
Recently, Professor John Dominic Crossan wrote about the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” in which he discussed extensively the Gospel we hear today. The Lord’s Prayer, which we say so frequently is a minefield to capture what Jesus intends for His disciples then and now. (That’s us, folks).
Crossan says that it is helpful to divide today’s Gospel into a inspired short story with 5 scenes. In each scene, Jesus challenges them (the disciples then and us now). He establishes the disciples’ role as intermediaries here and now to the real practical problem of hunger that the 5000 confronted. Jesus is trying to teach His disciples then and now (us) that God expects a collaborative effort to make the World the place that God wanted it to be all along. “The Kingdom is among you” (even now, though not yet). What practical things are the disciples then and now to do to creat the principle of enoughism, that all God’s children have enough to eat now. Scene One establishes the problem, The crowd has nothing to eat. The disciples suggests that Jesus send them away. Jesus challenges them, “You give them something to eat (here and now)”. Scene Two sees the quest for food by them and they (discovered there were five loaves and 2 fish on hand. They had to do the recon work. 3) Jesus tells them (us) to seat the crowd. We can do this orderly if we really want. Jesus guarantees that there is an “elegant sufficiency” on hand. 4) Then, Jesus takes the loaves and fish, blessed and broke the loaves and gave them (the disciples them and us) to set before the people. NB Jesus blesses food that is already present and available. 5) Then, Jesus tells them (us) to collect the fragments so that nothing goes to waste,
Crossan writes “the story is not just about food, but it is about Just Food.”
When we recall that one only ate with one’s intimates, family and/or peers back then, the significance of the story changes. Apparently in the Mediterrean culture back then, if there were a big celebration different classes of people might be present but they got different types of food, depending upon their social status. One Roman poet, Martial, complained about ‘ calculated social humiliation” and demanded, “Let us all eat the same fare.” Martial was run out of Rome for such remarks. Another smug Roman later said that he gave “all his company the same fare. My slaves do not drink the same wine that I do – but I drink wine they do.”
(Remember what happened in Corinth in 55AD when Christians were checking who brought what to their potluck share suppers and then, who ate what and how much? )
Students of the Christian Scriptures speak of the Common Meal tradition. The Common Meal Tradition includes the 6 distributions stories, the countless share-meals Jesus shared with whoever would dine with Him, the Last Supper and the Resurrection Meals in Luke-Acts and John.
Catholics see the Eucharist as a “signature story” . God calls the folks together; God tells the Jesus story again; then, God takes, blesses, breaks and gives the bread and then, God sends us off to “glorify the Lord by our lives” (in the prayers coming in November!)
Crossan adds, “The Common Meal Tradition may look to a last supper in the past, to a communal meal in the present or a messianic banquet in the future…but it can never get away from this: it is in food and drink equally offered to everyone that the Presence of God and Jesus is found…So the Lord’s Supper is political criticism and economic challenge as well as a sacred rite and liturgical worship. Christians claim that God and Jesus are peculiarly and especially present when food and drink are shared equally by all.”
Raimund Pannikar, SJ adds “The greatest challenge today is to convert Sacred Bread into real bread, liturgical peace into political peace, worship of the Creator into reverence for creation, a Christian praying community into authentic human solidarity. A Eucharist is risky because we may have to leave it unfinished, having gone first to give back to the poor what belongs to them.”
Irish scientist Diarmuid O’Muirchu speaks of Jesus’ share meals as “a new way of being in and reacting to the world, marked by right relationships, (integrity, characterized by justice, love, liberation.) and compassion.” Time to eat! 073111AD
