Today's Gospel in Art: Jesus said to them, 'How many loaves have you?'

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish, by Lambert Lombard mid 16C © Rockox Huis, Antwerp

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 1st December 2021 - Matthew 15:29-37

Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.

But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 'I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.' The disciples said to him, 'Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?' Jesus said to them, 'How many loaves have you?' 'Seven' they said 'and a few small fish.' Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

Reflection on the Painting

Noticing how hungry the crowds were around Him, Jesus was filled with compassion and burst into action to try and feed everyone. But to the perform the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, He doesn't work alone. He directly involves His disciples and takes the seven loaves and small fish that the crowd provide. This is in contrast with the first part of our Gospel reading today, where Jesus, on His own, performs directly a miracle healing people. That is still how God works today: sometimes He helps us directly; sometimes He will use other people to help us. But behind both these approaches is His helping hand and compassion.

Jesus is asking us to give expression to His own compassion for people. As St Teresa of Avila said, we are His hands and feet now to help build a better world. Advent especially is a time where we are invited to be instruments of Jesus' healing presence in the world.

Our painting by Flemish artist Lambert Lombard shows Christ blessing the loaves which Peter and Andrew (on His right) are holding, at the very centre scene. All around, we see the handing out of food, in abundance. In the foreground we see empty baskets which soon will be filled with the leftovers. It is a typical Mannerist painting. Mannerism is a late- Renaissance style of painting. Where the earlier Renaissance celebrates proportion, balance, and ideal beauty, Mannerism exaggerates such qualities, often resulting in compositions that are asymmetrical or unnaturally elegant. In a way there are too many peripheral scenes depicted in today's artwork. Also the lady and child in the foreground on the right have twisted, unnatural poses. There is just a bit too much going on, resulting in a slightly incoherent final composition.

Jesus did not miraculously pluck the loaves and fish out of thin air. He took what was present in the crowds and made it sufficient to feed everybody. He worked with what people brought to Him. We therefore should never think we have little to give to others… even the smallest thing we place in front of Christ, He can and will work with it...

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/1008
Christian Art - www.christian.art/