Gospel in Art: You give them something to eat

Feeding of the Five Thousand, Unknown artist, Brother Philipp author, 1400-1410 © The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 7 January 2025
Mark 6:34-44

At that time: When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, 'This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.' But he answered them, 'You give them something to eat.' And they said to him, 'Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?' And he said to them, 'How many loaves do you have? Go and see.' And when they had found out, they said, 'Five, and two fish.' Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Reflection on the Illuminated Manuscript page

In today's gospel reading, the contrast between Jesus' response and that of the disciples is striking. They were in a remote place late in the day, surrounded by a large crowd of hungry people. The disciples suggested to Jesus, "Send them away… to buy themselves something to eat," effectively seeking to shift the problem elsewhere. Jesus, however, responded very differently, urging his disciples, "You give them something to eat." He challenged them to take responsibility for the situation rather than turning away. Though hesitant at first, the disciples were encouraged by Jesus to assess their resources, "Go and see", before doing anything else. Assess the situation properly first then decide on what to do. When they returned with a few meagre provisions, Jesus demonstrated how he could work through the smallest of donations. He gave them food to distribute, and they ended up feeding the very crowd they had initially wanted to dismiss.

This passage reminds us that we often have more to offer in challenging situations than we might think. Rather than succumbing to despair or washing our hands of the problem, we are called to consider what we can do and act on it. Even if our resources seem inadequate, we may find that, through our willingness and effort, the Lord can achieve far more than we imagined possible.

Our illuminated manuscript page, dating from circa 1400-1410, beautifully captures the story of the feeding of the five thousand. At the bottom of the page, a delicate illustration depicts Jesus receiving the humble offerings of loaves and fishes and miraculously multiplying them. Encircling him are his disciples, who, earlier, had suggested sending the crowds away to fend for themselves. Yet, in this scene, they are witnesses to an extraordinary miracle, actively distributing the food to the multitude that moments before they thought impossible to feed. The illustration reflects the disciples' transformation from doubt to participation!

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-6-34-44-2025/