Jesus’ feedings of the five thousand and the four thousand in the wilderness rank among the most powerful stories of Jesus’ ministry. How did he do it? It seem fairly comprehensible that Jesus healed the sick and the lame, even if these healings were miraculous, but feeding so many people when there was so little food to start with is quite a stretch of belief. Was it all done with smoke and mirrors? The classic attempts to rationalize away the miracle are 1)that Jesus gave a small portion of bread, about as much as a communion wafer, or 2) that the offer of a small amount of food by the disciples or a boy with a few loaves and fishes shamed everybody into sharing what food they had brought but were hiding and hoarding. Neither of these rationalizations, especially the first, account for the obvious amazement on the part of the disciples and the early church that comes across in these accounts. (The second suggestion does have an edifying element to it.) A magician never reveals his or her tricks, and it spoils the fun to try to figure them out, so perhaps we shouldn’t ask the Divine Magician to reveal God’s tricks.

What is clear from the story is that God desires abundance for all. That should not be surprising if we consider the fact that God created the world to begin with. Modern astronomers have discovered thousands and millions of galaxies in the universe and know there are thousands and millions more. How’s that for abundance? The first two chapters of Genesis attest to abundance in creation followed by scarcity once the first humans fell into sin. Which is to suggest that scarcity is a human invention. We see the same sort of abundance in the desert when God feeds the people manna and quails, only to be repaid with complaints about the menu.

The prophet Isaiah proclaims God’s offer to “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Is. 55: 1) Through Isaiah, God tells us to listen carefully to God and eat what is good and delight in rich food. (Is. 55: 2) Interestingly, God ties the abundance of food to an abundance of the Word. Once full of God’s rich food, we will witness to all the people who do not yet know God. (Is. 55: 4–5)

The feedings of the five thousand and the four thousand are obviously occasions of abundance. Where there was scarcity, there is plenty for everyone. One could say that the Fall of humanity into sin has been reversed. Creation has come back to life! This miracle reaffirms the infinite generosity of God. Do we need to know more? So powerful is this miracle, that we can easily overlook the fact that Jesus healed the sick when the crowds flocked to him in the deserted place. (Mt. 14: 14) Matthew also says that Jesus had compassion for the people. Could it be that compassion has a lot to do with whether there is abundance or scarcity? Some of Jesus’ miraculous healings also point to moral and spiritual healing, such as the paralytic who, in the course of being healed, is told that his sins are forgiven. (Mt. 9: 6) How much more should the miracle of feeding bring about the healing of the social body? Matthew’s own conversion from being a tax collector looks like a miracle to me. (Mt. 9: 9)

What should it mean to us that God desires abundance? As fallen creatures, we tend to think abundance means more for me. (Me! Me! Me!) But God does not desire abundance for Godself. (God is abundance itself!) Rather, God desires abundance for all God’s creatures. That is to say, God desires abundance for everyone. Which mean we should desire abundance for everyone. Having the compassion that Jesus had for the crowds is a start for increasing abundance. Since the feeding started with giving away a small amount of food, it follows that we should start the same way. The more we give, the more there will be. What greater miracles can there be than the miracles of compassion and generosity?