Gospel

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A divine equation: A = (g)Gr – Reflection on John 6:1-15

In the 2 Book of Kings, a man came to Elisha bringing the first fruits of his labor as an offering to God (2 Kings 4:42-44). I have read this passage before, yet it is only now that I realized the obvious fact of the story: the prophet did not keep the gift for himself. He gave it to those in need. And to the surprise of the giver, who asked, “how can I set this before a hundred men”, God richly blessed this act of generosity: “They ate and had some left over.” This short story is a challenge to our present attitude of complaining that there is never enough for our needs, and of grasping everything within our sight and keeping it for our own benefits.

A lesson from a boy

Sue McGregor, an expert in home economics, came out with the shocking figures about the consumption in the world: (1) “The richest 20% of the world's countries, consume 86% of all things bought in the global marketplace;” (2) “More than a billion people are living at a material standard of living that is supposed to be able to support only 400-800 million people and another five billion people aspire to this standard of living, maintained through unsustainable consumption patterns.” Then, she concluded: “We would need four earths if everyone lived the western lifestyle.” Greed has sunk into our hearts; greed that is exploited by the experts in the art of advertising for the multinational corporations. They have to keep us greedy, because that what is driving the market. They would not be happy to see us contented or ready to share what we have, because it could endanger their existence in the world.
Yet, while reading my Bible I encountered a boy who willingly shared the little he had in order to help Jesus with the problem of feeding a huge crowd (John 6:9). What a contrast! Here, a boy donating five small barely loaves and two small fish; there, the already rich and successful people thinking only about their own profit. Let me state the obvious: the earth can provide for our needs, but it cannot provide for our greed. The boy from the Gospel reminds us about God’s commandment to share: “If there is a poor man among your brothers/sisters in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother/sister. . . . Give generously to him/her and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers/sisters and toward the poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). To lend to the poor is to lend to God, and it is impossible to outdo our God in generosity. I do not mean here the Gospel of prosperity that claims that for every dollar you give to a church, God will bless you with 1000 dollars on your account. Perhaps it is true, perhaps not. The Gospel of John keeps quiet about the reward of that boy. But no one would take from him the joy of telling the incredible news: “Jesus was able to feed a multitude with my bread and fish, and yet it was so little, what I gave to him.” God used him for a miracle, and it changed him for ever. He realized that sharing one’s own resources with those in need, brings joy of being used by God for something great. He played an indispensable role in God’s story of salvation.

A divine equation

There is still one more thing that struck me in that story, namely the way God uses ordinary people to bless others. As in the case of Elisha, Jesus did not keep the gift for himself; and as in the case of Elisha the people witnessed to a miracle: “they had all enough to eat” (John 6:12). There has to be something about sharing then, if in both stories a little was sufficient to feed a hungry crowd. I think that we deal here with a divine equation: A = (g)Gr, where g stands for a gift, Gr for God’s grace and A for abundance. It does not matter what you offer to God; it does not matter how much your offer to God. As long as you offer something to God – your time, your talents, the fruits of your labor – He will distribute it among those in need, and you will find yourself amazed, seeing a miracle evolving in front of your eyes. Is it not astounding? God, who does not need our gifts, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. . . . If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:9-12), decided to use them for the benefits of others.
I have promised myself to write once a week a reflection on Gospel’s stories or on some biblical passages. I am sharing it with my friends through internet, yet, there are moments when I get discourage, doubting whether those reflections have any positive impact. One day, I friend of mine – a Chinese catholic priest - arrived from China. We met and I listened to his sharing about life and ministry in his country. Then, he said to me: “I would like to thank you for your reflections. I often use them to prepare my preaching. It is very helpful to me.” To the man who doubted whether his little offering can feed a hundred men, Elisha said: “They will eat and have some left over” (2 Kings 4:43). Yes. There is still a simpler way to explain God’s equation: when we share our resources and allow God to use them, there is abundance. You may think it is so little, you may think it is so insignificant, but God does not think this way. Graced by God, your gift satisfies the multitude.

Conclusion

Greed drives our world today. All of us are guilty of it. “In the last 40 years, the world lost half of its crop land. It takes 500 years to form one inch of top soil. We deplete it 40 times faster than it can be replaced” (Sue Mcgregor). Yet, there is an alternative. Jesus once said that there is greater joy in giving than in receiving. Why not apply the lesson given to us by the boy? Why not try to test God’s equation in our lives? God’s promise, “they will eat and have some left over,” is still valid. Yet, it can only happen when more people will come out with their offerings and place them at the foot of Jesus. Then we can see the world where everyone has enough and there is some left over.

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