Jesus' solution is different. He says. "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves."
The disciples almost mock Jesus' suggestion. They say, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here." We can imagine them rolling their eyes and smirking ironically in disbelief at Jesus' naivety. Did he really think that the loaves and fishes they had would be enough to feed 5000 hungry men and their families?
Nevertheless, Jesus "ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass." Mark adds the detail that he had them break up into small groups of 50 and 100. In those smaller groups, people could see each other's faces. Inevitably, they must have introduced themselves and shared some personal background, a joke, laughter and human warmth. Friendships blossomed.
Then Jesus "said grace:" That is, with everyone's eyes on him, the Master Teacher broke the bread, divided the fish and gave it to those around him. No doubt he did so with gestures inviting the crowd to do the same.
As a result, the "miraculous" happened. And it wasn't a "popcorn miracle" where five loaves suddenly popped into 5000 or where two fish suddenly multiplied by 3000. Instead, the good mothers in the crowd must have followed Jesus' example. (Can we imagine any good Jewish mamma leaving home for a day in the desert without packing a hearty lunch for their husbands and children?) The mothers opened their picnic lunches and shared them with the people they'd just gotten to know.
It was a "miracle of enough." Everyone shared. So even the improvident were able to eat with plenty left over -- 12 baskets Matthew tells us.
No, I'm not saying the miracle of loaves and fishes was just about food. No. As John Dominic Crossan puts it, the "miracle of loaves and fishes" was not just about food; it was about just food -- about just distribution where no one is left hungry. Why? Because that's the way God and his order are. God gives food, drink -- the earth itself -- to everyone and everything without cost.
That's the order Jesus' followers are called to imitate here and now.
And it is Detroiters (as well as many others throughout the world) who doing just that. They're busy not only sharing water, but gardening and eating free from their plots on vacant lots -- taking grateful advantage of God's free gifts. You might be surprised to know that Detroit has the largest number of urban gardens in the United States.
We would do well to follow the example of people there and expand on it, taking advantage of God's free gifts by:
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