March 2010

God established the day of thanksgiving, because He wanted to disclose His secrets. God established the day of thanksgiving, because He is the liberating God and wanted whoever was liberated to be sure to remember it.

This story begins with Jesus asking his disciples to have rest. Then, it happens that they have to feed and please a huge crowd. Jesus has a huge attracting force; many people go to meet him. Jesus says about Himself: “…I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). Jesus attracts us irresistibly. One cannot resist. This is the promise of freedom, this is the promise of healing. The irresistible mercy.

The people noticed Jesus and his disciples and started to go after him irresistibly. But Jesus noticed them, too. Moreover, Jesus had an insight into the people’s hearts, into their conditions. He noticed their wounds, the bad habits formed from their childhood, the person who has been broken in his marriage, the one who is the victim of his addiction--and we can continue the list of things he saw. Before Jesus’ eyes the crowd falls apart and he sees the individuals: He sees your life and my life. Your wounds and my wounds are disclosed to him.

“Had compassion on them” – this means that the crowd was in a pitiful situation. They were in a state at which one could not pass by indifferently, idly. There is a pity which is not followed by action, nothing comes after it. “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart” – Isaiah (57:1). Jesus noticed them and felt pity, taught them, cured them, fed them. Jesus’ pity was followed by deeds. Jesus does the same today with us, and wants to do it through us.

"Looking up to heaven, he gave thanks” – what does it mean? He gave thanks for what, for five loaves and two fish? He gave thanks for the few, not for the many. When you and I struggle with the worry that the few we have is not enough for every day, Jesus does not say to bring more, but he wants to increase the few we have. But sometimes there is so little that it is something to be ashamed of, there is too little to be worth talking about. Still, if I put it in His hands, it will be enough for the fullness, because he is the wholeness. Evidently, if I remain alone, it won’t be enough even for me, but if He blesses it, even others can receive from it. If I guard the few, I get even fewer, so I should give Him the few so that I will never run out of it.

To be able to bless, He broke his own body on the cross, so there can’t be a soul so broken that He cannot understand and comfort. So, when He broke the loaves, He also suggested that actually his broken body is what feeds us. His broken body means that He endured the punishment that you and I deserve.

We give thanks for the nothing, because five loaves and two fish are nothing for five thousand people, without a blessing it is nothing, but with blessing and thanks there are more pieces left over than there were at the beginning. Looking to the future, we also see that we have only a little. So, we should bring it to Him, to bless us and what we have, so that we can do the work He entrusted to us with his blessing.
Amen.

		Géza Geréb, Minister and Social Counselor