New York -
The superb arts columnist Enuma Okoro reminded us recently that “The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes” is only one of two parables told in all four New Testament gospels. Thus, its universal importance.
Millions of Americans are becoming hungrier, more food insecure, and sicker at the hands of cruel, ghoulish politicians. These cross-wearing, Bible-thumping, self-proclaimed Christians who seek to destroy SNAP and other food-assistance programs should look in the mirror and ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” They're not capable of doing so, of course, because they have no shame. They don’t have a thoughtful, introspective bone in their bodies. They have no regard for civilizational or religious norms as reflected, for example, in Matthew 25:40, “For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Okoro asks us to study Lambert Lombard's 16th Century painting of the loaves and fishes narrative (below). She does so to make a simple albeit compelling point. Yes, it’s a story of miracles, but the parable is equally a story of sharing and caring. Jesus' disciples doubted that five loaves and two fishes belonging to a boy could feed such a large number of people. They wanted to send the hungry people out of town. The disciples lacked faith. The miracle of feeding everyone only became possible, however, when the boy chose to share his food with everyone else. With Jesus' blessing, the food multiplied.
It's a work of fiction. Yet, “The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes” speaks to the abundance created when people care for others and share with those in need. I'm not a religious person. Organized religion has done much good for sure, but far too often it has been used to invoke ignorance, hatred, and violence. Having sometimes been fed using food stamps as a child, however, I do believe in the power of helping to lift people out of difficult circumstances and into better places. When we turn our backs on people in need, as some politicians do today and as the disciples wanted to do in the parable, we pay a big price - morally, societally, and economically.
