The God of Superabundance

Continuing in the Fourth Gospel for our scripture, today’s reading is the familiar story of the feeding of the 5000, and this account emphasizes how miraculous it was. The writer of this gospel says, at the end, that he has written the accounts of seven signs of Jesus so that the reader may believe. In this story of the feeding of the 5000, we are to learn something of the character of God, and also something of our own character. In the narrative, the questions Jesus asks several disciples are something of a test for them, and they cannot imagine that there will be enough resources for that crowd. The role of the little boy who has the little bit of food is significant, a sign of innocence and generosity. This is a sign of a God of superabundance who can provide all we need and all everyone needs. This is our God. And even if we think what we can offer is too little, under God it is well enough.