‘The butterfly effect’ is quite a well-known scientific theory. Basically, in a descriptive way, it claims that a tornado is being influenced by minor perturbations such as a distant butterfly flapping its wings several weeks earlier. The theory has been popularised by its uses outside its original domain of weather predictions and even made it into popular culture with the likes of the 2004 film of the same title. The popular use of the theory refers to dramatic results caused by seemingly negligible causes; we only realise such influence with the benefit of hindsight.
A large crowd followed [Jesus], impressed by the signs. […] Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?’ Today’s gospel is a classic example of the way Jesus taught his disciples. He presented them with a challenge (a crowd of hungry followers) and asked for their solutions. Jesus addressed a specific Apostle, Philip, so we can assume there was a good reason for that. We don’t know much about him from the gospels, though his Greek name and certain episodes might suggest that he had strong connections with the Greek-speaking people and – in a wider sense – Greek culture. It’s important because this culture was the foundation of the modern Western way of thinking. In other words, Jesus asked what a reasonable solution to the challenge could be. Philip’s answer: ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each’ left no room for any doubt; there was no easy, quick, reasonable solution. The amount of money was the equivalent of a labourer’s 200 days’ work, or in modern Scottish terms around £18,000. I guess the two hundred denarii wasn’t a random number picked by Philip; more likely that was the amount of money their company had in their purse. Then another Apostle, Andrew, contributed to the discussion in a similarly hopeless fashion: ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ The barley bread was a staple of the poor, so it wasn’t just the amount but also the quality of the food which was insufficient to feed so many. As it turned out, Andrew’s seemingly hopeless comment was a step in the right direction. Jesus took the bread and fish and shared them with the crowd. The lamentably insufficient resources fed the crowd and still yielded twelve hampers full of leftovers.
Among many explanations and interpretations I’ve come across, one is particularly close to my heart. We might imagine the crowds as spontaneous, reckless and carefree in their pursuit of Jesus. But that’s highly unlikely. Last Sunday we heard that ‘the Apostles went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot.’ They knew where they were going and almost certainly grabbed some provisions on their way there. It was so customary that when Jesus sent His Apostles out – as we heard two weeks ago – ‘He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick; no food, no sack, no money in their belts.’ We can safely assume that most people in the crowd had provisions with them when they arrived at the meeting place. The Apostles Philip and Andrew’s assessment – ‘it’s not enough’ – was perfectly mirrored by the crowd in their own small ways. Only having seen Jesus sharing His pitifully scant provisions they opened their minds and sacks to share with others what they had brought with them. And that was the real miracle performed by Jesus: changing people’s hearts and minds. As a result, everyone had their fill and there was still plenty more left.
The world we live in is a dynamic, ever-changing environment. The pandemic; the recent and ongoing natural disasters caused by freakish weather across the globe; wars and conflicts; racism… This list can go on and on. It’s all very depressing and hopeless. I cannot fix the world; I am a nobody and I have no influence over the world’s affairs. I don’t delude myself into thinking that a dozen views on YouTube and another couple of dozens listening to me in the church will have any meaningful and significant impact on the world and its troubles. I’m sure that some of you might share a similar sense of helplessness; in the grand scheme of things we are nobodies, people with no power or influence. Our personal resources are at best meagre; certainly not enough to make any substantial change. Well, that’s not true. Let’s look back at today’s gospel.
‘Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out.’ Three simple actions. The loaves didn’t belong to Jesus but to a small boy. In another place, Jesus presented a child as a symbol of complete trust: ‘whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ In that spirit, the boy handed his provisions over to Jesus. He then gave thanks – that’s action two. When we give thanks for whatever little we have we can realise how fortunate we are and stop taking things for granted. Thanksgiving rarely improves the quantity or quality of our resources but it almost always changes our perception: from ‘it’s not enough’ to ‘it’s plenty.’ That leads to the third action – sharing that little we have with others who might have even less. I’m not talking about finances or material goods only. It can be your time, your talents, your skills… Each one of us has something that we can share with others. It might be very little, almost negligible. But think about it as your very own butterfly effect.
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