Thanksgiving Sunday
Mark 8 : 1 - 10
Today is Thanksgiving Sunday, and this pericope is suitable for our reflection. We have heard the account of Jesus feeding the crowd many times, whether the four thousand or the five thousand. These are two distinct events. This is not the case of Mark being forgetful and repeating the same story again. In the first account, when Jesus fed the five thousand, he opened table fellowship to the Jews. Here, he extended the same table fellowship to the Gentiles, you and I included.
In Germany and perhaps elsewhere, there are pumpkin exhibitions during this time. In our contemporary settings, we are thus reminded again that this is the harvest season. Perhaps 100 or 200 years ago, people would have been more affected by these Thanksgiving rituals, since there were no supermarkets where one could find all kinds of food for all seasons. Nowadays, we can get anything that we want, and the question becomes whether we are willing to spend or whether we have enough money. As a result, we are less aware of the harvest season and of Thanksgiving.
What does this story of Jesus feeding the four thousand have to do with Thanksgiving? We may think the seven loaves and the few small fish are what we have earned and brought ourselves. We tend to forget that they are the fruit of the earth, coming from God’s beautiful creation. No matter how hard we work, if the earth is not blessed by God, there will be no fruit for us to enjoy. Therefore, it is not only about our hard work, but also about God’s blessing and his gift in the beautiful creation.
In this story, we read that there were about four thousand people, likely counting only the men. If women and children are included, the total may have been nine or ten thousand. The seven loaves and a few small fish are totally insignificant. It is absurd to think that such a small amount can satisfy so many people. Jesus had to bless and multiply these before they could be enjoyed by the crowd.
This is perhaps the main problem in our contemporary context. We think that we only have seven loaves and a few small fish, and these will not be able to satisfy many people anyway. Hence, we just work hard for ourselves. Our resources are always limited, and it seems absurd to share with others. At the very least, let us and our families be satisfied with these blessings from God. Yet this is an individualistic worldview. We may say that we are not evil, and we do not rob or harm others, but we also do not share.
Our contemporary society is often characterized by anxiety. We try to collect as much fruit of the earth as possible for our own security. When we speak of freedom, we think of the freedom to work, the freedom to earn a good income, and the freedom to provide for the well-being of our families. We seldom consider the freedom to share and to bless others.
This story of Jesus feeding the four thousand is a Christian story. What is so Christian about it? Because it is in opposition, in sharp contrast, to the individualistic worldview. We may say that what we have is truly limited and not enough for many. But the word of God is not limited by our limitation. Our hope is not based on our ability. Rather, it should rest on Jesus Christ himself. What we have is indeed limited, yet it is still the fruit of the earth from God’s creation. We are invited to surrender what we have to God, otherwise our limitation will remain as it is.
In verse 4, we read the logical response from the disciples: “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” This is a desolate place, there is no supermarket or restaurant. Rather than reasoning that he who created the world in six days could easily provide bread, Jesus asked them back, “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus wants us to participate in his beautiful work. He gives us the opportunity to be with him. He could create loaves out of nothing, just like in the story of creation, yet that was not the story here. The beauty is in surrendering ourselves and what we have, however limited, to him, that he may bless them.
We called this Thanksgiving Service. It is not just about harvesting. If it were, what we gather might not be enough even for our families, and we would cultivate greed by collecting more and more. But when we receive with thankfulness and gratitude, then it will be something totally different. We read that Jesus, after taking the seven loaves, also gave thanks. It is beautiful that, although there were only seven loaves, he thanked the Father. He did not complain that these were not enough. Instead, he gave thanks. In thanksgiving, in gratitude, there is power to share. Without thanksgiving, we will lack the power to share and to serve others. We will think that it is never enough, and that is precisely the sin of greed.
In verse 6 we read that Jesus took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. Many commentators relate this with the Holy Communion. The language used here is precisely the language used in Holy Communion: he took, he gave thanks, he broke, he gave. This is the highest meaning or significance that can be attached to the fruit of the earth, namely to be used as the symbol of the body and the blood of Jesus. This is the sacramental understanding of God’s creation.
This sacramental understanding helps us see that we do not live only in the physical realm, but that there is a relation between the visible physical realm and the invisible realm. We need bread and fish to satisfy our physical need, but we also have the spiritual need. Our spiritual need can be satisfied only by Jesus alone. If we do not include Jesus in our lives, we will tend toward greed. We will not rightly appreciate God’s gifts in creation. We will want more, and we will be unable to share with our neighbors.
That is why it is very important for us to know Jesus. Without Jesus, we cannot even enjoy God’s beautiful creation in the physical manner. Not to mention our spiritual need which can be satisfied only by Jesus Christ. In the church, we sometimes have a love feast or a table fellowship. It is beautiful to share and enjoy the fruit of the earth together. Yet without Jesus in this fellowship, we may seek only to satisfy our tongues. We may forget that we also have the spiritual need that must be satisfied in Jesus.
In Holy Communion, we use the term symbolon, meaning a bond that unites two different things. In this case, the visible and the invisible realm. When we say that the bread and wine are symbols of Jesus’s body and blood, it means there is a relation between the visible and the invisible realm. Even when we say grace before we eat, it is not merely about acknowledging God’s grace and blessing. It is also an expression of relating the visible and the invisible world. In the visible world we enjoy the food and the drink in physical manner. And at the same time, in spiritual manner, in the invisible world, we enjoy God himself.
I hope this sacramental understanding permeates our everyday life as well, even though we are not taking bread and wine or participating in Holy Communion every day. There is always an inseparable relation between the visible and the invisible. Jesus taught that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
On this Thanksgiving Sunday, let us be aware again of the relation between the gift of God through creation, the fruit of the earth, and the way it is elevated so highly that we can see, and even enjoy, Jesus himself. May God bless us so that we grow in Christ-likeness and in a life that is pleasing to God. (T.F.L.)