What Are They among so many?
I’ve been thinking about this painting for the past few years but never got round to it. Until now that is. It’s been said that a picture speaks a thousand words, here is some of the words that this painting speaks to me.
There’s a situation recorded in the gospel of John Ch. 6 where Jesus has been teaching, a huge crowd has been drawn to him and there’s no food to feed them. Jesus asks one of His followers, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?”. It is then that a boy comes forward with his loaves and fish and it is reported that from that one boy’s generosity, Jesus miraculously multiplies what little there is and the whole crowd of people were fed - with left overs! I often wonder though, was the fish raw and then had to be cooked or was it cooked, ready to eat?
Right now, in this moment as the world battles against this enemy of Covid-19, we find ourselves in a crisis that shares a few features with the account of the feeding of the 5000. We are in need, there is a lack of resources, nobody quite seems to have the solutions. I wonder if there are lessons which can be learned from this event which can help us now?
Jesus doesn’t ask his followers to fix the problem. The gospel of Mark’s account of the same event records Jesus asking “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” I think He would ask us a similar question today, something along the lines of “What do you already have?”. As we bring forward what is already in our hands, He will bring the miraculous multiplication that is required.
The boy who shared the loaves and fish showed radical generosity with what little he had. I’ve just got back from the supermarket where shelves are empty. The act of panic buying and hoarding supplies and resources is clearly not the way to go. It is born out of fearing the worst case scenario but in reality, there is more than enough for everyone to get what they need - IF everyone acts sensibly and simply gets what they need. This survival mentality of looking out for no. 1 and storing supplies up has got to change. We need to have a more selfless attitude, to place a higher priority on checking up on our friends and relatives and looking out for the vulnerable in our communities - whilst maintaining a good 2m distance at all times and following the governments other social distancing guidelines of course.
This piece is titled ‘What are they among so many?” This was the disciples response to the loaves and fish that was offered to Jesus.
Using my son, George as the boy, carrying a can of John West sardines and a loaf of Hovis bread puts a bit of a modern spin on the event as it plays out in the gospel. Painted in watercolour using just one colour - Lamp black with the text from the feeding of the 5000 as a background.