As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.  “Bring them here to me,” he said. Matthew 14:15-18

This miracle story comes after a series of parables on the Kingdom of God. The emphasis is that the Kingdom of God always appears as something small and insignificant, many times, almost imperceptible unless one has eyes to see and ears to hear. Small not in the sense of quality but more that it is something unexpected. This is very consistent in the way God acts and we see evidence of this in the Old Testament. God chose Abraham, an immigrant who never held any important role in society besides being a simple shepherd. He was so insignificant that no historical books recorded his existence. These books were reserved for those who are considered great and mighty by the world’s standards. The memory of Abraham was preserved by those whose faith was inspired by him despite all his imperfections. He was small and insignificant but the impact of his faith changed the world.

The Kingdom of God, despite its unexpected nature and apparently insignificant manifestations, creates an impact in the world. However, not everyone perceives this. In the gospel of Matthew, before the evangelist tells that story of feeding of the five thousand, he narrates the tragic tale of John the Baptist. Here again the contrast between the Kingdom of this Era and the Kingdom of God is distinguished. John belonged the latter. His impact in the lives of the people was undeniable. He was a man who was a little peculiar to say the least. He did not hold an office nor any position of authority in the world. However, he was highly esteemed by those whose souls hungered for Truth and Healing. Herod thought he possessed power but he was helpless in deciding the fate of John. The scripture tells us,

The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given. Matthew 14:9

Yet, with all the power and authority given to Herod in this world, he was unable to do the good he wanted to do. He was powerless against his own sin. He could not overcome his own personal weakness.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Romans 7:15

Very often in our Christian community we forget that the power to do good does not come with the size of our congregation or the approval of the powers to be. In our present times, society has invented a class of people known as “influencers” although there is nothing to show that they have influenced anyone or anything for better or worse. Most of them just basically say what people want to hear. They are considered influencers just because the have a group of people following them blindly, albeit a large following. Many times the group or people the world thinks as powerful and influential end up doing the least for the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is a mystery, however, not the in the sense that it is inexplicable or unknowable. It is a mystery because we cannot understand nor grasp its presence until we allow ourselves to participate in it. In other words, there is no knowing the Kingdom of God from a so-called objective perspective. It beckons us to become part of its existence wherever it is found.

There were thousands who ate the miraculous bread and fish that particular day. However, not all of them knew that a miracle had taken place. I am sure many might have rejoiced that their hunger was satiated. Others might have just taken things for granted and expected that the least Jesus could do was to feed them. Who knows? Maybe I am committing the sin of anachronism here and reading modern attitudes into the story. Whatever the case was, only a handful of people knew that a miracle had taken place. Only a handful participated in the actions of the Kingdom of God. These were the disciples who scurried around looking for food to feed these people. They were the ones who knew for a fact this amazing miracle. They participated it in a very small way. It was almost a mustard seed contribution on their part. However, it changed completely how they understood the person of Jesus. It wasn’t just the miracle of feeding a large multitude. This miracle as incredible as it was can perhaps one day be repeated through science. It is very possible that future scientists would find a way to create food for the masses out of small quantities of food. However, for these disciples, this miracle was not about the multiplication of food. It opened their eyes to recognize the presence of “Emanuel”, or rather,“God is with us”.

This miracle was the almost the same as the miracle that occurred in the desert where the Israelites began their pilgrimage towards the Promised Land. However, there is a big difference. In the miracle of the maná, God produced the grain from the soil. God was a distant presence and the miracle occurred without any human participation. The people just had to collect the grain which appeared on the ground. In the New Testament, God has started something new. He is “God with us”. He has taken our nature and wants to draw us into the work He is doing. He opens the door for our participation. He will take the little that we have to offer to Him and transform it into building bricks for the Kingdom of God. We are not able to create the Kingdom of God here. Only Jesus can. The disciples knew that it was impossible to feed the thousands with five loaves and two fish. However, it did not stop them from presenting them to Jesus.

Every day I carry a game of Uno to the streets. Every day we end our day with a game of Uno with a homeless person. Some time ago, a passerby, who had too much time on his hands, decided to pontificate to us about the futility of our work. His argument was that our homeless youth needed education and work programs and playing games was an absolute waste of time. I did not say much to him. I wasn’t interested in engagement with a complete stranger over what was the best way to work with homeless youth. In theory, he wasn’t wrong. I am sure many passing by would say the same. They might be think that what we do is a waste of time in the grand scheme of things. However, our ministry is not an attempt to impress these people. It is our simple offering to be part of God’s actions in the lives of these homeless young people. We know that we are not going to change society. We know that we are not going to create a great social impact. The problem before us is overwhelming. However, we know God is acting and doing something because the good news of the gospel is that “God is with us”. He is with us in a concrete and real manner. He beckons us to join Him. He invites us to “feed” the hungry souls who yearn for His unconditional Love. We offer what we can. We don’t have the resources to do all the things to solve problems. However, we have our “five loaves and two fish” and Jesus receives our offering. Consequently, we witness His miracles. Perhaps not everyone understands that miracles occur every time we are in the streets. They might just see a group of young people playing Uno and nothing more. However, only those who participate in what Emmanuel is doing will know that a miracle is happening. Each time, two or three gather in His Name a miracle happens. Christ is present. When Christ is present, His Love reigns supreme. Where His Love reigns, there is healing. We see healing every time we gather in the streets.

Recently, a mother and son who were just visiting the area, struck up a conversation with us. They are from what we call the upper middle class background. They were curious about our presence. They overheard us speaking English and wanted to know what we were doing in São Paulo. They are from another State in Brazil. The mother must be a Christian because she immediately used the word, “ministry” when I explained the nature of our work. Just then, a couple of our homeless young people walked by and they greeted us with a hug. Then they reached out their hands to shake the hands of the mother and son. They exchanged some words with her. She was very open and receptive too. A simple exchange, perhaps no one would have thought anything of it. However, for our young people who had spent their lives being rejected, it was a miracle. They had the courage to approach someone so distant from their reality and not feel estranged from her. She responded to them with openness and kindness. A few years ago, these same youth would have considered her a target to rob and she would have cowered away from them. However, things have changed in the lives of these young people. The hands that used to steal don’t steal anymore. These woman and her son who perhaps in another time would have looked at them with suspicious eyes now find no reason to allow fear to separate them. This is a simple miracle. Nothing the world would report about. Nothing people who walk past us would understand. However, nothing of these attitudes change the fact that a miracle has taken place. I am not sure if the game of Uno had anything to do with it. However, it gave us an opportunity to be part of a simple miracle.