Gospel in Art: There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish

The miracle of the five loaves and two fish, by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) Image: National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 12 April 2024
John 6:1-15

Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias - and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.

Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, 'Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?' He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, 'Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each.' One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said, 'There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?' Jesus said to them, 'Make the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, 'Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.' So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, 'This really is the prophet who is to come into the world.' Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself.

Reflection on the painting

Today we read about the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. Those were held by a little boy: 'There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish'. We don't often see him shown in paintings that depict this miracle. In our painting, Lucas Cranach places our boy centre-stage, directly next to Jesus. Jesus, the boy and the disciples form a group on the left, elevated. The crowds make up the diagonal right half of the painting. Cranach was a personal friend of Luther. Luther saw the pure, willing, immediate good-will of the child as the perfect ideal for the faithful. A simplicity of faith, yet faith of a profound depth. Cranach often depicted children as part of his paintings to convey the purity and innocence needed by Christians.

I don't think anyone in the crowd would have thought that the little boy mattered. No one would have even imagined that what he was carrying in his little basket would be the key to one of the most significant miracles Jesus ever performed. God reaches out to the most humble of people, with whom he does the most amazing things.

This also means that we ourselves are never lost in a crowd. We are unique. And God can do and will do the most amazing things with us. The Gospel teaches us that if we give to others generously from our resources, the Lord will work powerfully through those resources, small as they may seem to us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-61-15-2024/
Competition: The Laudamus Award 2024 for Sacred Art - www.indcatholicnews.com/news/4931