Feb 18 - Leftovers
- Gary Fritsch
- Feb 18
- 2 min read
I grew up in a big family. With ten or more of us at the table for most meals, leftovers were a rarity, especially with four older brothers. Our appetites seemed to expand to meet whatever amount of food was there on the table. It didn't help that my Mom was a great cook.
So I have always seen leftovers as a sign of abundance. Everyone had their fill, and there was some left over - an amount over and above our significant appetites. Jesus has to remind His apostles of the abundance that He brings and that it can be trusted. This last part is important. The apostles are being called beyond considering what is possible and consider what is trustworthy. The Pharisee's want to see what Jesus is capable of, what is possible. Their motivation is to see if Jesus is an adversary, and if so, is He a significant one? This is their 'leaven'. This is the thing that is moving them to action. They want Jesus to prove that He is real, more real than their life experience (which tells them that THEY are most important).
This is what Jesus is warning about. His apostles have seen what He is capable of (in case they can't remember, Jesus gives them a little quiz). He needs for them to move beyond that and begin to see that abundance for Jesus is not a trick, but who He is. He will always give more than we need. He is indeed trustworthy. Jesus asks, in effect: have you not seen that the leftovers were enough for all of Israel (twelve baskets for twelve tribes) and in turn for all of the world (seven baskets - the number of completion).
Consider all the places in your life where you have more than enough? Could you fill seven baskets of clothes for a flea market, or 12 boxes of 'stuff' for a garage sale? If we consider God the source of all good things, then we should not still be looking to see what He is capable of.
You might ask - what about those who have too little? Some reading here might say this. The answer is two-fold - one is recognizing ALL of the gifts, even the spiritual ones. Just this past Sunday, He told us: blessed are the poor. Yours is coming - and in abundance. Secondly, the children of God are called to share the leftovers - don't be stingy. He can be trusted to provide plenty.
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