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I recently had the joy of reading the story of “The Magic Porridge Pot", to a class of 24 grade 1 students. It is a folkloric German fairy tale recorded by the Grimm Brothers, in Grimm's Fairy Tales. It’s the story of a poor little girl who lived alone with her mother, and when they no longer have anything to eat, the child wanders into the forest, and there, an aged woman who was aware of her sorrow meets her, and presents her with a little pot. When she said, "Cook, little pot, cook," it would cook good, sweet porridge, and when she said, "Stop, little pot," the pot would cease to cook. This story of miraculous provision could only have a happy- ending – imagine never having to buy or prepare food again. However, in the hands of the aptly named Grim brothers it is given a dark twist. The girl and her mother are out of town one day, when someone thinks they will give it a go. The problem is they have only heard the words that gets the pot going, but did not know how to make it stop. The owner of the pot returns to find the whole town in a deluge of porridge. I might leave the rest of it to your imagination.
Our reading this weekend features a crowd, a crowd intent on finding Jesus, because he seemed to have a “Magic Pot”, which had provided a very filling dinner the night before, when he fed 5000 people with next to no provision. Jesus tries to slip away, but the crowd are in no mood to let someone with a magic pot get away. The ability to produce food endlessly would be luxury indeed, the crowd were more than willing to hang around a bountiful provider, and they would follow him closely to make sure that he didn’t slip away.
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When they ask Jesus how he got over to the other side of the lake, Jesus, as usual, skips the pleasantries and jumps straight to their motivation. He basically says, you’re only looking for me because I’ve filled your belly. You missed the point…you cannot really understand, because your eyes are in your stomach and you’re more preoccupied with getting whatever it is YOU think you need.
And this sometimes is our typical approach to our relationship with God: we seek him through our quick prayers for whatever it is we are in need of: a decision we need to make, a struggle we need to be saved from. We want a full belly and we know God provides. But, we keep missing what Jesus is offering in abundance: a heart full of wonder, a spiritual nourishment… a much fuller “feast.”
I guess, many of us with full bellies but empty hearts tend to think a bit literally. So maybe the crowd stopped listening when they heard Jesus mention of an eternal supply… In mentioning, “The Bread of Life”, Jesus gets them wondering, wondering what the “catch” is to be eligible for this eternal supply, wondering if they have to be doing the works of God, but failing to realize that the one who filled their bellies is now offering to fill their hearts. One meal for 5,000 people wasn’t enough proof, they needed credentials that this Son of Man, who referred to himself as the “Bread of Life”, can produce like Moses did!
It’s ironical that Moses got the credit for the manna, and not God himself, but perhaps when we’re in the habit of having our bellies filled but our hearts empty, it’s easy for us to disconnect from the true source of all good things. It’s as though we have spent so long looking at what is (or is not) in the palms of our hands that we forget to lift our eyes to the infinite things above. Jesus reminds them that he is the gift of life from heaven for the whole world. He assures them that in and through Him, they can receive the abundance of God. As full as Jesus has made their bellies, the Spirit can (and will) fill their hearts with wonder and grace that will never cease. Better than a belly full of food, is a heart full of wonder, a life full of grace. In the words of St Paul in our second reading today; renewed in the spirit, made anew in the likeness of God, we are able to expand and become a vessel of God’s nourishment, “A Magic Pot” and a deluge of blessing for others.
