"You want us to do
what?!? How?!?"
Sounds like whiny kids (or
even adults) at home.
Jesus wants the disciples
to feed the mass of people (an unknown number at this particular moment in the
story). "Really?" is their reply. "With what? From what we can
tell, it would take about eight month's wages just for bread alone!"
Money solves all problems.
Right? Isn't that the gut reaction that comes forward when need arises? Jesus
tells us to look past the seemingly obvious, costly solution.
"What's
available?" -- besides money. The disciples find out that there are five
loaves of bread and two fish. It's almost laughable.
If that weren't enough to
make you shake your head, John 6:9 tells us that
these were barley loaves, "and barley loaves were the food of the poorest
of the poor. Barley bread was the cheapest and the coarsest of all bread. They
had two fishes. They would be about the size of sardines." [i]
Jesus tells the disciples
to have everyone around sit in groups on the green grass.
* "Green grass."
For the grass to be green, it would be springtime -- probably mid-April. The
Jewish Passover. And we already know it's late in the day, so the sun is
setting.
* These groupings "of
men" consisted of sections of a hundred and of fifty. Verse 44 informs us
that these numbered 5,000. Well,… add to the number, because there had to have been
women and children in the area (tradition required them to sit separately from
the men).
Jesus takes the five
loaves and the two fish (a total of seven items; the number "seven"
symbolizes perfection [or adequacy]), looks to heaven and blesses the meal.
Anything strike a chord of
familiarity for you?
"Taking… blessed… broke… gave… are reminiscent of the blessing at a
Jewish Sabbath meal (based on Deut 8:7-10
and developed into the 'blessing of nourishment' ['birchat ha-mason'] used at mealtime), but they are especially
close to words used in the Lord's Supper (Mark 14:22-25),
thus providing a foreshadowing, while also suggesting the banquet prophesied at
Isa 25:6."
[ii]
Jesus gave the five
loaves and two fish to the disciples to distribute to the people. And then the
miracle happened. All ate and were satisfied. In fact, there were still 12
basketfuls of bread and salt-fish after everyone had finished.
Say what?!?
All right. Miracles cannot
always be explained. That's why they are "miracles." The impossible
made possible. Marc * stated, "This was the simultaneous meeting of the
small and large universe; quantum physics in the hands of Jesus."
Breaking it down:
* Did 5,000+ people get
fed? Yes.
* Did Jesus make this
happen? Yes.
* Was it miraculous? Yes.
But I want to explore the
miracle within the miracle. Did Jesus actually, personally, manifest and create
from his own hands more than enough food to feed the masses? Doubt may arise as
to whether you believe this could've happened. Regardless of what folks say,
"doubt" is inevitable -- something all of us go through.
Did You Know?
"No orthodox Jew
traveled without his basket (kophinos).
…The very orthodox Jew carried his own food supplies in his basket, so that he
would be certain of eating food that was ceremonially clean and pure." [iii]
In many instances, baskets
would have enough food to provide nourishment for a few days -- since traveling
along the road to reach a destination would take time (not like driving in a
car or taking a plane). Many people sitting in these groups had provisions --
enough for everyone.
What I find miraculous is…
Jesus had the capacity, the power, to bring together thousands of people. He
took the "me" and "let's only be concerned about ourselves"
and turned the focus on "we" and "let's be concerned about
everyone."
However it happened, over
5,000 agreed to sit down at the table (or in this case on the green grass) as
one. To me that's even more amazing than trying to figure out how the food
source came about.
"They all ate and
were satisfied." This verse has double-meaning -- physically AND
spiritually.
The good news was becoming
reality. The voice in the wilderness was being clearly heard, fulfilled and
followed. Jesus was making a significant impact on the lives of the people.
Community. Coming together
as one. In a new way.
Community. Coming together
with God. In a new light.
NEXT…
Being pulled in all
directions; calming the storm in our lives
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