Feeding the 5,000

One of the few miracles covered by all four Gospels, Jesus steps in and feeds a huge crowd. The Disciples hadn’t eaten, and it was getting late. Jesus understands these difficulties and chooses to feed the crowd.
Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:4-13

Mark 6:31 adds an interesting detail: “they did not even have a chance to eat.” It makes me smile when I think about the disciples suggesting to Jesus that they should send the people away so they can eat, after all, it’s getting late (oh, and by the way Jesus, we’re starving). It’s not that they were overly selfish; they were hungry.

Jesus, of course, hears through their concerns and decides it is time to teach them a new lesson. They’ve just returned from their first preaching tour when Jesus tells them to gather whatever food they have to feed the people. Remember, the number 5,000 refers to the men. There were women and children present as well, so the total fed is likely 10,000 or more. The actual number isn’t significant. Nothing short of a miracle was required to feed such a large group.

This is such a significant miracle, but so many try to rationalize it away. Perhaps these reasons are worth pursuing, but I don’t find myself motivated to think about this at this time.

This phrase jumped out to me this morning:

Twelve basketfuls of broken pieces

The Old Testament provides an incredible story of the roller-coaster ups and downs of our ancestors. Is there a story in the symbolism here?

Twelve tribes, broken pieces, leftovers.

It seems that we too often find ourselves as leftover pieces in this broken world. The path on which this country is heading will no doubt continue to break us into smaller and smaller families of Christ. If I understood the prophesies better, I might be able to point to current issues as foreseen by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel and others. Though much of their words were specifically for Israel, what we see today appears more and more relevant. Sad. Even worse than sad, it’s dangerous. My heart breaks for those who look at God and claim he doesn’t exist. The religion of no religion is beyond foolishness and a cancer that is tearing us apart as a nation and ultimately as a world.