This is one of the few stories that appears in all four gospels ... interesting.
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves 6 and two fish; but what good are these for so many?"
... I've read that barley loaves are the food of the poor and that this line harks back to Kings 2: 42-44 ... A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing the man of God twenty barely loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said. But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha insisted. "For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'"
Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass 7 in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
... hmmm, people are eating Greek/Roman style (reclining)? A book I'm reading, The Questions of Jesus, mentions that there must have also been many women and children here as well, though they were'nt counted, making the number much higher than 5,000.
I agree with Laryy that this story is about sharing and maybe also about the idea that God will provide for us in surprising ways.
2 comments:
When I read, "Have the people sit down." or "recline" I had the feeling Jesus was suggesting "Sit, quiet yourselves, take some time to enjoy this meal, this message." Indeed, spiritual nourishment is delightful when taken in and digested slowly, deliberately, with focused attention.
Questions without final answers.
Barley loaves were the food of the poor and fish would be from the local fisherman's catch -- again likely working poor at least. And a child.
At the same time this child shares with 5000 men and an unnamed number of women and children. Is this a holiday? Who are they? Are they well to do enough not be at work? And where did they come from?
I'm asking because I'm wondering if the poor child shared with those who were better off.
And we all agree this is about sharing. As if the multiplication of loaves and fishes was a harder mircale to wrap our modern rationalist minds around than changing water into wine. Or rising from the dead.
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