Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes -- James Tissot
Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 14:16-21 NRSVue
LORD bless the food upon the dishes
As we remember the loaves and fishes,
And like the sugar in our tea
May we be stirred, O Lord, for Thee.
Traditional Table Grace
We were in Israel for 16 days during April and the intersection of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter, an interesting time to be sure. We were also there for the breaking of the fast of Ramadan which is called Eid al-Fitr. We happened to go to the top of Mount Gilboa that day with our wonderfully hospitable family members who live in Israel. All around us were Muslim Arabs who were having picnics with portable grills. There was a festive atmosphere and the aromas wafting our way tempted me to do some begging. A couple of days later we were on the beach at Caesarea waiting for the sunset over the Mediterranean and again Arab families were gathered for picnics.
These moments came to mind when I saw that the gospel reading for this Sunday is Matthew's version of the Miracle of the Multiplication, the five loaves and two fishes story which is actually found in all the gospels.
Jesus fed people, he shared meals with outsiders, he ate with friends, he told a parable about a feast to welcome home an errant child. Breaking bread with the good, bad and the ugly was his -- Dad joke alert -- his jam. Of course, his final, intimately loving act with his followers was sharing the Jewish Passover meal, which Christians now celebrate as the sacrament of the Last Supper or Eucharist.
The God who came and comes to us in human flesh liked to take the ordinary act of a shared meal and make it holy. Even after his resurrection John tells us that Jesus came to his disciples on the shore of Galilee for a brekkie picnic which was a transformative experience for them. "Feed my sheep" was his simple directive, no strings or fishing line attached.
While in Israel we also visited a new national park called Susita with a mosaic which may depict five loaves and two fishes. The lead archeologist wonders if this could be the site of the miraculous picnic with a Taylor Swift-sized crowd.
The traditional location is at Tabgha, with its own mosaic, on the other side of the lake, but so many "X-marks- the-spot" attributions have been challenged along the way. It's unlikely that a bunch of peasants hungry for Jesus' message of inclusion in God's new realm put up a plaque, but their lives were changed.
Susita Mosaic
Tabgha Mosaic
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