The Jesus Picnic & the Golan Heights

 

Loaves and Fishes by jfkpaint 

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Frieze -- 6th-7th C

Jesus feeds 5000

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?"

Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.

When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

John 6:1-21 NRSVue

This lectionary gospel story, about perhaps the most famous picnic ever, seems perfect for mid-summer in Canada. Who doesn't like a story with a kid as the unlikely hero?

We've enjoyed a couple of lovely picnics with friends and family in the past few weeks that were spontaneous and downright miraculous in the way they came together with an abundance of delicious food. 

                                                                       Sussita mosaic 

You might recall a blog entry following our two weeks in Israel last year about a new national park called Sussita along the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. We searched it out in our rental vehicle, following a winding road up the Golan Heights to the spot opened a couple of months before we visited. While the location seems remote there are fascinating remains of a number of ancient churches and in one there is a mosaic depicting what scholars are suggesting are...drum roll...loaves and fishes. While there is a traditional  "X marks the spot" site on the north shore of Galilee/Tiberias these churches offer an intriguing alternative memorial to that hillside miracle of long ago. It is definitely a remote spot with no take-out joints nearby. 

I took a look online and Sussita appears to be no more than 50 or 60 kilometres from the community where a dozen children playing soccer died a few days ago in a horrible rocket attack by Hezbollah. The park is still open,  but what a reminder of the grim present-day realities of Israel and neighbours.