Welcome to the Picnics

The New Testament has six stories in which Jesus feeds a crowd of people. I call them picnics. The Gospel refers to two of them as “bread and fish . . . for four thousand,” found in Mark 8:1–10 and Matthew 15:32–39. The other four mention “bread and fish . . . for five thousand,” found in Mark 6:35–44, Matthew 14:15–21, Luke 9:12–17, and John 6:4–13.

The Gospels don’t tell us this, but I believe all these “picnics” take place in Galilee by the sea (actually a lake) in the late spring or early fall, when the weather is nice. For the most part, the stories are similar; just some of the details are different.

Let’s look first at the stories with five thousand mouths to feed. On the evening of a one-day event, the people weren’t ready to go home, but they didn’t have any food. The disciples suggested that the people go into the villages to buy food and find lodging. One disciple suggested that they buy bread for 200 denarii, which today would cost $730. Jesus doesn’t like that idea and asks how much food they have. They reply, “Five loaves and two fishes.” (I like John’s Gospel, which says a child gave them his food.) Jesus tells the crowd to sit on the grass. He blesses the five loaves and two fishes, and the disciples start to distribute them. “Everyone had more than enough.” Then they gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. (The number twelve stands for the twelve tribes of Israel.) Three of the Gospels state that a total of five thousand people were there. Matthew says the crowd had five thousand men plus women and children, which could grow the crowd to twenty thousand. These stories end abruptly.

The story with four thousand people makes it a three-day event, with “seven loaves and a few fishes.” (In Judaism, seven is a perfect or complete number.) They gathered seven baskets of leftovers. Then Jesus gets into a boat to go to either the Magadan or Dalmanutha region. Mark’s story says that four thousand people were present. Again, Matthew says the crowd was four thousand men plus women and children, or some twenty thousand folks in total.

Here’s my first question: Were there six different picnics or only one picnic told six times? Answer: None of these were actual events, but the stories came from two different traditions, one involving four thousand and another five thousand. For me, the story is not essential but simply a vehicle to tell a truth. This process is called midrash, or biblical interpretation, which incidentally allows for many interpretations, none necessarily being right or wrong but rather how the interpreter sees it at the moment.

And here’s my second question: Where did all the food come from? Some will answer, heaven, manna from above, God, or divine magic. For me, it came from the people there and was hidden in their mantles, a garment like mix between an overcoat worn to protect wearers from the sun and a topcoat, blanket, or bedroll with large interior pockets in which they would carry food and essentials. Jesus knew this, so after he said the blessing, his disciples started passing out the food, and at that point, others reached into their mantles, found their own stash, and started sharing it. The result was that everybody was fed and even had leftovers.

This is the power of agape, unconditional love, which opens our hearts, minds, and pocketbooks to share what we have with those who don’t have nearly as much. Regardless of the conflicting details, all the stories tell us that living agape brings out the best in people.

This is why I feel my life is so rich and fulfilling. Jesus and his message of unconditional love has brought out the best in me, but only when I listen.

Do you have another interpretation of this story?

PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness

Bil

Get my book at Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon!

P.S. People often ask me provocative questions about current events, both religious and secular. I have found that some of these questions are being asked universally. I’ll be periodically alternating regular articles with one of those questions and my answer. I invite you to send me your question to bilaulenbach@yahoo.com.

Photo by Mason Dahl on Unsplash