August 22, 2007
Satisfied
When it comes to eating meals at large family gatherings many of us overindulge. Then, just about the time we’re stuffed and can’t eat another bite someone says, “Don’t forget to leave some room for dessert.” I noticed when Jesus fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 the people ate and were ‘satisfied’. Apparently there was no need for Weight Watchers, South Beach or dessert.
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Gail;
----I’ve often wondered about the details of these events. The two fish and five barley loaves, being a boy‘s portion, must not have been very big. If there were a couple fish and a couple loaves distributed to each person, then there would have been around eight thousand and ten thousand (respectively for the two occasions) of each made available. You could probably get a dozen of each, just tossed together, into a peck. And four pecks being in a bushel would yield maybe around 65 to 105 bushels of fish and loaves, weighing maybe about 24 pounds each (4 ounces for each fish and each loaf). That would be about of 1,600 to 2500 pounds total, or about 5 to 8 baskets for each of the twelve to pass out, not an insurmountable task at a total of 120 to 190 pounds of work for each to handle. After the meal, twelve baskets of scraps were taken up. Being scraps, they would fit more efficiently in the baskets, and would therefore represent even more fish and loaves by weight, maybe as much as half again, or 32 pounds per basket. At the 4 ounces for each fish and loaf used to estimate all of the above, this would represent about 3000 loaves and fishes, combined - a little more than half a small loaf or fish discarded each.
-----Jesus was evidently generous to them. He was probably generous to the twelve too. It is hard to say from where the twelve baskets came, if there were twelve. Just because there were twelve baskets of scraps collected does not necessarily mean there were twelve baskets, although that would be the logical conclusion - one for each disciple. I can imagine that out of 4,000 and 5,000 people there could have been twelve of them there having a basket each for some reason. If not, Jesus could create baskets too. He was always the practical one.
-----And being practical and respectful, I totally doubt that Jesus would have multiplied these fish and loaves into a ton of good food sitting on the dirty ground waiting for each disciple to scoop some up, with a bit of dirt, and distribute. I also doubt He would create 65 to 105 baskets to contain all the food before the disciples began to distribute it. So, I can imagine that Jesus would place a fish and loaf in the hands of each disciple and loan them the power to repeatedly give out that fish and loaf among each group of people. That would be less load for them to carry around a fairly large area, and it would let them feel His wonder through their own hands, and it would allow the people to watch it happen before their own eyes.
-----The Bible leaves the details for speculation. And amidst that speculation is the satisfaction they had for Jesus’ ability to do this sort of thing. For they attached themselves to Jesus and began following Him all the more because He was able to give them what every person, deep down, really wants - something for nothing. Maybe that was the dessert. Oh! Did we discuss the drink? Imagine choking down all that dry bread and dried, salty fish without a wet chaser!
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