Christian Cuisine: 5 Lil’ Loaves & 2 Flabby Fish

By: C.N.

Calling all eaters! Calling all eaters! I don’t know about any of you, but I love to eat. I have the appetite of a sumo wrestler, even though I’m only 120 pounds, soaking wet (yes, I’m the pencil stick who can eat a house for lunch and a Mack Truck for dinner). I love it all-chicken to chili, apples to avocados, broccoli to brussel sprouts (eeewww, brussel sprouts! Haha). Point being, food is a friend of mine and one of my favorite pastimes. Humans (as well as plants and animals) must eat to live, as food provides us with energy in the form of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. When we don’t eat, we become weak and cranky (think back to my last post, “Gravity Can’t Hold Jesus Down!->https://jesusbedtimestories.com/gravity-cant-hold-jesus-down/), but we don’t always have the means to get the food that we need. It’s bad enough when one person can’t eat, but it’s a thousand times worse when an entire city can’t eat (Mommy hears you, stomach. I’ll fill you up, Pookie). What happens when you have a group of 5,000 men and their families, all hungry, but without any food to eat? Jesus Christ steps on the scene.

Throughout the New Testament (the four Gospels of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), here is what we see: Jesus is walking throughout the streets and countryside, teaching the people about the Kingdom of God, as well as healing the sick. Many people are amazed by Jesus’s miracles and want to hear what he has to say, walking with him for miles. With so much walking, teaching and healing going on, neither Jesus, his disciples, nor the people following him had eaten in a while. Jesus began to wonder how the people would eat, and his disciples suggested that the people leave and go buy food for themselves (Matthew 14:15 (KJV), Mark 6:35-36 (KJV), Luke 9:12 (KJV)). Here’s the thing, though; Jesus saw things differently. He kindly informed his disciples that they had enough food to feed the 5,000 men and their families, and the disciples looked more confused than deer at a singing competition (I don’t sing, I run into the sides of peoples’ cars). The disciples couldn’t imagine how they would be able to feed that many people, and one of Jesus’s disciples, Andrew (our friend Peter’s brother), made the following statement:

• John 6:8-9 (KJV): There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

That’s right, everyone! Peter’s brother, Andrew, wondered how they could feed 5,000 men and their families with a little boy’s lunch-5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Peter and Andrew always had a lot of questions, didn’t they? I can definitely see the family resemblance. They failed to realize, however, that they were not with just ANYONE; they were with Jesus Christ, God in human form, the Lord and Savior of the world. Nothing is impossible with God (I feel like I’ve heard that statement before). Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of roughly 50 people each (like a well behaved class), he thanked God Almighty for providing all of their needs (as we should all do), he divided the 5 loaves of bread and the 2 fish, and guess what happened? Not only did Jesus miraculously have enough food to feed all 5,000 men and their families, but there was enough food left over (YES, LEFTOVERS!)  to fill up twelve baskets; each of Jesus’s twelve disciples were able to take home their own personal doggie bag (fish and bread for everyone!)! Jesus showed his disciples that he was bigger than their problems; Jesus showed his disciples that he can do all things. If we trust and believe in the power of Jesus Christ, he will literally move mountains (move it along, Mt. Everest!). With me being the curious chameleon that I am, I wonder how things would have played out if Jesus performed this miracle today? Lights, camera, action! NOTE: I’ll be using modern day language, technology, and ways of living in this story, as we want to picture this miracle happening in the present day.

Christian Cuisine: 5 Lil’ Loaves & 2 Flabby Fish

By: C.N.

Biblical References: Matthew 14:13-21 (KJV); Mark 6:31-44 (KJV); Luke 9:12-17 (KJV); John 6:1-14 (KJV).

Andrew (one of Jesus’s disciples): Man! Today has been a long day. I don’t know how Jesus does it. Healing the sick, teaching the people about the Kingdom of God, and all while walking in hot sand and wearing flat sandals, no socks, no Dr. Scholl’s supports, no sunglasses on, and no sunscreen. I’m beat!

Peter (one of Jesus’s disciples): I hear you, Bro! I’m so tired from all of this walking, I might just lay down in the middle of the street right now. If any cars start honking at me, just tell them I’m a pothole and go around me. I just need a 30 minute power nap.

James (one of Jesus’s disciples): Spongebob and Patrick are fighting in my stomach right now. I am starving! Everyone is walking slowly and holding their stomachs right now. Can we grab something to eat? I’m about to waste away over here.

Andrew: Let’s ask Jesus if everyone can grab food. It’s getting late. We’re moving around like the zombies from the “Thriller” video.

*Jesus realizes that he has a large crowd-5,000 men and their families-and wonders how they will eat*

All Twelve of Jesus’s Disciples: Jesus, why don’t we let everyone go to the village to grab food? They haven’t eaten all day, and it’s getting late. We don’t want them going to bed on an empty stomach.

JESUS CHRIST: They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

Andrew: Jesus, I’m not sure how we’re going to do that. We don’t have much food with us. All that we have is little man’s lunch-5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. That’s not even enough for everyone to get a sample; that’s not an appetizer, but an appeTEASER. Just so wrong.

Jude (one of Jesus’s disciples): I hear you, Andrew. I’ll gulp that up in one bite. Haha

JESUS CHRIST: Bring them hither to me. Have everyone sit in the grass in groups while we prepare the feast.

All Twelve of Jesus’s Disciples: Yes, Jesus.

*Jesus took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.*

Bartholomew (one of Jesus’s disciples): I don’t see how this is going to work. I love Jesus, that’s my dude and all, but how are we going to feed this many people with 5 lil’ loaves of bread and 2 flabby fish?

Thomas (one of Jesus’s disciples): I don’t know, but Jesus is looking at us right now. Just pass and move. Pass and move!

*Through the power of Jesus Christ, the disciples passed the food out to all 5,000 men and their families, and they did eat*

Philip (one of Jesus’s disciples): Look at all of these leftovers! I can’t believe that everyone actually got full!

JESUS CHRIST: There are enough leftovers to fill up twelve baskets. You, my twelve disciples: Thomas, Simon the Zealot, Philip, Simon Peter (Peter), Matthias, Matthew, Jude, Judas Iscariot, John, James (Son of Alpheus), James (son of Zebedee), Bartholomew, and Andrew-take a basket and eat.

Matthias (one of Jesus’s disciples): Free doggie bags! Jackpot! Forget fish and chips; we’re eating fish and bread tonight! As soon as I find a case of Coke, we can really make this a party!

All Twelve of Jesus’s Disciples: You’ve performed a miracle, Jesus! We don’t know how you did it, but everyone has eaten, everyone is full, we have free doggie bags to go, and the mosquitoes aren’t tearing our behinds up! Bless you! Bless you!

And with that, ladies and gentlemen, Jesus once again shows us that he is a miracle worker. We can only do so much as humans, and there are so many things that we don’t and can’t understand. How did Jesus feed 5,000 men and their families (women and children) with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish? He’s God. How did all of those people eat, get full, and leave enough food for each of Jesus’s 12 disciples to take a basket home? Simple. Jesus is God. Never doubt the power of Jesus; he can do all things. Thank God for life, thank God for food, thank God for family, and thank him for being…well…him. God bless you all!

-C.N.