Day 12 – There’s more than enough for everyone

John 6:1-15

After this, Jesus went to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd followed him because they saw his signs and miracles healing the sick. Jesus went up the mountainside, and he sat there with his disciples.

Now the Jewish Passover festival was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where are we going to buy bread, so these can eat?” Jesus said this to test Philip, because Jesus knew what he would do.

Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages wouldn’t get enough bread for everyone just to have a little bite.”

One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter’s brother Andrew, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these between so many people?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was lots of grass there. So the people sat down – just counting the men, there were five thousand. Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he gave them out to the disciples, and the disciples gave them out to the people who were sitting down. They did the same with the fish – everyone had as much as they wanted. When people were full up, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken leftover pieces, so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve big baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.

When the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus had done, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” Knowing that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

For reflection

Imagine being hungry and part of the crowd, close enough to see what was going on here – would you have expected nothing, a bite of food, or a feast? How would you feel by the end of the meal?