Sharing

Sharing

John 6:1-15

Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

John 6:1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

One thing I learned throughout my life is that I do not share books that I care about. That is definitely not in line with this feeding of the 5000. I know that but let me tell you why. My experience in lending out books is that they either do not get returned or they are destroyed when returned. Now you have to understand that I like to write in my books. I write notes. I underline important points. Therefore, the book has all my study notes.

In the 1980s, I learned self-hypnosis from a wonderful lady. She recommended a few books for me to read. I was able to find the books at the local bookstore. For young people, you had to go to a bookstore before the invention called Amazon. I wrote a lot of notes and questions in the margins. I would then see my teachers, and we would discuss the notes and the questions. Yes, I wrote these notes in the book.

A new director of computer services was hired where I worked. He told me that he was interested in self-hypnosis. I helped him to learn about this subject. He asked me if I had any books on the subject. Well, of course, I did. He asked to borrow one. Since this was a time before my book lending ban, I lent him a book. After three months, I asked him if I could get the book back. I needed it for my studies. He said that he had lost it. I was very disappointed.

A couple of days later, I parked my car next to his. There was my book sitting on the back shelf of the car. It was clear that the sun baked the book because it was curled up and somewhat mangled. I told the boss that my book was in the back of his car and could I please have it? Sure, he gave it to me, but most of my writing was gone because it was the summer months, and it was hot in that car.

I was devastated because all my notes were gone. That is when I adopted the no lending of a book policy. As cool as this story of the feeding of the 5000 is, I have not changed my mind about lending books. Your question may be, how does my story relate to a feeding story? That is because you have been told through the years that this feeding story is Jesus multiplying food. Therefore, Jesus has to be God incarnate.

There is nothing wrong with that understanding as a beginning foundation. When you look at the story’s details, there is a lot more to it. The people who sat to listen to Jesus were a mix of locals and travelers. It was the custom of travelers to carry food and conceal it in their garments. It is interesting that Semitic people were and still are generous people. In Jesus’ day, if you visited a home, you would receive a meal even if you were a stranger.