What Happened To The Twelve Baskets Left Over?
Good Morning Friends,
Working with several hunger focused not for profit organizations I have found that they hold one thing in common, from Churches to soup kitchens and packaging events like Meals of Hope, they all hate wasting food. I support some financially, deliver food to many of them and have directed some of their work in the past. I view all these efforts as ministries of food for the body but also as a gateway to providing food for the soul. With that mindset I have taken today’s Lenten lectionary offering from the book of Luke and am meditating on the taking, blessing, breaking and giving that occurs on the Cross, and the taking, blessing, breaking and giving during the Last Supper and am particularly meditating how this process is also presented in miracle of the feeding of the 5000. And I cannot help but think of the abundance of these events in the lives of the disciples and marvel at how my mind connects today’s scripture to their lives and ours as we grow in the Body of Christ even as I wonder… What Happened To The Twelve Baskets Left Over?
Scripture: On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Luke 9:10-17 (NRSV)
Message: In Immokalee we have Christmas and Thanksgiving in the Park that are mass feedings. They tend to be pretty orderly events. Sometimes there is food left over and sometimes not. Scripture gives us the stories of two mass feedings as well. One, the feeding of 5,000 is more Jewish in its nature and the second, the feeding of the 4000 is more focused on the Gentiles. The focus of the scripture today is on the feeding of the 5000 and one of the interesting things about the event is that it is on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee…. a place of gentiles. The event happened near Passover time. It is symbolic of the advent of the age of Grace and lifts up Jesus as the Bread of Life. So it is natural to consider the Last Supper while reading it and especially during Lent, the Cross. The image is of a New Passover Celebration. I encourage you to read all four accounts of the feeding of the 5000 (Matthew 14: 13-21; Mark 6:30-44; John 6:1-13 and Luke 9:10-17). It is the only pre-resurrection miracle to be included in all four gospels, and you have to read all four accounts to get the full impact. But even then we are left with questions, for none of them tell us what happened to the 12 baskets left over, nothing tells us what happened to the 5000 who were fed. But I really believe that the 12 baskets of food were left so that each one of those disciples who participated could take one. Oh, I guess you could say they were for the 12 tribes but I do not think that makes as much sense. You see, I believe that the story is telling us that those who serve the Lord get to enjoy the fruit of the abundant supply that Jesus gives. What we are left with is the reality that when we put our limited resources into Jesus’ hands, a little can go a long way. We are left with the hope that nothing will be lost. And here, if we can control our fear of scarcity by believing in the generosity of the gospel, then maybe we can adequately address the issue of world hunger in a way that brings food not just for the body but also for the spirit. So maybe Jesus in today’s scripture is preparing His people and all those who would believe in him for the Eucharist and the final banquet in heaven. Connect the dots. In the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 Jesus is foretelling of the bread and the body he will be giving up broken on the Cross. So think on the abundance that event has made possible.
Pray we discover what we have in our baskets and what we do not. Pray we not get discouraged when our resources are inadequate, but rejoice knowing that God provides only if we have a need. Pray we realize that Jesus is the Bread of Life and every difficulty is allowed by God to enrich and enlarge us. Pray we realize that only Jesus can truly satisfy. Pray we are responsible in sharing what we have. Pray we understand that the message of the gospel teaches us that when it comes to love we are to believe that we will always have more than enough to share. Pray we understand the message of abundance that comes when we take, bless, break and give what we have to the glory of God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 