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THE ANSWER FOR |
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QUESTION |
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ELEVEN |
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RETURN TO |
esus |
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| THE QUESTION: Perhaps
you would care to explain just how you were able to feed some 5000 people
by simply the passing of those five
infamous baskets amongst that rather large gathering? |
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THE ANSWER: First off, there were
considerably far less than 5000 people at even the largest gatherings, even
less than one-tenth that number being some 500; I don't remember ever
drawing much more than say 200 or 300 people at any given gathering on the
very best of days and even that is a rather enthusiastic estimation most
particularly if one would only considers the actual populations of the small
settlements that I had visited throughout Judea and mostly in my own
familiar Galilee. I believe that even some of my own faithful and loyal
disciples probably reported more people than there actually were, if only
for the thoughtful purpose of keeping me from losing any of my youthful
enthusiasm. I am quite sure that most of my faithful disciples most truly
understood that it was never important to me as to how many of my neighbors
would make a showing at any of the gatherings, as my real concern was that
those who would attend came away from any of my sharing with them, the
reality of their need for more joy in their often dismal existence. I can
only add to this endless joy that I had always offered to any one that
needed some form of experiencing more joy in their lives; that it is always
the person to person sharing in the joy of any importance that was fully
expressed in terms that related to those each and everyone individual who
was in attendance. And please keep in mind that it was in the smaller
groups that would always be far better for the individual as I could reach
out and actually be able to so personally touch each individual. In any
case, the particular report of my miraculously feeding one of my larger
gatherings was just another simple misunderstanding of what had actually
taken place; assuming of course that the report found in the Bible is
referring to the same incident that I recall. And again, I remind you that
the account of this or any other event was written many years after it had
actually taken place, and more probably than not, initially reported by
someone who was not actually present. First off, I need to explain these
five miraculous baskets. As I recall, on this particular occasion that
might have given rise to the reporting of this incidence, there were two
families that had brought baskets of food simply because both of these
families had brought with them a number of children in their care and these
young children needed to be fed in the course of the gathering. These
children that often accompanied their parents or caretakers to these
gatherings just weren't as able to go through the entire day without eating
more often than their parents, and the ceremony of eating had also served to
keep some of the children occupied as many of them had little or no actual
interest in the purpose of the gathering and certainly in what I was
saying. I recall that these two families in their enthusiasm to share what
little they had, suggested to me their willingness to pass their modest
baskets amongst those who were close to them, and for anyone to take
whatever they had need of. I thought this was such thoughtful offers on the
part of these families, that I enthusiastically accepted their kind offer
without any reservation, and only added that if anyone else had anything
they wish to contribute to this sharing, that they might do so. There were
five baskets between these two families and these five baskets ended up
serving as the very vessels necessary for what turned into this rather
unexpected communal sharing. That's all it was, and as it was reported,
these five baskets were eventually returned to the two families overflowing
with offerings from their good neighbors. I might add a rather significant
footnote to this particular incident. It was quite customary for most
adults and even children who had cause to be away from their homes to have a
stash of bread and sometimes dried fish that could possibly sustain them in
the unforeseen event that they became lost or simply delayed in reaching
their ultimate destinations or return to their homes. The children in
particular were routinely taught this more necessary practice of desert-like
survival, and it was always accompanied with the firm insistence that this
stash that was intentionally and securely hidden amongst their clothing
should never be unnecessarily shared, as it may be needed in the case of
some emergency. So I might add that these mostly desert-dwelling and often
poor Hebrews who had received these traditional instructions were then
willing to break with this time-honored tradition and actually share what
was supposed to have been preserved in the event of some emergency; this was
no emergency! That unprecedented sharing may have actually qualified as
some miraculous event, but in actuality there was simply no miracle as such
outside of this unexpected act of sharing with one's neighbors. And I can’t
even take the full credit for this particular incident since it was those
two loving and generous families who had first suggested sharing what little
they had; this was a good testament that I might have had some modestly good
effect with my emphasis on the importance of loving one’s neighbors. |