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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 than keeping me from losing any of my youthful enthusiasm.  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 Hebrew 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.
          So much for another of those many misconstrued reporting of an otherwise simple event!  I can easily understand that what was thought to be necessary in these exaggerated accounts was nothing more than another means of convincing the masses of my supposed divinity.  I hope you understand that some of the other miracles that were attributed to me just aren't a part of my memory; not wanting to harshly judge anyone, let's just say that some of these stories must've been the product of some enthusiastic disciple who possessed a vivid imagination.  So I hope your next question will deal with something that I have some good recollection of actually having taken place as in these first questions.