All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 men (plus women and children) from 5 small barley cakes and two tiny fish. (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, John 6)
While all four Gospel writers recount the same story—it was late in the day, the crowds were hungry, the location was remote, and the disciples had no means to buy food for everyone—only one adds two very important details. The source of those small barley cakes and which disciple spoke up about them. John tells us that “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.’” [John 6:8-9]
Six small barley cakes. Two tiny fish. One little boy. He set out that morning perhaps, like all little boys, to run and discover and explore. Possibly his mother had packed that little lunch for him. We know he wasn’t well off since barley cakes were the rough little round cakes that were the staple of the poor. Somehow, he’d been swept up in the crowd following Jesus. Now here it was late in the day. Maybe this was the first time he’d even thought about being hungry. Little boys, captivated by the world around them, can often forget to eat.
Suddenly Andrew, one of the fishermen following Jesus, shows up looking for food. He finds one little boy with the lunch of the poor and takes him to Jesus. That little boy offers his lunch to the teacher. But what was so little going to do in the face of so much need? Then he must have watched how Jesus took what he had, gave thanks, broke apart those little round barley cakes and two tiny fish and began to distribute it to the multitudes. He watched what he brought and was willing to offer to the Teacher, become a mighty miracle.
Every wonder about that little boy? I do. I wonder if he was swept into the new church after Jesus’ resurrection. I know he could never forget the miracle or the miracle-worker. The people there would remember being fed; this little boy would remember how it was that his small offering was multiplied by the Master to feed so many.
