Few and Small
“And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, ‘I feel compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not wish to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’
“And the disciples said to Him, ‘Where would we get so many loaves in a desolate place to satisfy such a great multitude?’
“And Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?’ And they said, ‘Seven, and a few small fish.’ And He directed the multitude to sit down on the ground; and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples in turn, to the multitudes.
“And they all ate, and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.” Matthew 15:32-38
No one knows for certain the type of fish Jesus shared in this miracle, but it could have been the Saint Peter’s fish (or Tilapia or in Australia, John Dory), as pictured above.
Those who tour Israel, will almost certainly travel to the amazing Sea of Galilee. There is a famous restaurant right on the shore line, called, aptly, St Peter’s Restaurant, where they serve the whole fish, baked with a helping of French fries and salad (It is yummy!).
It is a rather large fish that can grow to as large as two feet in length and weigh as much as twelve pounds. It has a distinctive dark spot on each side of its body -- supposedly thumbprints left behind by the apostle Peter. It has ten long spines on its top fin and microscopic, sharp scales running around its body. It is surprisingly a poor swimmer!
Even if this was the fish the disciple provided to Jesus, it is a far cry from what would be needed to feed four-thousand! I always love the end of the meal when the disciples dutifully cleaned up and found seven baskets of left overs.
Perhaps this is a subtle reminder for us all, of the abundance the Lord provides to us…even when it sometimes doesn’t seem enough by any stretch of the imagination.
Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
NOTE: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.