Feeding of the Five Thousand

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After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias, as it is also called). A large crowd followed him, because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick. Jesus went up a hill and sat down with his disciples. The time for the Passover Festival was near. Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?” (He said this to test Philip; actually he already knew what he would do.) Philip answered, “For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than two hundred silver coins to buy enough bread.”

Another one of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter's brother, said, “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.”

 “Make the people sit down,” Jesus told them. (There was a lot of grass there.) So all the people sat down; there were about five thousand. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, and they all had as much as they wanted. When they were all full, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces left over; let us not waste a bit.” So they gathered them all and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eaten. [John 6: 1-13]

Find a comfortable position for this time of prayer …

Become aware of your breathing …

Try not to alter its speed or depth … simply notice…

Focus on each breath passing in and out ...

Feel the air as it flows into you … giving you life …

Turn your attention to the gift of each breath, and God who delights in giving you being.

Breathe in God’s life … God’s love for you …

Breathe out all that gets in the way of that love …

Let your attention turn to God and let yourself be loved by God as you are just now.

Ask for what you want from God in this time of prayer.

• In your mind’s eye imagine the landscape… the hills around … perhaps a view of the lake below… perhaps there are flocks of sheep or goats … What kind of place is it? … What is the day like? … you might feel the sun or wind or rain on your face …What can you hear around you, perhaps people talking in the crowd, sounds of children crying or the bleating of animals close by? … Might you notice the smells in this place … pleasant or unpleasant …

• Now let the whole scene come to life. See the crowds of people crowding making their way up the hillside to where Jesus is … What sort of people are they? Are some rich or poor … sick or crippled …

• Notice the disciples as they see the crowds approaching. What sort of an impression do they make on you? Particularly see a young boy with some loaves and fish. What is he like?

• You are there. What is the atmosphere like as you survey the scene and watch these people? … Place yourself in the scene wherever you feel drawn to be and let yourself be involved.

• Jesus waits on the approaching crowd… What do you notice about him? … What might he be feeling as he looks around and sees the people waiting on him …

• Now allow the action to unfold … See what Jesus does …. Hear his words … notice his reactions … and your own …

Allow time of silence …

• If there hasn’t yet been an opportunity to talk with Jesus, imagine he now comes and finds you and engages you in conversation. Talk to him about what has just taken place … about what is on your heart. Be in his company.

• It’s time to leave that place. You make your goodbyes to Jesus … When you are ready return to this time and place.

We end by saying together ‘Glory be …’