Picnic for 5,000

One miracle which appears in all four Gospels is the feeding of the 5,000.  [Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:35-45; Luke 9:10-17; John 6].  Recently I thought about who would have been at the picnic.  Although this list is not exhaustive, it does capture many of the people who were present and participated at the picnic.  You will find it to relevant because many of the same people are at large group event today.

• There was Simon Peter - who heard Jesus say to the disciples: “You give them something to eat,” and he just sat there like a rock and did nothing about the request.
• There was Thomas - He doubted that the disciples could feed the crowd, so he just sat and doubted and watched.
• There was Philip - the worrier.  He wanted to know how they would ever get enough money.  He had not yet learned that with God all things are possible (Mark 9:23; 10:27).
• Matthew the Publican who understood the methods and reasons for taxation.  He probably responded to Phillip, “If we had known we could have charged admission.”
• And there was Andrew (John 6:8-9), the Problem Solver.  Andrew went out, worked the crowds and found a boy in the crowd who brought some food.
• In the crowd there were lots of children: Ben , Yelda , and Peyton , for example.  These were children who could not sit still (you see them at every picnic, and often in other large groups).  These children, although asked to sit with their group of fifty, were actually running around the group playing games and creating commotion.
• Not all the children were like this.  Shelly and Damien sat quiet and securely in the group with their parents, waiting until the food arrived.
• Nathan was the child that Andrew found with the two fish and five loaves.  Nathan was a kind hearted child, willing to share his lunch with Jesus.  He knew there was not enough for everyone, but because Jesus asked, Nathan was willing to give.  I think Nathan was as surprised as everyone else when Jesus broke the bread, blessed it and the disciples began to distribute the food … and there was enough for everyone!
• Pat was one of the first people to get some food from the disciples.  She wondered if there would be enough, so she only took a few crumbs so others could have some to eat also.
• Esthio had been there all day, and was hungry.  He saw how little Pat took, and decided that he could take her portion, and a couple others.  He was hungry, and didn’t care if there was enough for those who were last in line.
• Mary was bitter.  She was several rows behind Esthio, and saw how much he took.  She worried there would not be enough food for her, and she was hungry too. 
• Camad tasted the food, and found it to be pleasant.  Nabashal thought it wasn’t cooked well enough (of course she was a picky eater).  Melody said the food was the best she had ever eaten.  It reminded her of food she ate at a wedding (John 2).  Something about this meal was much better than the ordinary.
• Tessie was served near the end.  She knew that Jesus had received only one lunch, but there was so much food she decided to take some home.  She liked to put food in her purse, which is what she did without anyone knowing.
• Nemalia is a regular at any picnic, and carried the scraps on the ground home.  (This is the ant, not a person, of course)
• Cathy , Jardin , Cher ; and Cal <5526> cleaned up after the crowd, picking up twelve baskets of broken bread.