In my journey toward understanding the origins of chaos, I’ve been drawn again and again to the most provocative — and often neglected — aspects of daily life: food, pleasure, conflict, desire. These are not minor concerns; they are where chaos most easily enters us, and where redemption is most needed.
Food is one such doorway.
Today, I begin a new segment — On Food — with a meditation on one of the most mysterious and beautiful moments in Scripture: the feeding of the five thousand. Not every meditation will cite Scripture, but each will seek to reclaim and redeem our relationship with these ordinary, yet spiritually potent, parts of life.
Jesus replied, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
When they had found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”
Then Jesus directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat in hundreds and fifties.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples to set before the people, and He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and fish. Those who had eaten were five thousand men.
— Mark 6:38–44
I believe in the miracle. I believe that five loaves and two fish truly fed five thousand — and more. But as I read it again, another meaning stirred in me.
What if the bread wasn’t multiplied in a physical sense? What if five loaves and two fish really did feed five thousand men, and still left some over?
That would mean each man received only a crumb. And yet, Scripture says, “they all ate and were satisfied.”
Clearly, this is not the satisfaction of the stomach — but of the spirit.
To be filled by a single crumb requires a depth of presence and a posture of reverence that I can barely imagine. It means knowing, truly knowing, that what you are receiving comes from the hands of God — and that even a crumb from Him contains eternity.
This is the gratitude I long for.
Not the kind that eats two full plates, still restless, offering a half-hearted thanks to the cook and a recited prayer to God.
But the kind that trembles with joy at a single crust of bread, because it was given by the One who feeds the soul.
Oh, how I pray to eat like that. To eat with such reverence that five loaves could last me five thousand days.
Other Meanings Worth Noting:
The Five Loaves may reflect the five weekdays — the labor and fasting of the soul.
The Two Fish may represent the two feast days — the joy and nourishment of Sabbath and celebration.
When Jesus says, “You give them something to eat,” He is calling the apostles to shepherd the spiritually lost — to teach, to nourish, to serve.
Even a single crumb of true wisdom, passed on in Christ’s name, can feed thousands.And the twelve baskets of leftovers — one for each apostle — show us that in serving others, the servants are not left empty. There is always enough.