"Philip answered him, 'Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.' One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 'There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?' Jesus said, 'Have the people recline.' Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. " - John 6:7-10
Loaves and Fishes is one of those stories that appears in all four Gospels - most likely because of how many people experienced it first hand. It's a pretty simple story, and one that we can easily understand. A lot of people (4000-5000) followed Jesus to listen to what he had to say, but did not come prepared with any sort of meal. A donation is made, and Jesus multiplies that donation so much that there are a dozen baskets left over. The hungry are fed, Jesus's message sinks in and all are grateful.
We all can relate because, at one time or another, we've been hungry. And we know how hard it is to learn on an empty stomach - and that's likely one of the reasons why Jesus wants everyone to be full and comfortable - so that his message has the greatest likelihood of sinking in, and getting passed on. Yes, the miracle in itself is amazing, but the fact that Jesus knows us so intimately should speak even louder to our spirits.
He was, is, and always will be one of us. He understands us, knows that we make mistakes, loves us and forgives us. He'll stand with us on our day of judgement, being our great advocate and friend.
A good reminder for when we think we've lost touch with our God and ourselves.
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