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REFLECTIONS
Mark 6:30-44

George C. Bush

When I was teaching at Beirut College for Women in the late 1960s, a small group of students came to our home each week for a Bible study and lunch. The culture in modern Middle Eastern countries has a number of similarities to the culture of the New Testament, and this can shed interesting light on Bible passages.

One day, we were studying about Jesus feeding the 5000. I asked the students whether they saw any significance in the fact that there were 12 baskets of leftovers at the end of the meal. I expected that someone would suggest that there was one basketful for each disciple as a meal for the next day.

One student explained to the foreigners present that in their culture it was important to have a significant amount of food left after entertaining guests. If nearly everything was eaten, it might appear that some of the guests had gone hungry. A good supply of leftovers was a sign of having provided well for the guests. By creating more food than was necessary, Jesus was giving evidence of the generosity of His provision. No doubt the disciples made good use of the extra food, but the important point was that Jesus had been a lavish host.

Reflections is a column of brief reflections on Scripture passages. This one is by George C. Bush of Bedford, N.S. Freelance submissions for Reflections (200–250 words in length) are welcome.

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Last modified October 3, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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