Five loaves and two fish (10)

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. (Mark 6:39,40)

After receiving the five loaves and two fish, Jesus directed the disciples to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. Someone should a have proper seat for eating. Proper seat is necessity not only for the sake of comfort while eating but also for space adjustment with the crowd gathered in the particular region of the desert. Just imagine the scene. Thousands of people were sitting in groups on the green grass and probably Jesus was in the center of the crowd. Perhaps the glowing western sky of the evening set a beautiful background of the historic scene.

As we study further on, “Five loaves and two fish”, we find that it be related to the Eucharist. The Eucharist is placed in the center of Christian worship service. Then this “Five loaves and two fish” is a sort of worship in the desert. If we widen our theological imaginative power, the “Five loaves and two fish” is an introduction of a new worship service. Worship in the desert is the same with the worship in the temple. It is not sure whether the author agrees on this point but it will not be wrong even if we interpret it in this way. As God reveals, Bible can be interpreted on the same line of the author’s writing. However, it does not mean that all arbitrary and subjective interpretation will be possible.

The term “the people sit down in groups on the green grass” could signify the order of worship service. Yes. The Holy Spirit, the central focus of worship service is the spirit of freedom and order. Our worship service should maintain freedom and order at the same time. It does not mean the spirit of freedom rules over one part and the spirit of order on the other. Freedom and order are to be at work simultaneously. For example, hymnal and prayer have its own unique form and we experience the spiritual freedom in it. We have to retrospect the way we have conducted our worship service and see whether freedom and order functions in tandem with the way it should.