Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. (Mark 6:41)
Jesus took “Five loaves and two fish” and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks. The author keeps silent about the content of the thanksgiving. Was it similar to our normal way of thanks giving to God in prayer when we eat? Following the Jewish custom of prayer before meal, surely Jesus must have prayed, “Praise the Lord Jehovah, the King of the world!” As he continued, he must have prayed, “You made bread from the earth.”
There is no other more sincere prayer than the prayer made before a meal. The first act of a newly born baby is to breathe. A doctor normally beat buttocks of baby to give an impetus to take normal breath as it comes to the world. The baby has to leave the womb and its dependence on the mother in breathing so as to live in this world. After breathing, a baby instinctively sucks mother’s breast for a while. If there is no milk from his mom then a baby should beg for cow’s milk instead. As such, meal is highly essential for the sustenance of our life. Therefore food is also a holy aspect of God’s provision.
Think of an ape-man. They always suffer from the shortage of food. Except sleeping hour, most of their time is spent in preparing and searching for meal. This mode of life is similar with other wild animals. It is not long that we gave up such style of livelihood. Nowadays we give a formal prayer before each meal. Mere formality of prayer could be the result of our shallow understanding about the depth of life and the world. To understand the world in depth is to experience the intimate relation with the God, the creator. The intimate relationship with God heart is found in Jesus’ blessing.
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