Five loaves and two fish (13)

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)

The practical expression of ‘Looking up to heaven’ would mean to outwardly to set one’s mind on the place where God dwells but internally it also means to give one’s mind to an ultimate mystery of life. Five loaves and two fish are more than a mere food material. This implies the mystery of life. Many Christian would know the meaning of mystery of life very well as it often referred to but many cannot fully understand the real meaning it carries.

Now we can maintain our life by eating something. Deeply think about its reason. Why can we not maintain our life if we do not eat? Everybody knows its physiological reason. As chewed food passes to the stomach and to the small intestine and the large intestine, and it changes into a nutriment which is necessary for our bodies. No life on earth can exist or live without having food. Even fungus is not excluded from such natural mechanism. The mode of food intake defers from one living being to another but basically all living things including plants need food in order to maintain their lives. Why should they depend on food for their survival? Is this the right system of life on earth?

According to Jesus’ teaching, we will be like angels at the time of resurrection where there will be no concern for eating and drinking. This teaching talks life the mechanism which is totally different from the life mechanism on earth. We should not consider our present system of life as the only absolute one in life. When we are aware of this fact, we come to know the preciousness of our life today. We come to know how marvelous fact it is to maintain our life by eating something. Those who truly acknowledge the certainty of this fact would look up with a thankful heart before taking the food. This would so happen because even to eat something is a mysterious thing.