Thursday, August 7, 2014

Turning The Bread Into Fish?

I never was big on bible studies and I'm perfectly content to keep things that way. Don't even try to ask me a question about the "New" Testament. I thought I'd heard that Jesus turned fish into loaves of bread. I never really understood why.

Wouldn't the original fish, with its protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, have been better than those starchy carbs in the loaves of bread?

So, I looked it up. Many of you will already have had a better understanding of the story than I had (or even better than I have now). But it turns out Jesus was supposed to have turned 5 (or maybe 7) loaves of bread and 2 fish into enough bread and fish to feed more than 5,000 men, women, and children.

Come to think of it, I must have gotten two stories confused: "Bread/Fish" and "Water Into Wine."

You may wonder why I'm even telling you about this. Well, while out and about in Fuengirola the other day, we walked onto the jetty and found more people fishing than we've seen there before. Actually, we're seeing more people all over town, day and night, than we've seen here before.

A POPULAR FISHING SPOT.

Most of the fishermen were using slices of bread as bait. With some success (although nothing miraculous).

Anyway, I still prefer the idea of turning water into wine. (And, yes, I am expecting the lightning bolt any minute.)

PROBABLY NOT THE SAFEST PLACE TO GO FOR A SWIM.
(HE CAME UP AND YELLED IN SPANISH, "I SEE FISH!"... UM, YEAH.)
A SLICE OF BREAD WAITING FOR A MIRACL.E
FLYING FISH... BREAD.
CASTING OUT THE DEMONS ... BREAD.
ALAKAZAM!
(NOTE: NOT THE WAY IT WAS DONE IN THE BIBLE.)
IT WORKED!!!
BUT, I DON'T THINK HE'LL BE FEEDING 5,000.

And now you'll have to excuse me... 
GONE FISHIN'

16 comments:

  1. Mitchell the of turning water into wine it is definitely better,. But I believe fish don't like wine so it is problem . I think fishing is not your cup of tea.

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  2. Oh boy is 'someone' gonna burn in HELL!! LOL!
    Easy to get these stories confused....for sure!....I think.
    I am wondering now as I look at all those fishers what was 'running' as they say around here. I remember when the mackerel 'ran' in the waters around Halifax when I was a kid everybody would be there with their rod and reel and bait. Just wonderin.

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    Replies
    1. Jim:
      They may have been bringing in sardines, but I'm not sure. They're abundant, popular, and a lot bigger than I'd expect.

      Delete
  3. Now don't forget that when all the leftovers were picked up there was enough to feed everyone the next day too.
    Is it bad that, as a kid, reading that, I pictured them as a bunch of pigs at a trough?

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    Replies
    1. Jacqueline:
      Leftovers? I figured they just miracle-whipped-up some more.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Judy:
      And, since it's the truth, just a little pathetic.

      Delete
  5. According to Matthew's gospel Jesus performed this wizardry of bread and fishes twice, first time feeding 5,000 from five loaves and two fishes, second time feeding 4,000 from seven loaves and 'a few' fishes. The numbers in both cases referring only to the number of men - their accompanying women and children not being considered important enough at that time to be included in an all-inclusive comprehensive figure. But, hey, what's a few thousand between believers? It's pretty darned impressive anyway, which not even David Blaine has managed to emulate. (Okay, okay, I know - magicians are illusionists whereas J.C. was the Real McCoy)..

    It's a trifle strange that the water into wine miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, often cited as one of the most significant of all the miracles because it's claimed as being the first that J.C. ever performed, is only mentioned in John's gospel, almost certainly the last of the four gospels to be compiled - most likely by a number of unnamed scribes - maybe 70 years or so after the death of J.C. One is bound to ask why the other three already written (known collectively as the 'synoptic gospels'), did not consider it important enough to include. Or didn't they know about it?

    Now I'm going to duck before stones and other missiles start flying in my direction.

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    Replies
    1. Raybeard:
      You make this so much more interesting. My ignorance limits me... but I'm happy to keep it that way.

      Delete
  6. Here on Vancouver Island if you tried fishing with bread you would only catch seagulls, the fish would look at you and say "must be tourists" :) I prefer the water into wine story myself (*definitely not practicing baptised Catholic)

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    Replies
    1. Cheapchick:
      The water into wine is great, but it could be a problem if, like Midas turning everything he touched into gold, you could never get a refreshing drink of water.

      Delete
  7. This idea of a few fish and loaves of bread probably weren't miraculously multiplied to feed 5000 people. Jesus probably asked people to share what they'd brought and everyone opened their picnic baskets to produce enough food for all. Over the centuries this story became grander and grander like telling a story on a bus.

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    Replies
    1. Stephen:
      I had no idea Jesus took the bus... wait... what?

      Delete
  8. I first saw this in Hawaii where the waiters would throw the bread/roll scraps into the ocean to see the greedy fish jump. Jolly good fun.

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