Rot

~John 6.26-27 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Because we are so fundamentally attached to our physical selves, this is a hard verse. It's difficult, for me anyway, to keep my eyes on the spiritual, invisible, eternal, the "food" that doesn't spoil. I'm so present with my body and the world as I perceive it through my senses. To disconnect a bit in prayer and meditation is, well, as the verse above says, it's work.

The other principle to be noted here is simply that food spoils. It makes me think of one of Michael Pollan's rules: Don't eat anything that doesn't rot. He has a two-year old Twinkie that has yet to show any sign of decomposing. This return to the soil is a natural part of the physical cycle of life.

Leftovers!

~John 6.5-13 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

John gives the only version of this event that tells us Jesus was testing Philip when he asked how they were going to feed so many people. Jesus knew that God the father is well able to provide and that he would do so. What did he use to feed such a crowd? Bread and fish. Where are the vegetables? Maybe they had dandelion greens all over that hillside!

The other thing I love about this is the Lord's request that the leftovers be collected so there is no waste. I hate to see things wasted. Here's is the Lord's official endorsement of leftovers! :-]

Busy, busy, busy

~Mark 6.31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

Jesus too had times of being so busy there wasn't even a chance to eat. That's busy. Even if I miss some sleep, or mail, or--let's be honest, Ruth--time focusing on God, I can find a few minutes to stuff something into my mouth. Possibly there was some access to food too, but it's interesting that Jesus calls his guys to a quiet place to rest, not a quiet place to eat.

A cup of water

~Matthew 10.42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

Water. Absolutely necessary for human life. Share it freely.

Workers deserve their food.

~Matthew 10.10

Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.

~II Timothy 2.6

And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

This reminds me of a similar verse often quoted by one of our daughters. Whenever Ellen or Audrey was cleaning, or more often cooking, they would remind me that I shouldn't “muzzle the ox" to keep it from eating as it worked. (The verse in Deuteronomy 25:4 says "treads out the grain.") This meant they should have unlimited blobs of dough as they made cookies, for example. This rationale worked fine until I started seeing bad news about salmonella in raw eggs. After that, it was only on occasional times I happened to have the pasteurized eggs in a box that that snack was allowed.

(Yes, I know the risk is low for strong, healthy, non-pregnant people, but since I was the one responsible for doctor visits and dealing with the misery of any diarrhea that occurred, I didn't see it as a risk worth taking.)

Jesus prefers we travel light

~Mark 6.7-9 And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.

This is a hard verse. I don't travel light, and I wouldn't think of starting a trip without packing some healthy snacks. If I don't pack fruit, nuts, or other good stuff, I'm left with convenience store offerings like Pringles, Otis Spunkmeyer muffins, and apple juice.

So what is Jesus' point? Total dependence on God? Being willing to accept from others? Focusing on the Kingdom rather than on physical concerns?

Of course, with no Coke, M&Ms, nor Doritos available, what was offered was much more likely to be natural, healthy food, right?

Maybe there's something cultural here. Maybe staying with someone, being hosted in their home and relying on them for food as well as shelter was a sign of trust or affirmation which would not happen if I came in with a cooler and a sleeping bag. Hmmm.

Harvest

~Matthew 9.36-38 When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

To enjoy the grain, we have to harvest it.