Matthew 15:29-37 | Holy Land Floor Mosaics | Jesus multiplied seven loaves and the fish

Matthew 15:29-37 Jesus multiplied seven loaves and the fish

Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish,  Floor mosaics, 5th century, © Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, Tabgha, Galilee, Israel Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel. But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples, who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full. READ MORE Reflection on the Floor Mosaics The multiplication of the loaves and fishes is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels. For today’s artwork, we travel to The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, a Roman Catholic Church located at Tabgha, Sea of Galilee, Israel.  One of the main highlights of the church are its restored 5th century mosaics. Herewith a detailed shot of these mosaics, depicting a basket filled with loaves and two fish. These are the earliest known examples of figurative floor mosaics in Christian Art in the Holy Land. Whilst we can look at many aspects of today’s miracle, probably the main reflection for me today is around the dynamics of the events. Jesus did not magically produce loaves and fish out of thin air. He first asked the disciples what food was available. So, Jesus asked first. Then the disciples responded by saying how much food there was available. They then offered it to Him and then Jesus multiplied the gifts to nurture all. So: Jesus asks, we respond and He then nurtures us and provides in excess. So we have to give Christ what we have, in order for Him to make us grow and multiply our gifts. Only then can He work through us. Saint Teresa of Avila described this image of Christ working through us so beautifully in one of her prayers: Christ has no body now but yours No hands, no feet on earth but yours Yours are the eyes through which He looks Compassion on this world Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world Yours are the hands Yours are the feet Yours are the eyes You are His body Christ has no body now on earth but yours by Patrick van der Vorst