Here’s
a monologue inspired by the story of the boy whose five loaves and two fish
became food for thousands. It was
written by Mark Diller Harder.
Monologue
(inspired by Matthew
14:15-21, Mark 6:35-44,
Luke 9:12-17, John
6:1-15)
It
was just an ordinary day – hot and hazy. I had got up really early, before the
sun. To get to the boat. To get fishing. I love fishing. The quiet stillness of
the Sea of Galilee. The time to just be on my own, to be myself - no
distractions, no expectations, no one to bug you or put you down… and usually,
no fish either. Out here on the water, it doesn’t matter if I don’t have enough
– if I don’t catch any fish. But today was different, I had a few nibbles to
start with, and then just as the sun was rising, I caught one, and then soon
after a second. These were going to be great in my lunch.
I
didn’t want to leave the sea. To go back home, to the chaos just before
Passover as everyone is getting ready. I know, they keep saying how important
that history is to remember – ‘for our identity’ they say – the Passover in
Egypt when we marked the doorposts, the escape across the Red Sea with the
unleavened bread, and the way God provided in the wilderness, sending manna
from heaven every morning. There’s so much of the story about bread I usually
get hungry listening. I knew that today was the last day for me to get my hands
on some regular warm fresh bread before the flatbread of Passover – so I
grabbed 5 small loaves to put with my fish. This was going to be a good lunch.
It
was then that I saw the crowd, all the people - there must have been thousands!
I’d seen lots of people once in the city, but here they were – in the middle of
no-where where I like to hide out and pass away the time. I finally noticed the
centre of attention – a man surrounded by people edging him toward the
mountain. Yet he was totally calm, and talking and praying and touching what
looked like sick people. I got closer. The man smirked a bit and asked in a
loud voice about how they were going to buy bread for all these people to eat.
A guy near him looked a little panicky – there were a lot of people. How was he
going to get enough money? You can’t buy bread around here anyways. A couple of
other guys took notice of my little lunch and soon they were parading my fresh
fish and bread around. I was proud of my fish.
The man made everyone sit down in the grass. And he prayed – said grace. It
reminded me of all those Passover prayers the adults do. And do you know what,
he started passing out my bread and my fish down one row and then another and
pretty soon everyone was eating and laughing and sharing and having a grand old
time. I kind of lost track of time and ate some food myself and then what do
you know, they were gathering up leftovers – 12 baskets full. I’d never seen
anything like it. I don’t know what all happened that day, and who that man
was, but for once in my life, it was me who had enough.
~
written by Mark Diller Harder, St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, January 2010.
Posted in the From Our Churches archive
on the Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre website. http://resources.mennonitechurch.ca/FileDownload/12317/Boy_with_5_loaves_and_2_fish.pdf
