Matthew 14:15-21
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
[Jesus] said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
Imagine yourself taking a breezy walk along the shore of Lake Tiberias. The blue lake might bring the feelings of peace and serenity as the small waves crash into the shore. You find yourself captivated by the landscapes of hills and pastures that surround the lake. A walk along this shoreline is like no other experience.
Imagine now, that you are walking along that shoreline and happen onto a crowd of nearly five thousand men with their families. All of the people in the crowd were sitting in groups eating and enjoying each other’s company.
The shore of Tiberias is the place where Jesus multiplied the five loaves of bread and two fish to feed nearly five thousand men and their families. We read in the Gospels that Jesus broke bread with the disciples and the disciples fed the crown of people who were following and listening to Jesus’ message.