He got up, dressed, had breakfast, completed his studies and finished his chores. He decided he would go for a long walk near the shoreline. His mother persuaded him to take a lunch which she prepared for him. It was the same lunch she always prepared for him, consisting of some bread and fish which he could make into sandwiches.
He used his imagination as he played on the lush, green hillsides along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when he noticed something unusual. Coming up over a hillside was a small crowd of people walking toward him. He was sure the people didn’t even notice him. However, the flow of people continued to come expanding in number from being in the fifties, then into the hundreds and finally into the thousands.
He soon figured out what was happening. The man talking was in charge. He must be Jesus. He had heard about Jesus. The word had spread like wildfire throughout the country of Jesus performing miracles and healings. He had become extremely popular as some considered him a rabbi, some a prophet and some even claimed him to be the Son of God.
Just then Jacob’s stomach growled which reminded him it was time for lunch. While standing at the edge of the crowd he began to open his bag when one of the men that was next to Jesus earlier approached him and asked him if he would be willing to share his food with the crowd.
Jacob chuckled, “Sure, but it is only five small loaves of bread and two fish the size of sardines.”
The disciple thanked him and took the food back to Jesus thinking the other disciples would have better luck than he did in gathering up food for the crowd.
When all the disciples returned to Jesus they discovered the only food they had for that entire crowd was Jacob’s lunch.
Jacob heard Jesus pray over his lunch and divide it among His disciples who took it out to the crowd. Jacob didn’t know exactly how it was done. He did know, however, that everyone ate as much as they wanted. In fact, Jacob saw that there were more leftovers than there was with what they started with.
He couldn’t wait to get back home to tell his family what had happened. He had learned many lessons that day. Perhaps the most important one was to share with others what God and others had given him.
Jacob never forgot that day. He called it, “The day Jesus and Jacob fed thousands”. You see, at least in Jacob’s mind, it took both of them to cause that miracle.