I am Transformed. 2 Corinthians 3:18

  "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." NKJV
  "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." JCB

  Yesterdays teaching at church of John 6:1-16 was about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. That's when Jesus took five small loaves of bread and two fishes to feed the five thousand who had gathered to hear Him teach. There was a whole lot more to it than a miracle alone which I'd never heard before.
  It ties into today's affirmation and it's something I wouldn't mind going over so the lesson sinks into my brain. Jesus' miracle of the loaves and fishes was a clear demonstration of transforming something humble into something magnificent.
  The five thousand men gathered. Both my Bibles are gender specific. Only the men were counted as befitting their status in society at the time. No women who may have been there and definitely not children are included in the tally. That means the miracle fed even more!
  So, who brings the small food supply to Jesus? A boy, one of the uncounted.
  The loaves were made from barley. This is significant because rich people did not eat barley bread. If a Jewish prostitute wanted to make an offering at the temple, she was only permitted to offer barley, the grain of the sinner, the poor and the uncounted.
  And the fish. They weren't Pacific salmon. They were like a sardine.
  I have to wonder if what the boy brought to Jesus was a meal to feed his family. Was it a week's worth of food for them? Was this boy the primary provider in his household? Was his family amongst the gathered? His generous sacrifice would have meant his family would go hungry. Regardless, he still gave it to the Lord. Maybe, if his family was there with him, they had a full belly for the first time in a long time.
  What touched me the most in learning these things was how Jesus used a boy, He used the common grain of the poor, and the labours of fishermen who were also at the bottom of society.
  I hadn't known that fishermen weren't highly thought of.
  A fisherman doesn't own much. No flocks of goats or sheep or cattle. No land to raise grains and vegetables. No orchards or vineyards. These are all marks of wealth and worldly status. A fisherman's life depended on the sea.
  Were the small fish caught by someone so poor they didn't even own a boat? Were the fish caught by casting a net into the waters close to shore? Maybe even a net was beyond their means. Hook and line would catch one fish at a time.
  Maybe it's a miracle there were even two fish. Waters close to shore would be depleted because the poor would have fished there day after day. Maybe those two little fish were a rare feast.
  I've wandered away a bit from what was taught with my own musings on the story but that's one of the things I love about the Bible. Scriptures can touch each of us different ways.
  I am left thinking about generosity and how that can be applied to my life. It means trusting Jesus to provide for all my means. Lord, I lift my uncertainties up to You because only in You can they be transformed.

  There is much more to this series, Jesus by John, which can be found by going to the teaching link at www.themeetinghouse.com.