All Christ’s miracles are parables, for all teach us, on the level of natural and outward things, lessons that are true in regard to the spiritual world but this one is especially symbolical, as indeed are all these recorded in John’s Gospel. Our Lord has Himself given us a commentary upon this miracle. We are taught to think of the large surplus in Christ’s gifts over and above our need. We have that thought, to which I have already referred, as more strikingly brought out by the slight alteration of translation, which, by the use of ‘broken pieces,’ suggests the connection with Christ’s breaking the loaves and fishes. Looking at this command, then, with this slight alteration of rendering, and consequent widening of scope, we may briefly try to gather up the lessons which it obviously suggests. Take care of them till you need them.’ That is a worthier interpretation of His command than one which merely sees in it an exhortation to thrifty taking care of the crumbs that fell from the lips of the hungry eaters. My gifts are in excess of the requirements of the moment. ‘Gather up,’ says our Lord, ‘the pieces which I broke, the large provision which I made for possible wants. ![]() Further, we are taught a lesson of wise husbandry and economy in the use of that overplus of grace which Christ ministers, and are instructed that the laws of prudent thrift have as honoured a place in the management of spiritual as of temporal wealth. And that conception of the command teaches far more beautiful and deeper lessons than the other.įor if the common translation and notion be correct, all that is taught us, or at least what is principally taught us, is the duty of thrift and careful economy whereas the other shows more clearly that what is taught us is that Jesus Christ always gets ready for His people something over and above the exact limits of their bare need at the moment, that He prepares for His poor and hungry dependants in royal fashion, leaving ever a wide margin of difference between what would be just enough to keep the life in them, and His liberal housekeeping. But the true notion is that the ‘broken pieces which remain over’ are the unused portions into which our Lord’s miracle-working hand had broken the bread, and the true picture is that of the Apostles carefully putting away in store for future use the abundant provision which their Lord had made, beyond the needs of the hungry thousands. The general notion, I suppose, is that the ‘fragments’ are the crumbs that fell from each man’s hands, as he ate, and the picture before the imagination of the ordinary reader is that of the Apostles’ carefully collecting the debris of the meal from the grass where it had dropped. It helps our picture of the scene by correcting a very common misapprehension as to what it was which the Apostles are bid to gather up. Instead of ‘fragments’ it reads ‘broken pieces.’ The change seems very small, but the effect of it is considerable. The Revised Version correctly makes a very slight, but a very significant change in the words of this verse.
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