hey Mr. ... would he want my lunch?

There was boy about 10 years old out playing in the street one day. He was having a great time doing what 10 year old boys do at that age. He had not a care in the world. His world was pretty simple. He would awaken every morning to the chores his parents had planed for him to complete. Once through the list it was off to play with the other neighborhood children until it was time to eat lunch.

As the boy played in the street, he heard the sound of people talking. At first the sound of the crowd was faint, but the noise level grew with ever step closer the rambunctious crowd drew. The excitement filled the air, but what was it all about? The boy wanted to find out! His parents were not interested in all of the hype, but the boy had to follow along, he just had to see for himself. He begged his parents to allow him to follow the growing crowd. At this point there were two, maybe three thousand people walking through the town. The young boy needed to be with all of these people. He just knew it. The ever growing mob was full of energy, curiosity, and laughter. The boy thought it was like a parade!

In the house next door, the the family could not sit and watch the crowd walk by with out finding out more about the commotion. So they packed up and joined the caravan. As they were leaving the house, the young boy begged to join them in their expedition. The neighbors agreed and they were off. As they hit the trail, the boys mother, called him back. She had packed him a lunch. She kissed him on the forehead and said, " Be home by dinner", then sent him on his way. The young boy was so excited. The excited mob was like a new world for him to explore.

As they hiked toward their destination, the boy skipped from conversation to conversation, listening in to the stories that these travelers were telling. The stories were amazing! So many tales, could they all be true? He wanted to believe what people were saying, but even a young boy has his doubts. As they all started to gather at the shore line, the crowd had grown to close to five thousand. They were all waiting with anticipation. As they took their seats, the boy realized that he was no longer with his neighbor. He was lost. He had wondered off and as the mass of people started to grow, it became impossible to see anyone.

The boy worked his way to the front of the crowd. He sat intently listening, watching and learning. After hours of study, the boy started to meander around the crowd looking for his chaperones. It was apparent to others that the boy was searching for someone. A young man approached the boy and offered to help him find his neighbors and while they searched they talked about the day. As they continued their perusing, they boy remembered his lunch his mother had packed him. He was so hungry. There had been so much excitement, that he had forgotten to eat and now his stomach was growling. The boy did not want to eat in front of his new friend, but he was so hungry. He scanned the crowd and realized that everyone was without food. The young man asked him what was so troubling? As the boy answered Andrew, he realized that not only the crowd of five thousand were hungry, but that Jesus might be hungry, too. " Hey Mr, do you think that he would want my lunch?" said the boy pointing towards Jesus. " My mother packed me a lunch, it is not much, just some bread and a few pieces of fish."

Did the boy understand the part he played in Jesus' miracle that day? Do you think that the boy was inspired to give up his lunch?

I know I took a lot of license with the story. I was wanting to know more about the story, so I had to make some of it up. I am reading a book called "The Fisherman". It sheds a little light on what may have happened that day of this miracle. I think that the generosity of the boy to give up his lunch was rewarded by Jesus. He feed five thousand people....