Bible Study With The Bishops: So Much From So Little

Reading Plan Text for March 20: John 6: 1-13

Three soldiers trudged down a road in a strange country. they were on their way home from the wars. Besides being tired, they were hungry. In fact, they had eaten nothing for two days. "How I would like a good dinner tonight," said the first. "And a bed to sleep in," added the second. "But that is impossible," said the third.

On they marched, until suddenly, ahead of them, they saw the lights of a village. "Maybe we'll find a bite to eat and a bed to sleep in," they thought.

Now the peasants of the place feared strangers. When they heard that three soldiers were coming down the road, they talked among themselves. "Here come three soldiers," they said. "Soldiers are always hungry. But we have so little for ourselves." And they hurried to hide their food. They hid the barley in hay lofts, carrots under quilts, and buckets of milk down the wells. They hid all they had to eat. Then they waited.

The soldiers stopped at the first house. "Good evening to you," they said. "Could you spare a bit of food for three hungry soldiers?" "We have no food for ourselves," the residents lied. "It has been a poor harvest."

The soldiers went to the next house. "Could you spare a bit of food?" they asked. "And do you have a corner where we could sleep for the night?" "Oh, no," the man said. "We gave all we could spare to the soldiers who came before you." "And our beds are full," lied the woman.

At each house, the response was the same -- no one had food or a place for the soldiers to stay. The peasants had very good reasons, like feeding the sick and children. The villagers stood in the street and sighed. They looked as hungry as they could.

The soldiers talked together. The first soldier called out, "Good people! We are three hungry soldiers in a strange land. We have asked you for food and you have no food. Well, we will have to make stone soup." The peasants stared.

The soldiers asked for a big iron pot, water to fill it, and a fire to heat it. "And now, if you please, three round smooth stones." The soldiers dropped the stones into the pot.

"Any soup needs salt and pepper," the first soldier said, so children ran to fetch salt and pepper.

"Stones make good soup, but carrots would make it so much better," the second soldier added. One woman said, "Why, I think I have a carrot or two!" She ran to get the carrots.

"A good stone soup should have some cabbage, but no use asking for what we don't have!" said the third soldier. Another woman said, "I think I can probably find some cabbage," and off she scurried.

"If only we had a bit of beef and some potatoes, this soup would be fit for a rich man's table." The peasants thought it over, then ran to fetch what they had hidden in their cellars. A rich man's soup, and all from a few stones! It seemed like magic!

The soldiers said, "If only we had a bit of barley and some milk, this soup would be fit for a king!" And so the peasants managed to retrieve some barley and milk.

"The soup is ready," said the cooks, "and all will taste it, but first we need to set the tables." Tables and torches were set up in the square, and all sat down to eat. Some of the peasants said, "Such a great soup would be better with bread and cider," so they brought forth the last two items and the banquet was enjoyed by all. Never had there been such a feast. Never had the peasants tasted such delicious soup, and all made from stones! They ate and drank and danced well into the night.

The soldiers asked again if there was a loft where they might sleep for the night. "Oh, no!" said the townfolk. "You wise men must have the best beds in the village!" So one soldier spent the night in the priest's house, one in the baker's house, and one in the mayor's house.

In the morning, the villagers gathered to say goodbye. "Many thanks to you," the people said, "for we shall never go hungry now that you have taught us how to make soup from stones!"

(Found at http://www.storybin.com/sponsor/sponsor116.shtml and credited to "Marcia Brown -- 1947.")

There are many versions of this old folk tale. The one I remember from childhood involved only one soldier. In some tellings it is a beggar who comes into the village. It doesn't really matter who is involved, because the end result is the same. Everyone in the village contributes a little bit, and soon there is enough soup to feed the entire village. So much starting from so little.

There are those who take the "stone soup" approach when looking at "the feeding of the 5,000," which is the only miracle story that appears in all four gospels. However, only in John's version do we find the boy with the five barley loaves and two fish, over which Jesus gives thanks and then distributes. Is the boy the first to offer his meager amount to the common pot? Or did Jesus work another of his miracles?

I don't think it really matters which way it actually happened, because in the end, either way it was a miracle that everyone was fed. So much starting from so little.

Philip and Andrew repeat the refrain we frequently hear when faced with having to do a great deal with apparently few resources.

Six month's wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.

...five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?

So little.

Jesus doesn't accept their protests of scarcity, of the seemingly overwhelming scope of the job ahead. He just starts feeding people, and when the meal is over, there are enough leftovers to fill 12 baskets.

So much.

There are many other layers to this story of Jesus' miracle, but for today it is enough to ponder, "What would happen if we just started working with what we have on hand?"

So much from so little.

Peace,
Jeffri