Tag Archives: bread

Sour Patch

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A few years ago I joined the sourdough craze. My daughter gave me a jar with “starter” in it—a mix of flour and water that ferments and acts as yeast to make bread rise. I faithfully fed that gooey substance every week and kept the loaves coming.

Ancient Egyptians were the first people to make sourdough bread, discovering fermentation by accident. Around 3000 B.C., Pharaoh’s bakers left a mixture of crushed grain and water out overnight. Wild yeast and bacteria from the air got into the dough and voila! The next morning they were greeted with a bowl spilling over with bubbly, pungent goop. They mixed it into their usual flatbread recipe and were rewarded with a light, airy loaf of tangy, soft goodness.

Egyptians had a scarcity mindset, especially when it came to food. No wonder they built those pyramids and filled them with stuff. No wonder they stored up huge quantities of grain. (Remember Joseph?) Fermentation was a way to increase their food security. 

The Israelite slaves in Egypt ate sour bread for 430 years.

Imagine what it was like when God provided
a new kind of bread in the desert
and it tasted like honey –
a sweet bread. 

Slavery in Egypt was a sour patch of time for the Hebrew people.
But once they were delivered from slavery,
God gave them a taste of His sweetness.

Freedom—how sweet it is.

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:36

Crumbs

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He gives thanks for the loaves,
hands the bread to his disciples,
and 4,000 people eat dinner.

The disciples pick up the scraps, but somehow forget to bring any along for the boat ride home.

Well, there is one little loaf—but that’s not enough to feed 12 hungry men. Right?

There is a discussion. “Why didn’t you bring some of that leftover bread?” “Nobody told me to.” “I thought he was getting some.” “I thought you were.”

The Master asks the next question: “Why are you talking about having no bread?” The embarrassed silence is followed by seven more rapid-fire questions. The men manage to answer two of the eight questions.

The easy ones:

“How many basketfuls did you pick up when I fed 5,000 with 5 loaves?”
“Twelve.”
“How many basketfuls did you pick up when I fed 4,000 with 7 loaves?”
“Seven.”

Then the hard ones:

“Do you have eyes but fail to see? 
Do you have ears but fail to hear? 
Are your hearts hard?
Do you still not understand?
Don’t you remember?”

I think I’m starting to understand.

Followers of Jesus are called to give and serve and feed and clean up after people. The task can appear overwhelming and some days it seems impossible to satisfy the needs of so many. And then Jesus speaks blessing over the paltry offering and a miracle takes place. It’s amazing, but it’s also exhausting. Servants go home tired and realize they didn’t get to eat the miracle meal.

Jesus says, “What do you mean, there’s nothing left for you? What’s in your hand?”

I say, “A few bread crumbs.”

And He says, “Don’t you remember? Don’t you understand?”

Jesus, the great multiplier, is in my boat, where crumbs become a feast.

I’m beginning to understand.

Bread Crumbs

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breadHe gives thanks for the seven loaves, hands the bread to his disciples, and 4,000 people eat dinner.

The disciples pick up the scraps, but somehow forget to bring any along for the boat ride home.

Well, there is one little loaf….but that’s not enough to feed 12 hungry men…..right?

There is a discussion.  “Why didn’t you bring some of that leftover bread?”  “Nobody told me to.”  “I thought he was getting some.”  “I thought you were.”

The Master asks the next question: “Why are you talking about having no bread?”  The embarrassed silence is followed by seven more rapid-fire questions.  The men manage to answer two of the eight questions.

The easy ones.

“How many basketfuls did you pick up when I fed 5,000 with 5 loaves?”

“Twelve.”

“How many basketfuls did you pick up when I fed 4,000 with 7 loaves?”

“Seven.”

Now the hard ones:

“Do you have eyes but fail to see?  Do you have ears but fail to hear?  Are your hearts hard?  Do you still not understand?  Don’t you remember?”

I think I’m starting to understand.

Followers of Jesus are called to give and serve and feed and clean up after people.  The task can appear overwhelming and some days it seems impossible to satisfy the needs of so many.  And then Jesus speaks blessing over the paltry offering and a miracle takes place.  It’s amazing, but it’s also exhausting.  Servants go home tired and realize they didn’t get to eat the miracle meal.

Jesus says, “What do you mean, there’s nothing left for you?  What’s in your hand?”

I say, “A few bread crumbs.”

And He says, “Don’t you remember?  Don’t you understand?”

Jesus, the great multiplier, is in my boat, where crumbs become a feast.

I’m beginning to understand.

(You can read the Biblical account in Mark 8:14-21)