Jesus visited tranquil Tabgha–a short walk from nearby Capernaum–when he needed a quiet place to talk with the Father and listen to His voice.

Jesus even brought his disciples out to this lonely place so that they could rest. (Matt. 14:13; Mark 6:31)  But the crowds followed; people so eager to see Jesus that they ran to Tabgha from the surrounding towns.

Dinnertime approached and the disciples worried about feeding the multitude.

“Send them away. There’s not enough to eat.”

“It would take a year’s wages to buy enough food.”

“Here’s a boy with five loaves and two fish–but it’s not enough.”

Not enough? In Jesus’ hands the simple meal was more than enough. It took twelve baskets to hold the leftovers after more than 5,000 were fed that day, an awesome display of God’s providence.

On a distant Judean mountain, God revealed himself to Abraham as Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Will Provide”.  Here, in the Galilee, the Church of the Multiplication is built upon a site where Jesus revealed himself as our Provider, able to meet our needs when we trust in him.

In the center of the Church’s chancel, under the altar, stands an untrimmed stone: the traditional site where Jesus offered the loaves and fish to heaven, thanking God for His provision. The modern church is built upon the foundations of chapels that have existed here since the 4th century.  Pilgrims journey to this location to be near the place where Jesus provided this miraculous meal.

A mosaic in front of the altar depicts a basket of bread flanked by two fish.  But the basket only holds four loaves.  Where is the fifth loaf?  We find it in the bread of the eucharist, placed on the altar during worship and communion. We find it in Jesus’ own words, the day after he multiplied the loaves and fishes.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”  (John 6:35)