Fish and Bread

Context: Antiquity. Roman Empire. Colony. Palestine. Puppet government. Caesarea. Tiberias. Cities in honor of emperors. Dispossessed farmers. Dislocated fisherfolk. Taxes and more taxes. Debts and mounting debts. Text: The Gospels. Fishing all night. No catch. Tending nets. No catch. Parables of Workers and Tenants in Vineyards. Daily wages. Subsistence pay. No work. Dispossessed farmers. Dislocated fisherfolk. The Gospels: Thousands fed with bread and fish. A child offers five loaves and two fish. A ritual of bread and fish. Taking sides with farmers and fisherfolk. Then and now: Taking sides with those who need God the most. Taking sides with those whose only hope is God. Taking sides with farmers and fisherfolk.