Feeding the Five Thousand

---

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He did this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.  – John 6:1-15  (NRSVCE)

This morning, I woke at 4:30 AM. I thrashed around on the air mattress that has been my bed for 2 weeks, trying to get comfortable again. It wasn’t an easy task, but I thought I had finally found a spot where I might fall back into sleep. However, not a chance. Because, you see, it was not just my body that couldn’t rest, it was my mind. My thoughts were racing through my brain, my worries banging around in there, and finally I surrendered. I acknowledged I had been bested once again by the cares of my life.

I could make you a list of my current worries. It might not be as long as yours. I am not writing them here. I feel like writing them down might make them stronger. Even more though, if you have your own worries, you don’t need my list added to yours. You probably already have enough on your plate.

I found my way in the dark to the front house. I thought I would watch the sun rise over the bay in an hour or two. I found my laptop on a table in front of a window and opened it to the readings for today’s Sunday Mass. And it happened again. That thing that happens nearly every time. The daily bible readings seemed to address exactly my situation.

I know what some of you may be thinking. You are thinking, “Any bible verse or story can be molded to fit any situation.” I sometimes have a thought like that. But the verses often seem to fit so perfectly. Sometimes the same verse or story does fit many situations. Maybe all of our issues can be broken down into just a couple of main issues. I don’t know. I don’t care. In any case, I find the synergy amazing and wonderful.

Today’s daily readings started with 2 Kings 4:42-44. Elisha the prophet instructs a man bearing gifts of bread and grain to feed the gifts to the people. The man objects. His gifts could never feed so many. Elisha insists, and when the deed is finished, the people have eaten enough and there are leftovers, as the Lord had said.

The Responsorial Psalm is taken from Psalm 145. The response refrain for the congregation is “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.” I feel that icy block of worry inside of me starting to melt. I begin to realize that the refrain should be spoken, by me, out loud, into the morning darkness. Speaking these words of positivity begins to erase anxious thoughts.

The second reading is from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I read it looking forward to the next reading, today’s Gospel reading. When I read it that way, I see the humility and gentleness and love that Paul is telling the Christians of Ephesus to treat one another with is just the care with which Jesus treated the crowds who followed Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee in today’s Gospel, the feeding of the five thousand. As my mind often does, I remembered the verses of Psalm 23.

When I read Psalm 23, written by David hundreds of years before Christ, I only think of Jesus. David writes that the Lord is his shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Divine Shepherd. When I think about the verses of Psalm 23, I see that Jesus brings reality to those verses in this gospel story of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus saw the people coming towards Him and treated them as the greatest good shepherd would treat his flock. He had compassion for them. He made them rest in the green grass. He led and they followed Him along the shores of the waters of Galilee. He restored their souls, healing them of their diseases, forgiving their sins. He led them on righteous paths, encouraging them to live better lives, lives of love for each other in His name.

I feel that Jesus was testing the faith of His disciples as He performed this new miracle of bread and fish, wanting their faith to grow stronger as they witnessed another miracle of God’s abundant generosity. When Jesus thanks God first before the miracle, He is demonstrating that with God alone this miracle will happen, that only God can make anything possible. I think Jesus was also modelling for His disciples the necessary characteristics of a good shepherd. The disciples of Jesus needed strong, resilient faith and true Love so they could shepherd others as Jesus shepherded them, knowing that God will never stop giving, serving the flock with gentleness and humility, not desiring elevation of self, as Jesus did not desire it, escaping the crowd when He saw they wanted to make Him king. 

Psalm 23 is a testimony to the power of God. David writes with confidence that the Shepherd’s comfort is greater than any fear we can have and stronger than any enemy that presents itself. Jesus, our shepherd, will carry us through our darkest valleys to a table of God’s bounty that has been set for us, treating us as honored guests, anointing our foreheads with sacred oil.

It is quite a picture. Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand is a miracle that shows that all things are possible with God. God’s abundance even produces leftovers. “My cup overflows.” Yes, the miracle of loaves and fish might be a foreshadowing of the great feast that is to come when our journey is done, but it even more so is a visible sign that God is able and willing to provide what we need in the here and now. Have courage. He answers all our needs.

I need to be reminded of the abundance of God’s generosity. When the situations of my life chip away at my faith, I need to be reminded of God’s love and His willingness to be my Shepherd. I need to let my faith grow strong through my trials, so that I might help others when they face worries and trials.

Get with it, Regina.

Your cup overflows.

Prayer:

Dear Father,

All praise be Yours alone.

I pray that I will always remember that You alone can answer all my needs.

I pray that I will keep Jesus in front of me as my only Shepherd, as Your perfect model of selfless love.

Thank You for this miracle of bread and fish. I pray that I will remember this miracle when I feel defeated by worldly worries. I pray to remember every day that all things are possible in You.

In Your Most Blessed Son Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen