Fr Eugene Lobo SJ –
Seventeenth Sunday of the Year July 28, 2024
2 Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15
Our God is a personal God who is concerned about each and every one and takes care of his people. He is like a benevolent Father caring for the needs of his children and planning a future of each one. The Bible presents us the story of a benevolent God who took care of his chosen people in the Old Testament leading them through the desert and being with them when they were attacked by their enemies. He gave people the bread sufficient to satisfy their hunger and made them comfortable. In the New Testament we have the love of God manifested in Jesus. He leads them to faith and gives them his own body and blood as proper spiritual nourishment. He promises them that he who eats his flesh and drinks his blood will never die. The Gospel of today begins with the narrative that Jesus is being followed by a very large crowd as he came to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people had heard his teaching, had seen his miracles and had experienced his personality. He realized that they were all hungry and took upon himself the responsibility to take care of them and fed five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish.
In today’s First Reading, we heard of the advantages enjoyed by people of faith. Here we have the story of a man, perhaps a farmer who brought food from the first fruits to Elisha, the man of God. This generosity was in obedience to the word of God to his people through Moses to offer to God the choicest of the first fruits. It was possible that land was experiencing a famine but someone through faith had enjoyed a good harvest. United with God’s people and trusting in the Lord, Elisha commanded that the food although limited to just twenty loaves, must be given to all the people. Hearing this, the servant questioned how a hundred persons could be fed with so little food. Elisha remained confident and assured the servant that God will provide. Keeping in mind the providential care of God, Prophet Elisha repeated his command, and asked the servant to give it to the people and let them eat, for the Lord has said that they shall eat and have some left. The servant obeyed and the people had enough to eat and there was plenty left over.
Paul in today’s Second Reading, invites his Ephesian converts to live a life worthy of the calling to which they have been given, in humility, in gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. These words echo the Christian actions of the people as referred to in the Old Testament. Paul calls himself as the prisoner of the Lord and asks all live a life worthy of their calling. Each one has a call received from Christ from the beginning and what is expected of each is his fidelity to this invitation. By this he indicates that through Christ who died for the sins of all, every individual has been freed from the slavery of sin to be reunited with God. Now Paul tells them that they are all indebted to Jesus.
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels. The introduction gives us the setting and the time. Jesus is on the mountain with his disciples and the feast of the Passover is near. There is a crowd of people who have followed Jesus to this location, attracted by the signs he was doing. The mountain is the place that reminds us of the closeness to God and recalls to mind how Moses went up the mountain to receive the Law. What had begun in Moses is going to be fulfilled in Jesus. A problem develops around the issue of food. The large crowd needs to eat but there are hardly any provisions available in its proximity. Jesus himself raises the issue, but only to test his disciples. We have the dialogue between Jesus and Philip, who always comes as across as rather naive and simple. Philip responds saying that two hundred denarii would not be enough for each to have a little, indicating a situation practically impossible in human terms. Andrew too comes into the picture. They also tell him those five barley loaves and two fish that are available. This may seem humanly impossible, but when God is pleased with his children, nothing is impossible.
Jesus proceeded to do two things: First, he had the crowd of over five thousand and he asked the disciples to make the people to sit down on the grass as if they were preparing to have a meal. Secondly, after giving thanks Jesus himself fed the entire crowd with the five barley loaves and two fish. We are only told that Jesus did this and we are not told how he did it. Not only was everyone fed, but there were twelve baskets of fragments left over. These people are those who were united in the Spirit in obedience and ate as much as they wanted. This action of Jesus is a sign which reveals something about him on a very deep level. He is the bread of life and he feeds his people. The story is filled with Eucharistic overtones.
Some even stress that the “miracle” that took place because of the boy’s generosity which resulted in many others generously sharing what food they had brought with the strangers around them. Again this was based on the teaching of Jesus on love and charity and sharing with others what little they have. It does require a kind of miracle to break through people’s self-centeredness and their concern for their own security. Selfishness often dominates our life. The little boy broke the ice by giving what little he had. People are dying of hunger and malnutrition in our world, not because of a lack of food but because of poor distribution. The food is there; it is the will to share it or the means to produce it that is lacking. This is the charity and sharing Jesus taught in the miracle.
This miracle serves as an introduction for a long discourse on Jesus as the Bread of Life. John begins by telling us that Jesus crossed over to the opposite shore of the Lake of Galilee and that he was followed by a large crowd. They had walked a long distance to see Jesus. John says it was because they saw the signs that Jesus was doing and for healing those who were sick. This is likely an expression of the deep hunger and longing of people for healing and wholeness in their lives. At the same time, it could also be interpreted in a purely selfish and curious sense, the way people will flock in crowds after hearing about some “miraculous” event. John does not speak about his teaching ministry as the Synoptic Gospels do. But he mentions of the proximity of the Passover festival and Jesus using the occasion to feed the people in hunger.
Often we miss a special task of Jesus in this episode. In the Synoptic Gospels, it is the disciples who are told to distribute the bread and fish among the people. But here in John, it is Jesus himself who distributes: John is soon going to record Jesus’ words about his being the Living Bread which gives life to the world. Even though there are intermediaries, it is always Jesus himself who comes to us in Word and Eucharist. John wants to emphasize that Jesus is the source of all nourishment, spiritual and material. He personally shares himself even today. The immediate reaction of the people is to make him their King, Messiah. Jesus’ response is to flee into the hills. He escapes the temptation to power and stays away from such a situation.
We have the message and teaching of Jesus in and through the miracle:
★ *Jesus’ sensitivity: The crowd never complained about food rather Jesus understands the needs of others.
★ *Jesus’ generosity: Jesus did not multiply 5 bread exactly for 5000 instead He multiplied the bread in surplus so much so that 12 baskets were left over after feeding the crowd. When God gives He gives in abundance.
★ *Jesus’ selflessness and concern: when He saw the hungry crowd He made use of His divine power to multiply the bread and feed them..
★ *Jesus’ gratefulness: Though it was little [5 loaves and 2 fish] Jesus thanked God for them. This is something we need to learn from Jesus. To be always grateful to God even for the little that we have.
★ *Jesus’ attitude of non-wasting: Jesus by asking his disciples to gather what was left over and not waste.
★ *Jesus’ omnipotence: Philip calculated in terms of money. Andrew calculated in terms of numbers just five loaaves. From human point of view it seemed impossible but to God who loves and cares everything is possible.
★ *Jesus’ greatness: Jesus by His miraculous power could have produced bread out of nothing but He preferred to use the little given by the boy. Jesus uses our littleness to manifest His greatness.
We have the story of a church that was built way in the highest mountains of Switzerland. It was a beautiful church that had been built with great care by the villagers who lived nearby. But there was one thing that the church didn’t have. It didn’t have any lights. Yet every Sunday evening the people who lived on the mountain-side opposite the tiny church saw something magic happen. The church bell would ring and worshipers would wind their way up the mountainside towards the church. They would enter the church and then all of a sudden the church would light up brightly. In reality the people had to bring light with them – so they brought lanterns. When they arrived at church they would light their lanterns and hang them around the church on pegs set in the walls, so the light would spread all around. If only a few people came to church the light would be very dim because there would only be a few lanterns. But when lots of people came to church there would be plenty of light. After the service the villagers would take their lanterns home. At this time, to those who watched from a distance, it was as if a stream of light poured out of the church and over the mountainside. For many it was a sign that all was well. God’s light was with them and in them. The only time the little church lit up was when people were there. That’s when it truly became a church.