And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples

When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, is disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." He said, "Bring them here to Me." Then He commended the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

- Matthew 14:13-21

In yesterday's reading, we read the story of the beheading of John the Baptist, in Herod Antipas' court. First, we're told that Herod fears Jesus is John the Baptist returned. And then we are told why: at a party for his birthday, Herod swore an oath. We remember that John was imprisoned for criticizing Herod's marriage to Herodias. At Herod's birthday celebration, Herodias' daughter danced, and in the presence of all the guests Herod promised to give whatever she might ask. Her mother told her what to say. She said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." Because of his oath, and because of the guests who were there, Herod had John beheaded, although we are told that he was sorry. The girl received her request as she had asked. The gospel tells us, Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. The death of John is a momentous occasion, and perhaps one of great grief. The kingdom is indeed under assault, facing persecutions -- and Jesus' ministry will now go into a new phase. We assume He goes to a deserted place for prayer. Today's reading signals the presence of the kingdom in a more powerful way than before.

But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. As the gospels so frequently tell us, Jesus never fully gets the moments to Himself that He seeks. He is pursued by people wherever He goes. Here, He is "moved with compassion for them" and heals the ailments of the sick they bring to Him. In my imagination, I seem to feel His grief for John as He heals with compassion, sending out the love into the world that the world denies the kingdom. It's the opposite of the cruelty of Herod's court that lives only by material power, and is merciless -- a place with no room for the kingdom.

When it was evening, is disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." To feed is always a sign of grace, of mercy. And this scene will be reminiscent of the feeding of the Israelites in the "deserted place." Again, we take note of Jesus' compassion, as it extends beyond healing and to feeding this crowd. It is the opposite of the merciless rule of Herod and those like him. In stark contrast to the gruesome facts in yesterday's reading is the compassion Jesus continues to give, grace upon grace, an outpouring perhaps in some sense occasioned by the news of John's death.

And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." He said, "Bring them here to Me." Then He commended the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. Here is a picture not only of the feeding in the wilderness, but also of the Eucharist. In other gospels, we are told that Jesus was moved with compassion for the crowd because they were "like sheep without a shepherd." The expansion of His love has now extended more fully, to embody the qualities of His divinity, to share the great grace which we celebrate in the Eucharist. This miracle of feeding of the five thousand is so important that it is mentioned by all four evangelists. My study bible says, "The Church Fathers see in this an image of the Eucharist, an idea also expressed in John 6, the discourse on the Bread of Life. . . . Moved with compassion is used in very similar situations to show the Messiah's power and authority extending to those who suffer."

So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. If we see in this feeding an image of the Eucharist, then we understand the distribution through His servants, the disciples -- and later, those who serve in the Church. In this light, the twelve baskets left represent that which will be distributed by His Twelve Apostles, for the life of the whole world.

In today's reading, we are given an extraordinary contrast to the events in the reading before, at the court of Herod Antipas. One kingdom is contrasted with the other. In the heavenly kingdom that Christ seeks to bring into the world, grief and loss occasion an outpouring of mercy and grace -- and indeed, grace upon grace. Jesus' signs of the kingdom are expanded now, in an extraordinary way. He mirrors the feeding of the Israelites in the desert, and seems to echo the very words of Psalm 78: "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? . . . Yet He had . . . given them the bread of heaven. . . . He sent them food to the full." In Herod's kingdom there is a scramble over what is limited; in Jesus' there is great abundance, with more coming, and "twelve baskets full" of what remained. Let us take, then, an understanding of the two kingdoms. Into this world comes Jesus, and John the Baptist, bringing the good news, the good word, the good seed. How does it take root among us, in a world that may still be plagued by material power without mercy, of brutality and violence, and no room for truth nor mercy (as there was no room at the Inn!). Let us learn then what it is to make room for this Kingdom, in our hearts and in our lives, even if we have to make a place in the desert to do so. Let us make room in our hearts, so that we make room in all the choices we make in our lives. We remember that God said the world was "very good" -- it is our separation from God that changes how we use the very good things we are given.