You give them something to eat

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. When the day was not far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat." But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Immediately he made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

- Mark 6:30-46

In yesterday's reading, we learned that Herod Antipas, king of the Galilean region, had heard of Jesus, and was afraid. He thought, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." Mark gave us a sort of "flashback" to the death of John the Baptist. John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas, because he criticized the marriage of Herod to Herodias, his living brother's former wife. But the king secretly feared John and knew him to be a holy man. He was perplexed by the things John told him, but he enjoyed hearing him. On the day of his birthday, the king held a party with all the nobles and best people in Galilee. Herodias' daughter danced, and the king pledged an oath to her before all his guests, making an extravagant promise. "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom." So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!" The girl made the request as she was told. And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. While we note here the importance of rest suggested by Christ, we can go even further into our understanding of Christ's relationship to His disciples. They report all the things that have happened on their first mission, in which they were sent out two by two. But Christ's emphasis here is on care, not on their performance. He wishes them to take care of themselves, not work themselves to death; His loving relationship is not based on how hard they are working but rather on an integral, full understanding of what it is to bear fruits for the kingdom, to be fully human in relationship to Christ. God loves the fullness of who we are, including all our needs for rest and periodic withdrawal. Withdrawal for prayer with Him can be our greatest tool for renewing our energies; this time for nurturing and care is also a part of a loving relationship to Christ. We don't prove anything or gain His love by overworking -- even with "good works." One prayer of St. John Chrysostom, appearing in liturgy across denominations, also includes these powerful understandings of relationship ("when two or three are gathered together in His name you will be in the midst of them") and especially the way in which our petitions are answered: "Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us." Discipline and nurturing are both part of loving care. We may also need the discipline to rest when commanded to.

But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. Once again, however, Mark records for us Jesus' great fame. He cannot escape from the crowds no matter how He tries! Here, the multitudes arrive even before Jesus and the apostles get to where the deserted place they are headed.

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Jesus is moved with compassion for this crowd, because they are like sheep without a shepherd -- and He has come first for the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." Note that His compassion is not expressed in any form of answer to complaints or lack of material care. His compassion is expressed in feeding them spiritual food, the true "daily bread." He began to teach them many things. This is the stuff for which the lost sheep hunger and thirst, what they need from a Good Shepherd. They deeply desire what He has come to offer in His love for the world.

When the day was not far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat." But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." Here again, the material need, our bodily needs as human beings, come into play. It's not just the disciples who need rest; now the crowd is in need of food because it is late. But Jesus' command comes as a surprise. It reminds us of something more, that ties in both the "compassion" of Christ in giving His teaching, and His instructions here to the apostles. It reminds us of the final words of the risen Christ to Peter in John 21. After eating with the apostles, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" The answer is always "Yes" -- and three times Jesus replies afterward: "Feed my sheep." Christ's love in relationship to us incorporates the whole of who we are, what kind of beings we are.

And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Christ's manifestation of abundance is an example of His parables of the workings of the kingdom, especially that of the mustard seed. It is a teaching to the apostles, those who have just returned from the mission on which they've been "sent" (the meaning of the word apostle, deliberately used here in this passage in a rare instance in the gospels). Whatever they have, it is enough; the abundance comes from the mysterious workings of the kingdom. My study bible puts it this way: "The disciples learn a great lesson here: whatever they have is enough to feed the people, whether physically or spiritually. God can multiply our resources so that everyone can be filled. But we must participate in His grace: Christ, along with the Father, blesses the loaves, but the disciples distribute them." Of course, what we have here is also a picture of the Eucharist. It is important that we consider what is our "daily bread" and its true meaning which combines both the physical and spiritual. Jesus met His own temptation with this teaching from Deuteronomy 8:3 (which referred to another miraculous feeding in the wilderness, that of the Israelites fed with manna): "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (including Jesus' teaching). There is enough left over to fill twelve baskets -- one for each apostle, symbolically to carry to the whole world. To note that there are five thousand men is a cultural custom; there were also additional women and children present (according to Matthew).

Immediately he made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. After this exhausting day, Jesus once again returns to His agenda of rest, withdrawal, renewal, solitude. This time He goes to the mountain, alone. It seems also that, after this great feeding miracle, His ministry has taken a new turn, a new level of manifestation. To go into solitude to pray is also to prepare, to seek guidance for the next steps in one's life, to learn how God wants us to go forward in life in relationship and faith. Again, we are not merely physical creatures; in all things, we remember that it is the whole of ourselves that needs care. Our spiritual care must be the first priority; from there, in that relationship, comes all else, all nurturing.

So, in Christ, we find so many things that teach us about the ways in which we need care as human beings. We are His sheep, we must be fed with the spiritual and physical food we need. We need the Good Shepherd to guide us in all of our lives. Jesus' example teaches us many things about the care and "feeding" of who we are. We withdraw when we need to, especially to pray -- to find our way, to "recharge our batteries," to gain direction, and for rest in God, in Christ. Our works that manifest in life come from this relationship; they are an integral part of the fruitfulness of the kingdom and the seeds planted within us -- and from "every word that comes from the mouth of God." And our physical care is also important, essential. We take rest when we need to. We prove nothing by over-exhausting ourselves! Love doesn't work that way; it wants what we truly need and what is truly best for us. It does not demand a kind of slavish proof of devotion; instead what is in the heart speaks more deeply to Christ than anything else we can do. From there, Christ leads us forward into growth. In Revelation 3:20, we read: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Relationship, faith, trust in Christ means allowing Him into the whole of our lives, the deepest place we dwell -- and allowing Him as Shepherd to care for us as His sheep, and teach us what we need to do, as is best for us and for our own part in the growth of His kingdom. Most of all, we learn His love, so that we may "love one another as I have loved you." With what do we take care to feed one another? As disciples, how do we feed His sheep?