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After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."
Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
- John 6:1-15
In Saturday's reading, Jesus was in discourse with the leadership in the temple, and we read from John chapter 8. See Before Abraham was, I AM. But in today's reading, the lectionary skips backward, to chapter 6. Previous to this particular reading in John's Gospel, Jesus had presented several witnesses to His identity, in an earlier encounter with the leadership in the temple. See How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?
After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. By now people - great crowds - are following Jesus everywhere He goes because of the signs they are seeing Him perform, especially His healings. In today's reading they follow Him across the Sea of Galilee. My study bible says that the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake about 7 miles wide and 13 miles long.
Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. My study bible tells us that the Passover coincided with the Feast of Unleavened Bread "which commemorated not only the Exodus from Egypt, but the first food from grain eaten in the Promised Land after the crossing of the Jordan." Jesus seeing a great multitude coming toward Him also reminds us of the townspeople of Samaria coming to Him at Jacob's well. There, He told His disciples, "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" And He spoke of His food, which was to do the will of the One who sent Him, when He was pressed to eat by His disciples. Here the people approach, and we will receive a new understanding of our own bread and nourishment.
Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" My study bible says that "Philip is tested because he needs to understand who Christ is. Andrew sees the loaves and fish, yet he sees no potential in them." "Barley," it notes, "was generally used by the poorer people -- it cost less than wheat and was ready for harvest in the springtime at Passover."
Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. My study bible tells us: "Given thanks is from the Greek verb eucharisto. The multiplication of the loaves provides the context for the following day's discourse on the Bread of Life. [We will begin to read these passages in tomorrow's reading.] Note the process: (1) giving thanks; (2) distribution of the gifts, first to the disciples and then by the disciples to the people; and (3) partaking. What a remarkable preview of the Eucharist!" We note that each received "as much as they wanted." This is a hint not only of the open-handedness of God, but the great abundance present and its unlimited quality.
So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. My study bible says, "As with the manna in the wilderness (Ex. 16:16-21), nothing of the gift of God should be lost. In contrast to the manna, here we have an abundance of twelve baskets of leftovers, one for each disciple."
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. A note here reads: "The Galilean Jews, with their misguided messianic enthusiasm, equate Jesus with the Prophet of Deut. 18:15-19, whom they expect to be an earthly political leader who will lead them against the occupying Romans, as Moses led his people out of bondage. Because He is not to fulfill these expectations, Jesus withdraws from the crowd."
How many ways are we fed by Jesus? In what ways are our expectations exceeded, and in what ways are our expectations thwarted? Jesus comes to the world with His own agenda, so to speak, His own ministry, a plan for the way that things have to unfold. He reveals to us some things that are extraordinary, such as this bread in the wilderness, and the great abundance it shows, its infinite quality in which all are given as much as they want. And yet, when they (the people) respond with their own logic and seek to make Him their king, Jesus withdraws. This is not what He wants. This is not what He is here for. That particular expectation is false and is thwarted. Let us consider Jesus as a representative of the Divine on earth, giving us qualities of the Divine, revealing to us not only His identity as Son, but also teaching us what God wants from us, and revealing to us the qualities of God. These people have followed Him across the Sea of Galilee. That Jesus "lifted up His eyes" give us an indication that what is to happen is part of the will of the Father, part of His mission of revelation of God's love in the world, and the abundance of that love. So why do we as human beings experience a contradiction between the refusal to be a worldly king they wish to make Him, and the great abundance with which He's fed them in the wilderness? In our own lives, we may believe that the best thing for us is a particular position in life, a kind of worldly acknowledgment or understanding of where we belong, but in Christ's perspective, God's grace works in the ways in which it will work, and what may be best for us and for the Kingdom isn't always what a worldly sense of achievement will look like. It often may thwart our expectations, only later to be understood in hindsight in terms of its great potentials, hidden in situations that defy our own expectation and understanding. In this way, we grow in our understanding of God and in the call to follow Him, to become more "like Him." Let us remember that He is the Bread of Life. In the abundance displayed in today's reading, we can take for an understanding that God loves us with an abundance that we can't measure, in a way that defies our expectations and understanding, and with a supply of truth that is unexpendable. Elsewhere, Jesus teaches us to "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." But God's reply may not be according to our expectation, nor in forms we understand before receiving. Let us remember, we are here to grow and expand in our understanding and in God-likeness, to grow in sonship.
