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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, His 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 commanded 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
Yesterday, we read that Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter." And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 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. 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. Jesus has received the news that Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, has gotten word of Him and of His ministry and the mighty works that have been done by Him. Herod fears that this great power Jesus has is a sign of John the Baptist, returned, whom Herod had unjustly executed (see yesterday's reading, above). Herod's awareness of Jesus marks a turning point. Not only is Jesus rejected as "prophet" in His hometown of Nazareth, and is struggling with the criticism of the Pharisees and other religious rulers, but here the autocratic state power has become aware of him, in a time when kings and rulers are at an extreme in terms of ruthless use of power. Jesus withdraws to a "deserted place by Himself." But He's too popular to escape for long, the crowds follow Him, and His compassion wins every time. My study bible says that this phrase, moved with compassion, and its frequent use in the Gospels concerning Jesus, shows that His power and authority are extended to those who suffer.
When it was evening, His 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 commanded 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. There are varied spiritual interpretation for the different elements in this story. First of all, the five loaves indicate the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are "broken open in Christ and thus feed the universe," says my study bible. Two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle book, the teaching of the fishermen whom Jesus has chosen. In the gathering of the leftovers by the apostles, we see that even the things the faithful are unable to grasp are retained in the consciousness of the Church. Of course, above all else, what is seen here is a prefiguring of the Eucharist. The bread is blessed by Christ and distributed to all by His disciples. Even as Jesus is rejected, as the state power becomes aware and also wary of Him, He will be distributed to multitudes. It is also another fulfillment of the Old Testament, in which Christ, as Lord, fed the Israelites in the wilderness.
What feeds us? Christ, in His compassion, feeds a multitude of people -- five thousand men, and more women and children. In the distribution of bread, in the Eucharist which is so clearly imaged here, we have to consider the things we "take in," the things we allow to feed us. We know about religious fasting, and throughout the Old Testament also, fasting is extremely important in religious practice. To fast is to abstain from something, in order to focus more on what is essential. It's a kind of sacrifice given over or made for God, a part of prayer. It also means we restrict ourselves, like abstaining from sin, from behaviors that harm us and community. But here Jesus gives us a different image. What is it that we take in that's good for us? A popular saying, "You are what you eat," conveys various meanings and has been used for various movements over the past century, to indicate everything from ecological awareness to diets with particular orientations and philosophies. But it's got a very real significance for Christian tradition, in which we understand that Christ's food is meant to become absolutely a part of ourselves -- and this food is His very body and blood. He is the sacrifice, and at the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist makes it clear that Christ Himself is our Passover who is sacrificed for us. He is the one who offers us Himself, so that we may become like Him. We know there are things from which we abstain, from which we fast. But Christ offers us that which is truly good, which we take in and wish to become a part of, which we wish in turn will help create who we are and we become. His ultimate sacrifice is a tremendous act of power: He feeds the multitudes forever, an entire universe that depends on Him. It is the greatest gift, the one thing necessary for us, the great positive thing to add to ourselves and our lives. It is food that transforms and that is meant to create the deepest possible union of man and God -- as Jesus Christ, incarnate God, was Himself such a union. There may be all kinds of things in the world from which we abstain, which we know don't do us much good. But Christ comes into the world to feed us, with the one thing that offers us everything: Himself. We begin with a few loaves and a couple of fish, but with the power of God, anything is possible, and extended to all who are in need.
