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

 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 yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His discourse on the unity of the Father and the Son, and His identity as Son:  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

  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.  This is the second Passover reported in John's Gospel.  (The first was recorded in John 2:13-25.)  There are a number of ways in which this chapter sets the stage for an understanding that Christ is the fulfillment of the old covenant, particlarly in the Passover and Exodus of the Jews under Pharoah (Exodus 11-17).  , that the shedding of his blood and breaking of his body will fulfill the sacrifice of the Passover lambs, bringing people out of slavery into the Promised Land.  In these verses, we're told that a great multitude follow Him, because they saw His signs, as they did with Moses in the Exodus account, also at Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).

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?"   My study bible says that here Christ tests Philip to increase his faith, because Philip needed help in understanding Him (14:8-10).  Two hundred denarii is a large amount of money for these men; it corresponds to over six months' wages for a laborer.  Andrew, says my study bible, has more faith than Philip.  He knows that the prophet Elisha had multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), and offers the five barley loaves and two fish brought by a lad.  But Andrew is still weak in faith, questioning what five loaves could do for the great number of people there.

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.   The feeding of the multitude is one of those events that is so central to Christ's ministry that it's recorded in all four Gospels.  It is the fourth sign of seven reported in John's Gospel.  It parallels the feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness in the Exodus account as fulfillment of the old covenant (Exodus 12:39), just as these people also have left hastily and brought no provisions in following Christ.  The way the feeding is described gives us a prefiguring of the Eucharist.  Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks (Eucharisto is the Greek root), and distributed them.  Twelve baskets are filled, suggesting the twelve tribes of Israel also fulfilled in the bread that will go into the world for the people under the new covenant.

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.  My study bible says that although Jesus had performed greater signs than this, the crowds were so desirous of an earthly Messiah that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)  -- but only when they were filled with earthly things.  For this reason they are about to come and take Him by force to make Him king.  Because of this misunderstanding, Jesus departed from them.

Jesus does many extraordinary things that make Him well known.  In addition to the seven signs of His divine origin that we're given in John's Gospel, the text tells us of other signs which He performed on those who were diseased, which is the reason this crowd has followed Him into the wilderness area.  But when the people perceive that He's the awaited Moses-like Prophet (of Deuteronomy) and they want to make Him king, He escapes from them (although they want to take Him by force to do so).  It's a strange-seeming sort of paradox to us, from a worldly point of view.  Why would Jesus do so many signs if He didn't want people to respond to Him this way?  Clearly in many ways fame simply seems to be an annoyance that gets in the way.  There are times when He withdraws because He needs rest.  In another report of this feeding in the wilderness, Mark's Gospel (6:30-44) tells us that Jesus and the disciples had withdrawn into the wilderness so they could report to Him about their first apostolic mission.  Furthermore, they were already so harried with followers they didn't even have time to eat.  But they are followed to this deserted place, and moved with compassion, Jesus feeds them in the wilderness.  At other times we're told that the house in Capernaum where Jesus stays (Peter's family home) becomes so full of people who want to see Him that there's no room left even near the door and so He teaches them there.  Another time we're told that Jesus has withdrawn into foreign territory and He doesn't want anybody to know He's there, presumably because He's wearied from His ministry and needs time to rest.   But inevitably followers come to Him, and He is "moved with compassion" for them.  The trappings of worldly fame are the last things Jesus wants.  His mission is something unique, and done for purposes that are God's purposes, not worldly purposes, not for the reasons we usually associate with something successful.  Jesus' response to the crowds is to have compassion on them, to nurture in many ways -- through such a miraculous feeding, and also to teach and to heal.  But these are God's purposes for God's people, to draw people closer to God and into covenant, into relationship. None of this is about worldly goods, or even an abstract kind of altruism.  Fame for Jesus personally only serves the mission but also becomes an annoyance when He needs time in prayer with the Father or personal time with His disciples or even time to rest.  Here, He will be made King if He allows the crowds whom He's taught and fed to have their way.  It is the last thing He wants.  Such a thing is inconceivable by worldly ways of thinking, not understandable by the received way of thinking about the Messiah or Prophet, and cannot be discounted by those who will wish to do away with Him.  Yet it is so, and to understand Jesus and His mission -- even to understand the saints and the working of the holy in the world -- we really have to know this true picture of Jesus who doesn't want worldly power, and whose fame is only in service to God.  What are His motives?  What is the direction of His ministry?  Why does it seem contradictory to the expectations of the people?  Couldn't He do more good by being King, than not?  Well, obviously, the answer to that question is No.  Jesus' destiny is on the Cross.  He is the Passover Lamb, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah.  He's not in competition with the rest of the world.  For some divine reason, for the Mystery of the Cross that transfigures everything, He is not headed toward worldly success and power but something of success and power that is quite different.  This liberation and redemption will take place at the Cross for all people, and it is there we and He are going.  It is there He will be lifted up even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, for all to gaze upon, in the most extraordinary act of healing and transcendence the world will ever know, turning a crucifixion into the Cross that saves, and trampling death by death forever.  Let us remember that Jesus' ministry is always framed by these facts, this completely outside-the-box outcome, the overwhelming, unassailable, incomprehensible holy power that turns an instrument of death into one of complete victory and Resurrection -- taking all of us with it who can so gaze upon it and understand.  This is the way for Him.