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

 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 now 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

Yesterday we read that the apostles, sent out on their first missionary journey (see Tuesday's reading), cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Now King Herod heard of Jesus, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "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!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  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.  The apostles have just returned from their first missionary journey, having been sent out by Christ.  My study bible notes that Christ gives rest to His disciples to show those who are engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not continuously labor, but also must take rest.  It reminds us once again that Jesus has taught, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."

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.  Jesus' first impulse is always about healing by giving what is necessary.  Jesus is moved with compassion because they are like sheep not having a shepherd.  He gives them what a good shepherd gives, true leadership and direction:  teaching them many things.  Jesus is frequently referred to as being moved with compassion (1:41, Matthew 14:14, 20:34; Luke 7:13).  My study bible says this shows that His power and authority are extended to those who suffer.  

When the day was now 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.   This miracle is reported by all four evangelists.  Jesus feeds a great multitude of His people as He (as Lord) fed the Israelites in the desert (see Exodus 16).   Church Fathers have seen in this feeding an image of the Eucharist, an idea my study bible says is made clear in John 6.   One patristic interpretation emphasizes a spiritual perspective:  the five loaves indicate the give books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are broken open in Christ and thus feed the universe.  The two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  That the twelve baskets of fragments are taken up by the apostles shows that nothing is lost.  As my study bible puts it, the teachings that the faithful are unable to grasp are nevertheless held in the consciousness of the Church.

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.  Once again we observe the practices of Jesus.  Everything He does is punctuated by periods of prayer.

Although it is Luke who is generally understood to give us a picture of Jesus as Physician (and Luke was a physician himself), Mark's Gospel clearly gives us a picture of Jesus as healer.  As noted above, Mark's is the Gospel that gives us Jesus teaching, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  In today's reading, we are invited to consider the fullness of our needs in the ways that Christ addresses those in His care, and in the way He lives as well.   We may more appropriately consider healing in Jesus' practice to consist of feeding or nurturing the whole of a person, and teaching us to honor all that we are.  His first act in today's reading is to tell the apostles to come aside by themselves, to someplace far away from the cities and towns where He is by now always pursued, so that they can rest.  As Healer, He teaches us to fulfill our true needs.  While they have returned from a first mission, it is time for them to rest.  But the people follow, and Jesus is moved with compassion.   Here, the observation is that they are like sheep not having a shepherd, so He gives these people what they need.  He teaches them many things.  It is a way of feeding and nurturing the soul.  Jesus addresses every aspect of what it means to be a person, a human being.  When it becomes late, and this multitude of people (five thousand men, but also more women and children) needs something to eat, the disciples suggest to send them away to buy bread, but Jesus insists that they can feed the people.  This miracle of feeding doesn't only recollect the miracle of feeding the Israelites manna in the wilderness.   Nor does it only teach us our dependency upon God -- although, of course, both of these elements are present.  But Jesus' feeding and nurturing goes much, much further.  This is the preview of the Eucharist, a bread that is more than bread.  It is a "supersubstantial bread" (if we look at the literal meaning in the Greek of "daily bread" in the Lord's Prayer).   This is a bread that also feeds soul and spirit.  It does not merely feed for a short time, but for an uncalculated time and regardless of which state of life we may be in.   According to the rites of the Orthodox liturgy, the Eucharist is "the lamb of God," "broken and distributed"; "broken, but not divided; ever eaten, yet never consumed; sanctifying all who partake thereof."  It contains elements beyond our present understanding.  Finally, in today's reading, Jesus goes to the mountain alone to pray.  This is a type of nurturing we all need, but how often do we give it to ourselves?  Do we punctuate our day with it, and frame it around times we need to make choices and decisions?   While there are endless articles and advice in every forum to teach us about diet and what it can do for us, Jesus gives us food for nurturing every element of life.  He sets the example of what it truly means to be whole and healed, to live a healthy life:  He nurtures every part of who we are.   In the Eucharist, He Himself becomes our food.  We recall that the summation of the apostolic mission to the world will be to follow the command, "Feed My sheep."   He teaches His disciples to live their lives with His discipline, to do as He does.  It is the whole point of discipleship.   Let us consider during this Lent how we may also go and do likewise!  We must care for ourselves if we are to care for others; the two go hand in hand.  What wise and good practices will nurture all of you?