This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world

 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 said,  "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.  Once again, John's text tells us of many signs that Jesus performed but have not been specifically reported in the Gospel.  Of this new chapter, my study bible tells us that it parallels the story of the Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in several important ways.  In Exodus 11-17, God first performed signs against Pharaoh, and then gave instructions on how to be saved at the time of the Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).  Here a multitude follows Christ because of His signs, and it also takes place at Passover.

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?"  In the Exodus, it is said that the Jews ate unleavened bread because they were driven out of Egypt in great haste, and had brought no provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39).  Here, a great multitude has brought no provisions, having rushed out to see Christ.  In this section, Christ tests Philip in order to increase his faith, my study bible says, as Philip needed help to understand Him (14-8-10).  Two hundred denarii would correspond to over six months' wages for a laborer.  Andrew shows greater faith than Philip.  He knows that the prophet Elisha multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), and so he offers food which was brought by a lad.  My study bible comments, however, that Andrew is still weak in faith, as he questions what a mere five loaves could do for the 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 five thousand is the fourth of seven signs that John reports, and it is also recorded in all four Gospels.  My study bible remarks that the description of Christ as He took the loaves, gave thanks (Gr. eucharisto/ευχαριστω) and distributed them is a prefiguration of the celebration of the Eucharist.  

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 remarks 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) only when they were satisfied with earthly things (see Jesus' statement in v. 26).  Because of this misunderstanding of Jesus' role, He departed from them.

What does it mean to be fed?  With what do we need to be fed?  These are questions suggested by today's reading.  Let us note that these people have seen signs of healing of disease by Christ, also a normal, hoped-for outcome of "good nourishment."  Today's reading gives us the fourth sign in John's Gospel, another indicator of the nature of Christ, and through the Incarnate Jesus, the nature of God.   My study bible says that all the parallels to Exodus in this chapter reveal Christ's nature as fulfillment of the old covenant.  Similarly to the manna in the wilderness, Christ feeds these 5,000 men (and more women and children), out of whatever is at hand.  He displays the power of multiplicity, an inexhaustible resource.  But to understand our own needs as purely material is a mistake, as His refusal to be made king indicates.  He did not come into the world as human being only to provide for material needs and demands, but rather to give another kind of food for something more deeply a part of us than even our flesh.  In the passage in which the disciples came upon Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman (in this reading), we read that His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  So food figures already in the Gospel before this miraculous feeding of thousands in this fourth sign we're given.  Christ speaks of food as something more than the food we know.  He also speaks of a harvest in that reading in figurative terms as well, a harvest of the fruits of the Spirit and of faith.  What we are being conditioned to understand through Christ's works is the "more" there is to life that needs to be fed with the proper nourishment in order to thrive, to grow, and to bear good fruit -- to "be fruitful and multiply," as the command in Genesis was given.  This food that He offers is something more than meeting material needs alone.  Rather, it is a food that leads to our good condition so that we may thrive in all ways, fully benefiting materially, spiritually, and in our souls.  For without the food of truth and beauty and goodness that He offers, is life really fulfilling if only material needs are met?  What of our minds and souls?  What of our creativity?  What of our uses of the talents and resources with which we're blessed?  And there is more to consider:  our very notion of freedom, the choices we make for our souls, and what we serve with our lives.  It is Christ's truth and the fullness of His Person that He brings to us with the food He will offer.  Here in today's reading, He displays His divine capacities, He offers food where there is none.  So it must be when we are short of resources in any circumstance, and when we need help that doesn't seem to be available, including spiritual renewal, creativity, and insight.  The people think Jesus is "the Prophet," and they wish to make Him king, but they are wrong.  The truth about Christ will have to unfold as we continue in this new chapter of the Gospel.