And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray

Multiplication of five loaves and two fish.  Miniature from the gospel of Tsar John Alexander of Bulgaria, 1356

 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 twelve apostles, on their first mission, 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.  The narrative of the Gospel picks up where the beginning of yesterday's reading left off, with the culmination of the first mission of the twelve apostles.

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.  My study bible remarks that Jesus gives rest to His disciples to show those who are engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not labor continuously, but must also take rest.  In a sense, it reflects upon this time of Lent, in which we turn away from frenetic activity, to consider the value of a time of inward disposition for prayer, rest, contemplation, reflection.

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.   At this stage in Jesus' ministry, and after the apostles have come back successfully from their first mission, the Gospel is careful to let us know of Jesus' great fame in the region, and the multitudes who seek Him so vociferously that they anticipate even His move to a "deserted place" and arrive there before Him.  Once again we're told that Jesus is moved with compassion, and we understand this union of full humanity with full divinity.  In the Greek, the expression denotes an inward feeling of the interior body, not simply an impression in the mind.  My study bible notes that this expression occurs many times in the Gospels concerning Jesus (1:41, Matthew 20:34, Luke 7:13), and it shows that Christ's power and authority are extended to those who suffer.  Let us observe that He first feeds these sheep not having a shepherd by teaching them many things.  For Him to teach is to respond to their immediate need.

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.   Let us note first of all that, although unplanned, Jesus responds as needs arise.  More importantly, His responses become hallmarks of God's work in the world, and of His ministry and its meanings and spiritual impact.  This feeding miracle is reported in all four Gospels.  It first of all reflects God's work of feeding the Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16).  But Jesus' action takes that episode, understood from Israel's spiritual past, and magnifies it into something new.  That new thing is a reflection of the Eucharist (this is implied most strongly in John 6, the last of the Gospels to be written, and so reflecting the understanding of the growing Church at that time).  Christ's blessing and division of the loaves, and distribution via the disciples, is clearly indicative of the Eucharist, and teaches us about giving thanks to God for all things.  One traditional spiritual interpretation of this feeding miracle teaches that the five loaves indicate the five books of the Law, or Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are broken open in Christ and thereby feed the universe.  The two fish, my study bible says, represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  In the gathering of the leftovers into twelve baskets by the apostles (one for each), we see that the teachings which the faithful are at present unable to grasp are nevertheless held in the consciousness of the Church for those who will understand, and sent out into all the world through them.  This feeding miracle, with its multiplication on behalf of a hungry multitude, is a clear sign of the divinity of Christ.

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.  Christ returns to His purpose and mission; the disciples are sent toward familiar territory in Bethsaida, while He goes to the mountain to pray.  It is also noteworthy that at this juncture, when something new and "explosive" (especially in the multiplication of the loaves and fish) occurs, He retreats for prayer and reorientation in communion with God the Father.  So we should do likewise.

I'm most intrigued today by Jesus' retreat to the mountain to pray, after such a ground-breaking kind of miracle or sign as the feeding of the multitude in the wilderness.  In this feeding is not only a clear opening toward an understanding and eventual full manifestation of the Eucharist, but it is also a sign of God's profoundly explosive work in the world, which suddenly shakes our understanding and interpretation of everything that has come before.  These facts of this manifestation of a sign of God through Christ's ministry contribute to the way in which we look at His immediate withdrawal to the mountain for prayer.  Not only does this sudden, unexpected manifestation of power testify to His divinity and God's presence, it will surely give rise to yet more and deeper zeal of the crowds to follow Him, to make Him even more renown, to spread word regarding what kind of figure such miracles portend.  In short, at this stage it is also inevitable that He is moving toward confrontation with the religious authorities over His growing following and reputation.  He has suddenly become, much more profoundly, a messianic figure.  In light of this, Jesus' withdrawal to the mountaintop tells us some more about Christ, His purpose, and His mission.  There is a great emphasis on constant communion with the Father.  Rather than capitalizing on His fame (in John's Gospel, we're told that the people wished to forcefully make Him king - see John 6:15), Jesus withdraws for a deeper communion in prayer.  His first impulse is to retreat for realignment and direction, a deeper communion in which He may receive and understand the appropriate direction for His ministry.  Let us note that in this withdrawal there is an affirmative character placed upon how we should approach our lives as well when any good thing befalls us.  We not only should give thanks, as does Jesus for the loaves and fishes, but also reorient ourselves for God's direction in our lives.  Our good fortune, such as it is, and no matter what it is, should also be placed into the hands of God not only for good direction in how it is used, but also for a strong faith in how we carry ourselves into the world in the next stories in our own lives.  As we are perceived by others having a certain profile with each new unfolding or event in our lives, so we turn to Christ to find how we are to conduct ourselves most profitably also for our spiritual selves and for the spiritual lives of those around ourselves.  And that is a profound teaching indeed, especially at this time of Lenten prayer and retreat.  Let us give thanks for what we have, let us place all at the hands of God for service and spiritual health and growth.  At this time, during the world outbreak of the coronavirus, there is so much emphasis placed on our physical health.  Let us not forget, in this time of retreat, how we can so profitably use the time for spiritual growth and health as well.