Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude

 

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And he said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, say there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provision; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 

- Luke 9:1–17 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus returned from across the Sea of Galilee, the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.   Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."   While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And he said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, say there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.   We note Luke's emphasis for this first missionary or apostolic journey by the disciples.  They are to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.   And in their personal conduct they are to be modest and humble, reflecting a deep dependence upon God.  They're not to "trade up" for better lodgings, but honor those who welcome them -- and shake off the very dust from their feet as testimony against those who do not.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.   This is Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, who is the same Herod to whom Pilate will send Jesus during His trial (23:7).  He is the son of Herod the Great, who slew the innocent infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  Of the beheading of John the Baptist, one may read the account in Mark 6:14-28.

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provision; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  My study bible cites Theophylact's commentary, in which he sees a liturgical parallel to the feeding of the five thousand.  Christ received them and spoke of the gospel and healed, and then He fed the multitude with the miraculous bread by the hands of His disciples.  People are healed by baptism, and received into the Church; then in the Liturgy the gospel is preached and the bread of life and the cup are received from the hands  the ordained clergy. My study bible remarks also on the command from Christ, "You give them something to eat."  This commission, it says, is a type and preparation for the eventual apostolic ministry which the disciples will perform after Christ's Resurrection.  They will feed the world with the word of God an with the Eucharist.  Concerning the five loaves and two fish, my study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who tells us that Christ is the same Creator "of both the earth and the sea, who in the beginning brought fruit from the earth and life out of the water."  St. John Chrysostom also says that Christ looked up to heaven "not as receiving power from elsewhere, but as honoring the Father who begot Him."  That Christ blessed and broke the bread teaches us "not to touch any meal until we have given thanks to Him who gives us food."  My study bible calls this blessing a clear eucharistic image, directing us to pursue spiritual food greater than that which is earthly (see John 6:26-27). 

Possibly the most important thing we can take from today's reading is to ask ourselves where our spiritual nourishment comes from.  The whole focus on feeding is not simply a sign of God's abundance and grace for God's creatures, but of the real gift of spiritual nourishment -- and that nourishment is Christ Himself, as evidenced in the Eucharist.  What we need to think about, then, really, is what kind of nourishment we need from our spiritual life -- from Christ.  Do we need truth?  Do we need love?  Do we need a transcendent, enlarged view of life and of the world?  Do we need to understand the spiritual depth of God's life present and with us in the world -- or behind all things which we can't see? Do we need to know about God's love and concern, which is shown so clearly in Christ as Son Incarnate in our world to come to us and to feed us in so many ways?  What about the holy power of the blessing He gives to the bread?  Do we need our lives to be blessed in such a way that they proceed to grant us spiritual fruit using the earthly materials we have at hand?  If we ask for God's blessing on our own lives and endeavors, does that mean that we also seek God's ends and goals, and seek to grow in understanding that service to God which our lives can be a part of?   What does nourishment really mean?  Our world is filled with goods and services we can all strain after and work hard to attain.  But at the end of the day, with what is it that we need to be fed to make it meaningful, productive, filled with a higher and better purpose that invigorates our souls?  Does wealth really and truly make people happy in and of itself?  Or do we all have a basic and powerful need for something else?  God's nourishment feeds every part, and enlivens the food we eat with what reaches down deep into the soul, which vitamins and minerals can't do.  Let's consider the grace we need -- and the particular places that grace will ask us to "look up" to as learn to recognize real blessings.