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

 

 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 disciples, having been sent out on their first apostolic mission, cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Now King Herod heard of Him, 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.  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.  My study Bible comments that Christ gives rest to His disciples in order to show those engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not labor continuously, but must also take rest.  Let us note that these multitudes ran there on foot from all the cities.  Jesus is so well-known that it is not possible for He and the apostles to withdraw, as the crowds arrived before them and came together to Him.  They are like sheep not having a shepherd.  In His compassion for them, He began to teach them many things.  When we are lost and truly in need of guidance and direction, it is Christ's word and teachings we truly need most, and He fills this first need.  Moved with compassion is an expression used frequently of Jesus (Mark 1:41, Matthew 20:34, Luke 7:13), which 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 of such significance that it is repeated by all four Evangelists.  It shows Jesus feeding a great multitude of His people as He fed the Israelites in the desert (see Exodus 16).  It answers the question of rebellious Israel, as noted in the words of the Psalmist:  "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?" (Psalm 78:19).  My study Bible tells us that the Church Fathers see in this miraculous feeding an image of the Eucharist, an idea which is made clear in John 6.  Mark 8:1-10 reports another miracle in which Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fish.  These are two distinct miracles, as Jesus specific names each in Mark 8:19-20.   My study Bible also reports a spiritual interpretation of this miracle given in patristic commentary, in which the five loaves indicate the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are broken open in Christ and thereby feed the universe.  The two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  The gathering up of the twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish shows that the teachings which the faithful are unable to grasp are nonetheless held in the consciousness of the Church; spiritually, these "twelve baskets" will be taken out to the world for all time through the twelve apostles.   My study Bible also notes that this feeding shows we should not eat without first giving thanks to God.  The terminology (He blessed and broke the bread) points to the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26), and it leads us to a eucharistic understanding of this miracle.  My study Bible comments that just as the disciples distribute the bread to the people, so also Christ feeds the Eucharist to His flock through the hands of His bishops and presbyters.  

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, Jesus sets the example for rest and renewal:  in solitude He departed to the mountain to pray.  It is a significant "punctuation" to the effort and breakthrough of this new miracle or sign, and it teaches us that at every significant milestone in His ministry He returns to His communion with God the Father.

How does Jesus feed people?  Aside from the physical miraculous feeding in today's reading, what we notice is that He initially answers people's needs -- via His being "moved with compassion" -- with teaching.  For what is it they lack?  They are "like sheep not having a shepherd."  What they need is the guidance of a shepherd, and so, for our sakes, Jesus becomes the Good Shepherd, for this is also what we need in our lives.  There is a common saying, variously attributed to many diverse sources, that tells us something like this:  "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."  Perhaps it is highly appropriate that it involves a theme of fish, for today's reading.  But we can understand the principle:  it is one thing to give charity in the form of worldly goods, another to give a person a teaching so that one is able to provide for oneself.  We know the psychological difference, also, between being capable of caring for oneself and being dependent upon others.  One state can be very frightening and uncertain, and the other gives confidence and a sense of strength and capability for the future, aside from many other differences and benefits to the person who has been taught.  While we never want to minimize the importance of charity, the sharing of what we have with others (and its importance for the sharer as well as the recipient), it also seems that we quite often minimize the importance of teaching and guidance in favor of distribution of material goods.  We place a great deal of emphasis on the material, and we, of course, understand that this is the nature of the miracle feeding in the wilderness, but we tend to minimize the gift of spiritual guidance, which is the first "food" with which Jesus addresses the needs of this crowd.  For while material substance may come and go, economic variables go up and down, we are always and constantly in need of guidance, and especially spiritual guidance.  For we are always like sheep not having a shepherd, and it is particularly in times of material need that we also greatly and deeply need spiritual sustenance.  In a world that tends to emphasize very much material prosperity and material progress, we often succumb to a delusion that says that this is all we need; that we are capable of realizing all of our dreams if only prosperity, in a material sense, were available to everyone.  But this is the farthest thing from the truth.  I personally am the descendant of genocide survivors, who were lucky simply to be alive, and totally impoverished in their survival.  But there was one form of real wealth they had, and that was their faith that taught them who they were, which they did not lose.  It sustained them through excruciating violent circumstances, poverty, uncertainty, and refugee status.  It also enabled them to rebuild their lives on a pattern that was good and nourishing, to feed, clothe, educate their children, and to build their churches in community.  This is the lesson I take from observing my own ancestors, and that is what I understand from today's lesson in Christ's teaching to these people what they needed as lost sheep.  For regardless of material prosperity -- and if you listen to the professional psychological community, possibly and truly because of such prosperity -- it does not prevent us from psychological and spiritual trouble, from becoming lost sheep who don't know what to do with ourselves and how to best use our wealth for spiritually healthy lives.  While we can observe the terrible problems of poverty in our societies (particularly on children), the terrible problems of great wealth (particularly on children) often take place behind closed doors.  Great wealth itself -- even personal success -- can also be a source of terrible stumbling.  While Christ's feeding of the multitude in the wilderness is an image of charity, we are to remember that He first feeds them with their deepest need, and these are a multitude which has sought Him out and became hungry because they wished so deeply to remain with this Good Shepherd they needed so badly.  We don't know what was to become of all of them when Jesus was persecuted, and when the Church began to be persecuted as well.  But we know how Christ first fed them, and many of us with some self-knowledge and understanding can recognize what it is to feel that we are sheep without a shepherd, and know of our own need of Him, all the time -- in good times and bad.