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 the 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 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 th 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 hears 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 the had done and what they had taught.  This verse continues the narrative of the Gospel from the reading in which Jesus sent out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission (see this reading).  Yesterday's story of the beheading John the Baptist (see above) was given parenthetically, as an explanation of Herod's fear that Jesus is John the Baptist returned from the dead.

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.  My study Bible comments that Christ gives rest to His disciples to show those engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not labor continuously, but must also take rest.  

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.  My study Bible comments that this miracle is reported 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 notes that the Church Fathers see in this an image of the Eucharist, which is an idea made clear in John 6.  There is another feeding miracle reported in Mark 8:1-10, in which Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fish.  Some modern scholars have attempted to say that these are simply the same story, my study Bible says, but the witness of the Gospels is clear that they are two distinct accounts -- and Christ Himself refers to them separately (Mark 8:17-21).  The text tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion, a phrase used consistently concerning our Lord (Matthew 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13).  It shows that Christ's power and authority are extended to those who suffer.  My study Bible further mentions that there is a spiritual interpretation in patristic literature which teaches that the five loaves indicate the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), which are broken open in Christ and therefore feed the universe.  The two fish are representative of the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  That the apostles gather the leftovers shows that the teachings which the faithful are unable to grasp are nonetheless held in the consciousness of the Church.  Additional understandings from this miraculous feeding include that we are shown here we should never eat without giving thanks to God.  This terminology, my study Bible says, points to the Last Supper (Mark 14:22-24) which also leads to a eucharistic interpretation of this miracle in today's reading.  As the disciples distribute the bread to set before the multitudes, 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.   After this significant occasion and development in His ministry, note that Christ departed to the mountain to pray.  So we should imitate Him at each new turn in our own lives, for guidance and the strengthening of our faith.

The feeding of the five thousand is also significant in the symbolism of the numbers.  Five is often seen as a number that symbolizes change, and this is, effectively, the story of the New Covenant, in which Christ -- as my study Bible says -- feeds the universe.  The "thousand" number gives us the sense of universality, and the multitudes included therein.  He who spoke the universe into existence, as the Word Himself, is the One who also comes into our world as the Son of Man, living the life of a human being, a creature of God, and so able to feed the entire creation through all that He does in that life, and through this New Covenant, His gospel.  At His Ascension, we understand that He rises -- including His now-glorified human flesh -- to sit at the right hand of the Father.  That is, He sits on the throne of judgment, as the Almighty, and so fills the place as the One to whom every knee shall  bow, rendering God all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).  This story not only teaches us a sense of universal fulfillment through Christ, but also of the universality of the very food He offers, which may include all a universe can give to us, regardless of our specific needs.  We turn to Him first, regardless of our need, our problem, our desire, our question to Him.  He is there for all, and this miracle declares this to be true.  Let us remember that all that He does comes from compassion.  The text says that 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.  For He is our great Good Shepherd, who serves, protects, guides, and feeds us with what we need.