Grace, mercy, and
peace to you in the name of the one who gathers, calls, nourishes, and restores.
Amen.
I’ve
said it before and I’ll say it again, sometimes I don’t understand what the
creators of the lectionary were thinking when they decided how the readings
would be laid out over the three years. We are in Year B which is Mark’s time
to shine. And suddenly, out of nowhere, here comes John, interrupting our
summer.
It’s
not that we don’t ever hear from John. While the fourth gospel doesn’t have its
own dedicated year, readings from it are scattered throughout the high holy seasons
like Christmas, Easter, Lent, and Advent. But Mark’s gospel is so short, that
there needed to be some filler. So, while we work our way through Mark during
the Sundays of Pentecost, the 6th chapter of John comes in to supplement
the list.
And
the feeling between the two gospels couldn’t be more different. Mark tells the
story of a very human Jesus who has a messianic secret. No one knows Jesus’
true identity until after his crucifixion. John, however, relates the story of
a superhuman Jesus. There is no mistaking who Jesus is for John and his
readers.
For
the rest of the summer, you will be hearing readings from John 6, readings that
will center on Jesus’ proclamation of being the Bread of Life and the Bread of
Heaven. But remember, as I just said, John is not Mark. You will encounter an
entirely different type of gospel account with John. For John, it is no secret
that Jesus is the Son of God and reveals himself consistently as such through
his words and actions. If Mark has a low Christology, then John has a high
Christology.
Ok,
enough about that. Let’s get to today’s gospel reading.
Jesus
has just been in Jerusalem and now suddenly turns up in Galilee. A crowd was
following him because they heard of his signs, and they wanted more. His
response to the crowds in this story is to go up to the top of the hill with
his disciples. The crowd begins to gather and John notes that it is shortly
prior to the Passover Festival.
As
the crowd swells, Jesus turns to Philip and asks, “Where are we to buy bread
for these people to eat?” The people need food and Jesus’ crew has none. Philip
answers from a purely financial and material position. 6 months wages would not
be enough to feed this crowd. Remember, 5,000 is only the number of men in the
group. The crowd may have been as large as 15,000 people when you count all of
the women and children.
Andrew
speaks up and says, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish”
and then Jesus does something that is very familiar to us: he took the bread,
gave thanks and broke it. This isn’t just familiar to us; it was also familiar
to the Jews who were awaiting Passover. The feeding of the multitude evokes memories
of God’s providing manna for the Israelites during their desert journey. When Jesus
gives thanks over the bread, it suggests a connection with what would eventually
become for us the celebration of the Eucharist. Indeed, this meal of bread
becomes the foundation for the rest of the chapter in which Jesus calls himself
the Bread of Life.
After
Jesus makes the miraculous meal, and everyone has had their share, there are 12
baskets of bread left over. When God is at work there is always an abundance
because our God is not the God of scarcity but of abundance. Jesus ended up
with 12 baskets of bread after starting with only 5 loaves and 2 fish. The
house of Israel was provided for in this meal. The imagery here is powerful:
Jesus’ miracle here is a sign of things to come. All of Israel – the new Israel
with both Jews and Gentiles – will be fed and satisfied by their Lord and there
will be more.
The
sacrament of Eucharist is central to our faith. Quite often we associate the
final supper with the sacrifice that Jesus is about to make on the cross. But
what if we changed our thoughts on that? What if the Eucharist was a celebration
of abundance, rather than sacrifice? Jesus is both what sustains us physically
and spiritually through creation and relationship. And it is at the Eucharist
that our abundant relationship with Jesus is honoured and celebrated.
Just
as God provided abundantly for Israel in a time of dire circumstances, so Jesus
brings a similar kind of life in the midst of human need. Just as bread is
necessary for survival, so is a relationship with Jesus essential to abundant
life. And through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are recipients of these
same gifts through relationship with Jesus’ life-giving power.
Let
us be inspired by the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand to live lives
of faith, trusting in God’s abundance and Jesus’ never-ending call to
relationship with him through the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Amen.
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