A British Newspaper Columnist once expressed his displeasure with the attitudes of two Drama Critics as follows…
"If this pair had been present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes, one of them surely would have complained that there was no lemon to go with the fish,
and the other would have demanded butter for the bread."
In today’s Gospel Reading we have the familiar story of Jesus miraculously feeding a crowd of more than five thousand persons with just a few loaves of bread
and a couple of fish.
When they were satisfied, Jesus told His Disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing would be lost." So they gathered them up, the Apostle
John tells us, "and filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that He had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world" (Saint John
6:12,14).
In other words, "This must be the Promised Messiah who will lead us to freedom from oppression." And they wanted to make Him King, then and there.
This episode in the Life of Christ must have been very important in the life of the early Christians. It is a matter of great interest to note that, until we
come to the story of the Crucifixion, this is the only event in Jesus’ life that is reported in all four Gospels.
Clearly, the early Christians found this incident so helpful they wanted to be absolutely sure that later generations would get the message.
How did Jesus feed those thousands of people with the small bit of food available? We might as well ask, "How did God created the Universe? Or how did God
create life?
But the Creation Story doesn’t teach how God created. Rather, the Lesson in the Creation Story is that Almighty God is Creator of the Universe and of all
life, and that He created for a purpose.
So it is with today’s Gospel Reading. If we dwell on the question of how Jesus worked this great miracle, we are likely to miss the whole point of the lesson.
The New Testament tells us, over-and-over again, that God, our Creator, loves us so much that He nourishes us at the center of our being with His own living
presence. And, as we identify with this reality, as we enter into union with God, we are nourished.
And what the Gospel writers are emphasizing in today’s story is that of all the ways God feeds us, there is one unique way, one supremely valuable way, one
especially nourishing way – and that is through His living presence in the Lord Jesus Christ – The Bread of Life.
The Gospel writers are trying to tell us that if we literally feed on this Bread of Life, if we sink our roots deep down in Christ, we will be nourished as in
no other way.
All of this is spelled out most clearly in John’s Gospel. After recounting the Story of Jesus miraculously feeding those thousands of people, John describes
Jesus’ encounter with that same crowd the next day.
Jesus says to them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for
the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on Him that God the Father has set His seal." Then Jesus tells
them, "Very truly, I tell you it was not Moses who gave you the bread from Heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which
comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world" (Saint John 6:26-27, 32-33).
The people responded enthusiastically, "Sir, give us this bread always." They said. And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will
never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (Saint John 6:35).
Again, as you respond to Christ, as you identify with Christ, as you let Christ enter into your life, as you abide in Christ, as you accept Christ deep within
your being, you are being nourished in a supremely valuable way by the food the endures to Eternal Life.
There have been painted many beautiful depictions of the scene in today’s Gospel Reading, and it is of more than passing interest to note that invariably, the
Artist emphasizes the role of the Disciples in distributing the food to the crowd.
If you are a Disciple of Jesus Christ, you are a distributor of the Bread of Life.
Within your own individual sphere of influence, there are persons with all kinds of needs – physical, emotional and spiritual. God is ready to help them in
their need by using extraordinary means. God is ready to use you.
After telling her class of six-year-olds the story in today’s Gospel Reading, the Teacher asked the children to draw a picture of the event …
One little girl turned in a picture of twelve figures carrying baskets full of bread and fish. All were wearing hair ribbons. "They’re the Waitresses," the
child explained.
Another little girl pictured Jesus with a bread knife in His hand, cutting up the loaves, but she gave it up before she was finished. "Can’t make the slices
thin enough," she said.
In a little boy’s picture a big box-like object with a door handle stood off to the side of the drawing. "What’s that?" the Teacher asked. "It’s a Freezer,"
said the little boy, "for the leftovers."
If there is someone who needs your care now, or if you encounter someone during the week who will need your loving concern, the choice will be yours:
You can either follow Jesus’ example and feel the other’s burden as your own, or you can just go about your own business.
Jesus looked at the hungry crowd and He told His Disciples to give them something to eat.
It is for you now, to give them the Bread of Life. Now don’t slice it too thin!
Follow Jesus’ example and your Christ-like love will never run out.
Follow Jesus’ example and there will always be leftovers.
