Multiplication of the loaves
John 6:1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee [of Tiberias]. A large crowd
followed Him, because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised His eyes and
saw that a large crowd was coming to Him, He said to Philip, “Where can
we buy enough food for them to eat?” He said this to test him, because
he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two
hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them
to have a little [bit].” One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of
Simon Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley
loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said,
“Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that
place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus
took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were
reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had
had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left
over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they collected them, and
filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he
had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come
into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry
him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
REFLECTIONS
HAVE THE PEOPLE RECLINE. Jesus, teacher and master of symbolic
actions pertaining to God’s redemptive plan of salvation, relates in
person with the crowd. He knows what they are really after in seeking
him. He redirects their minds towards a deeper knowledge of his miracles
and why he has made them happen. He will offer them food to satisfy
their hunger and will reveal himself as the bread of eternal life.
Jesus instructs the disciples to have the crowd sit down and be
still, to feel the moment of God’s grace and love, to take hold of the
moment. This is not a basic lesson on crowd control but a call to
silence. It is Jesus’ way of inviting everyone to a moment of deeper
relationship with God and allowing space and time for God’s grace to be
revealed and to be partaken by all.
“Sit and be still, and know that God is painting your portrait” (St. John of the Cross).
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