W. The feeding of the five thousand (9:10–17)
W. The feeding of the five thousand (9:10–17)
This is the one miracle, apart from the resurrection, recounted in all four Gospels. Clearly it made a special appeal to the early church. But some in more recent times have found difficulty with it. They have suggested that perhaps the ‘miracle’ took place in people’s hearts. When Jesus’ disciples prepared to share all they had, others were ashamed and produced the food they had with them but had not wanted to share. When they did so there proved to be more than enough. Others think of a token meal, like Holy Communion, and point to the similarity of language with that used of that sacrament. The trouble with such views is that they are far too subjective. If there was no more to it than this, it is hard to see how the story could have left such a mark on both the biblical tradition and the art of the early church (cf. the motif of the loaves and fishes in Christian art). This is not what any of the Evangelists is saying: they all describe a miracle. ‘It is impossible to reduce the event to ordinary human dimensions’ (Melinsky). This does not mean that it was not symbolic. John’s reference to it as a ‘sign’ should be taken with full seriousness. The meal brought home the truth that God in Christ can supply any need. We may even accept the view that there was something sacramental about the meal. It was perhaps an anticipation of the Messianic banquet, the feast of Messiah with his people. There may also be something of a ‘farewell to fellowship’ aspect to it, as Jesus realized that he would not be able to move freely for much longer in Galilee. But such ideas should not be held in such a way as to obscure the miraculous.
10. In due course the apostles returned from their journey and reported. It is a further example of Jesus’ consideration that after their strenuous labours he took them away to a deserted place. Evidently he wanted them to have the opportunity to relax and refresh themselves. They went to Bethsaida, which must mean somewhere in the vicinity of that city, for Luke also tells us that it was ‘a lonely place’ (12), and thus not the city itself.
11. Jesus and the Twelve were disappointed in their search for privacy (from Mark we learn that some of the crowd even went on ahead so that they were waiting when Jesus and his friends disembarked). It is curious that the people followed Jesus round the lake. It would have been simpler for them to have stayed where they were and awaited his return as they did once before (8:40). But Bethsaida lay outside Herod’s jurisdiction and it may well be that some unrecorded action of Herod’s had convinced people that Jesus might not appear much more in Galilee. The death of John the Baptist was quite recent and it showed Herod’s hostility to the kind of preaching in which Jesus and his followers were now engaging. So the people went out to meet him. Despite his desire for privacy Jesus displayed no irritation. On the contrary, he welcomed them, and continued the work he had so recently been doing with the disciples. He spoke to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of healing.
12. We do not know at what time all this began, but it lasted throughout the rest of the day. Towards evening the Twelve thought it was time to take action. So they called on Jesus to send the people away. In the lonely place where they were there was no food, so the crowd must go off to the surrounding countryside and villages if they were to eat. To lodge indicates that some at least were not local people.
13. Jesus responded by suggesting that the disciples give the people what they needed (you is emphatic). But they said they had no more than five loaves and two fish. From John we learn that they were barley loaves (the food of the poor) and that Andrew had found a small boy with them. Evidently this was the boy’s own food supply, not much in the face of the multitude. The disciples saw as the alternative to sending the people off, that they themselves go and buy food. But this was impossible, both because they were so distant from sources of supply and because they did not have the necessary money (Philip pointed out that two hundred denarii would not be sufficient, John 6:7).
14–15. Luke now tells us that there were about five thousand men in the crowd (the term andres points to men in distinction from women and children, though there were probably not very many of these). Jesus told the disciples to get them seated in groups of about fifty, evidently for convenience in serving.
16–17. Jesus began in the way the Jews normally began a meal: he took the food, looked up to heaven, and ‘said the blessing’ (NEB). The verb blessed does not mean that he somehow imparted a blessing to these physical objects. Such an idea is found nowhere in Scripture. The meaning is that Jesus said a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer that would start with ‘Blessed art thou, O Lord,’ and go on to specify that for which thanks were offered, in this case the loaves and fishes. Bread was often broken during the saying of this prayer, though here it will refer also to the breaking in pieces for distribution to the people. Jesus gave the food to the disciples and they to the people till all were satisfied. They had a full meal and not simply a token. When the meal was over the disciples gathered up what was left and took up twelve baskets of broken pieces. Though there was abundant supply there was to be no waste.