Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jn. 6: 1 – 15 Multiplication of the Loaves

Background

Whenever I review the literature on the Sunday passage, I am torn, on the one hand, to provide the overwhelming evidence of how the tradition developed over time, and what the best opinion is of the historical event that occurred at the time of Jesus. While, on the other hand, to provide the background that reveals the meaning that the passage had first for the early Christian communities and then to encourage us to ask that question for our time.

What I hope I can do for this Sunday’s reading is to focus on the latter but not exclusively. To do that let start with the obvious. Since this passage is from John’s Gospel, the church has interrupted its focus on Mark. But why especially since Mark also tells the same story, in fact tells it twice and, in addition, it is the only miracle story that appears in each of the Gospels. Well I really don’t know.

Before you read the passage, I want to point out a couple of unique Johannine elements; that is, remarks that only appear in John and in none of the other accounts of the Feeding stories.:

1. V. 4: The Jewish feast of Passover was near. [This, of course, would place the story in the spring time; so a great deal of grass.]

2. V. 6: He [Jesus] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. [The Johannine Jesus is never presented as not knowing something, which is not true in the other Gospels. Thus this is John’s proclamation of the Christ.]

3. V. 9: “… barley loaves …” Identifying the loaves as barley further connects the story with Passover time.

But on to helping us identify the meaning of this passage for the early Christians and hopefully for us today. By now we should know our three questions; for the sake of brevity: Who are the characters and what roles do they play? “When” does the story occur in John’s account? What is the “When” of our life that the story is addressing? What is the plot, purpose, theme of the story.

The characters – maybe others can attempt to identify the role that they play. Their role is discerned in what they say and do; or don’t say and don’t do what we might expect them to say and do.

1. Jesus, also identified in the minds of the people as “the Prophet,” whom they wanted to make king.
2. A large crowd, later identified as the people, and then about 5,000 men.
3. His disciples, some of whom are mentioned by name
   1. Philip
   2. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter [naming Peter as Simon Peter is a Johannine tendency by the way.]
4. A boy with five barley loaves and two fish.

Further, before you read the passage, think of the words of the Eucharist pronounced at every liturgy and then recite slowly the words of the Our Father to hear more of our past in this story. Maybe we can discuss these connections too. For ultimately this passage is not about bread that fills our stomach only for us to be come hungry again. I have provided a second passage, this time from Jn. 6: 51 – 58; a passage in which John interprets the profound meaning of the bread for his community, and ours, and for all who have ears to hear and hearts to understand.

With as much of the previous paragraphs that you can keep in mind, let us quiet ourselves, and, most importantly, pay attention to what happens to us as we read our passage.

The Reading

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
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.'”
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.

Jn: 6: 48 – 58, John’s meaning – and ours?

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Your responses, questions, and / or comments are welcomed. You can add them by clicking on the comment link at the end of this post.