Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish

Multiplication of the Loaves

Mt 14: 13 – 21

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Introduction

Today’s Gospel is the multiplication of the loaves. This story tells us how the Lord provides for the needs of his people. The Lord provides and the Lord sustains.

The Gospel

¹³ Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵ When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹ And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Reflection

Today’s Gospel is about the multiplication of the loaves. The reading begins by situating us into the context of the story. As we see here, Jesus withdraws from the place where he was because he heard about the death of John the Baptist. As we all know, the death of John was prompted by Salome’s request for John’s head during a banquet hosted by Herod. This tiny detail about the death of John the Baptist paints to us a picture of a banquet which brought death, the death of a man of God. Matthew cleverly situates the multiplication of the loaves in this context, leading us to another kind of banquet hosted by Jesus, which brings not death but life.

The entire story of the multiplication of loaves alludes to a number of Old Testament references. First, we hear of Jesus withdrawing and heading towards a deserted place. The image of a deserted place reminds us of the time when Israel wandered through the desert for forty years. There in the desert, God fed his people with manna and quails, providing for their needs and protecting them as they traveled through the desert ( Exod 16:4; 13). Secondly, the story of the multiplication of the loaves has clear references also to the prophet Elisha who gave 20 loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain to the people (2 Kgs 4: 42 – 44). There we see his servant uttering  similar words that the disciples of Jesus said during the multiplication of the loaves, when he said: “ How can I set this before a hundred people?” There, we also see how the people ate and had some leftovers, similar to what happened in the multiplication of the loaves. In both of these Old Testament references, we see God providing and caring for his people, refusing to leave them especially in times of great difficulty.

Our reading today might seem to us like another miracle of Jesus. It might seem to us like one of those wonders that Jesus did using a handful of loaves and fish, eventually feeding a multitude. It is more than that. While this reading has clear Old Testament references, it also has very clear parallels with the Last Supper where Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples. The sequence of these actions reveal how the early Christians used this reading to capture the meaning of the Eucharist which was also known to them as the “breaking of bread.”  This reading captures the essence of the Eucharist in the following way:

First, the Eucharist happens always in the context of a meal. Meals are occasions for fellowship where people get together to share their presence and spend time to celebrate. The Lord wants us to remember him within a context of a meal, a celebration, a fellowship. The instruction for the crowd to sit down indicated that they were preparing for a meal. To sit down in those days was a posture for eating. When we gather around the Eucharist, the Lord who gives himself as food, comes to us as a joyful and celebratory encounter with him and with everyone who partakes of his body and blood. 

Secondly, the abundance of food that was distributed to all seems to suggest that in the Eucharist, there is abundance. The blessing was so abundant, that the multitude had their fill and still had leftovers. The Eucharist is God’s grace abundantly overflowing. In the body and blood of Jesus, we receive grace upon grace and blessing upon blessing. 

Thirdly, the Eucharist is handed out to all. It is indiscriminately given to everyone; to the old, the young, the sick and the healthy, the good and the bad. This is typical of the Lord who blesses everyone. The Lord doesn’t discriminate nor does he withhold the gift of himself to those who are bad or unworthy. 

Lastly, the Eucharist is born out of the small offerings that we have. With five loaves and two fishes, Jesus took the little that was available and transformed these into something extraordinary. The bread and wine that we offer in the Holy Eucharist, the fruits of the earth and the work of human hands are transformed into God’s body and blood.

At this time of the pandemic, when many feel deserted and left all by themselves, this reading offers us great consolation. If there is anyone who notices our immediate wants and needs, it is the Lord, as shown in this reading. God provides. God cares. He makes sure that we are not left to fend for ourselves on a lonely and deserted place. He shall provide for us and we shall soon witness an abundance that he alone can give. We need only to trust the Lord’s kindness and goodness especially in difficult moments like this pandemic. Let us not hesitate to follow the Lord, even if that would mean following him to a lonely and deserted place.

Prayer

Kind Jesus, I will follow you even if you go to a deserted place. I will go where you go even when there are no provisions in that place. You will provide Jesus. You will not drive me away from your presence but will supply my every need. Amen.

“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Phil 4: 19