A Miracle! Food for the body or soul food? Sunday Readings 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Y-not question the Sunday Readings)

by Sue, Sydney, Friday, July 27, 2012, 16:49 (301 days ago)

At Tony's request I am having a turn at doing our scripture commentary this week. Right at the outset I would like to say that I am not a scripture scholar, so those of you who do have expertise in this area, do feel welcome to add to my words.

The first thing that struck me about this passage is that it has a similar theme to last week's reading from Mark. Perhaps it is different version of the same story but with a different theological purpose.

Once again Jesus is seeking some quiet time with his disciples. Once again a crowd follows, this time up a mountain, a crowd who do not seem to be impressed so much by Jesus' teaching, as by his healing of the sick.

Jesus seems to recognize this, so he does not try to teach them, at least by words. Instead, recognizing that they need to be fed food for the body rather than food for the soul, he expresses concern about how food might be obtained for them. The only one who seems to have any food is the small boy with the five loaves and some fish.

If we take this passage at face value, we see that Jesus performed a miracle with the loaves and fishes, such that there was more than enough to feed the five thousand. For the crowd, this was the sign that Jesus was a prophet, the one they were waiting for. So, has the writer of this gospel told us the story only to convince us that Jesus was a wonder worker and therefore a man worth following? Or is there more to it?

And was it really a miracle? Perhaps there could be a more natural explanation. If one boy has brought food with him, then maybe many others in the crowd have too, perhaps bringing the food they had taken with them that morning when setting out for work. Now I know the reading only refers to men, but there must have been women and children in that crowd too - and where there are mothers and children, there's always food, usually more than enough. So maybe Jesus just sat that crowd down and invited everyone to share what they had brought. And perhaps that is the teaching of that story – that if we all share whatever we have, then there will be more than enough for everybody.

Reminds me of stories of impromptu meals when neighbors get together and each family brings along whatever they were going to have themselves, and someone produces a bottle of wine, and some lemonade for the kids, and somehow a wonderful meal happens out of all those bits and pieces.

But maybe the gospel writer, John, was reminded of the story about Elisha feeding people, as told to us in the first reading for this Sunday. It is as if John might be saying,

"Something happened that day with Jesus and that crowd of people. It reminded me of that story about Elisha feeding a hundred people with twenty barley loaves. But what Jesus did was far greater. I want to tell you that Jesus is more important for us than Elisha."

And perhaps that is the point the writer is trying to make. Elisha feeds only a hundred; Jesus feeds five thousand. Have a look at the Elisha story and see what you think.

The scripture readings given above are taken from the St. Louis website, http://liturgy.slu.edu/17OrdB072912/theword.html.

I asked a dear friend what was important to her in this story of the loaves and fishes, and she said it was the smallness of the boy's gift, and the effect of that gift in Jesus' hands. No matter how small a gift we might make of time and energy to others, we cannot know how the ripples will spread out beyond ourselves, to even greater effect. Small beginnings can lead to great things.

At a deeper level still, what meaning might the feeding of the five thousand have? For me, mention of a miracle is an invitation to treat the story as a metaphor. From this perspective, it is a story about food for the soul. It is reassurance for the hungry soul who cannot find food that satisfies, or only small scraps that are soon consumed. Real spiritual food can be found, and found in such abundance that the soul will never suffer hunger again. Furthermore, there is food in such abundance that there is enough for all who seek it. Jesus knows from experience. He has found the source. He himself can lead us there.

The source of that food is to be found within the mystery that Jesus refers to as the kingdom of God. Nothing to do with the earthly kingdom that the crowd wants.

And none followed this time, for their spiritual hunger was satisfied.

The kingdom of God is within. It can be found by withdrawing to the mountain alone, following the path that Jesus has marked out.

Sue