Multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14)

A homily on Matthew 14: 13 -21.

     In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
    Today's Gospel story, also called the Feeding of the Five Thousand (although the crowd is larger, consisting of 5000 men, plus women and children) follows the story of the beheading of John the Baptist, and precedes the story of Jesus walking on water. We can understand this story as Jesus's response to the death of John the Baptist. His response reveals the nature and purpose of his ministry.
     "Now when Jesus heard [of the death of John], he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself." We may understand this, first, as a natural human reaction to a shocking event -- in this case, the death of his cousin, and, I think, his close friend John. We all have experienced this, wanting to be alone for a while to absorb news of a great loss, giving ourselves time to grieve, and readying ourselves to re-enter the world. Jesus, being as human as the rest of us, responds as anyone would to this loss. The story does not say how long Jesus is on his own, or where he went exactly, or even whether he actually went ashore somewhere. It seems that he is not on his own for very long. As the story says, without a break, "But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns." So the crowd is not letting Jesus out of their sight. Perhaps they don't want to lose him, since it is clear from the text that they have heard of the death of John the Baptist, and they know of the close relationship between him and Jesus.
     There is another way of understanding Jesus's withdrawal in the boat. We remember that Jesus called his first disciples, who were fishermen, from their boats on the Sea of Galilee. There is a suggestion here of a return to the source, to the beginning of his ministry, to a refreshed and strengthened awareness of his ministry, where it began beside, and even on, the Sea of Galilee. There is a suggestion here of Jesus's returning to the source, to recover from the shock of John's death, before he continues his own work.
     In any case, it is apparently not long before Jesus is back among the crowd that is following him. Our text says, "When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick." Whatever Jesus says to them, if he says anything at all, is not recorded. But he has compassion, and cures the sick. His first response, in other words, after he absorbs the death of John, is to respond with compassion to the needs of others.
     Compassion, real, practical, on-the-spot compassion, is the mark of every genuine spiritual teacher. Jesus's teaching, in this case, is demonstrated by his action. His compassion is manifested by his healing of the sick.
     "When it was evening, the disciples came to him." The crowd has been with Jesus for some time. Sometimes Jesus relates directly to the crowd; sometimes he communicates through the disciples, and perhaps in this case the crowd is communicating with Jesus through them as well. It is interesting that, as far as we know, the crowd has not thought about food, until the disciples bring up the subject. What kind of gathering must this be, that people are neglecting food, just to be with Jesus? This is a reminder of how charismatic Jesus is, how attractive and engaging he is.
     The disciples are taking thought for the welfare of the people around them. But their concern, at this moment anyway, does not extend beyond suggesting that the crowd be sent away, basically to fend for themselves. But Jesus is about to reveal to them and to the crowd what the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, and the disciples and the crowd, really is. The real relationship is something beyond mere crowd control, something well beyond making sure that the crowd, like a crowd at a sporting event, has time to get to the fast food concessions. No, something far different is happening in our story. The gathering is more than a crowd which has only to feed itself to be kept happy and calm. It is, instead, a harbinger, a sign of a new kind of community, which Jesus is bringing into being.
     Jesus does not desert his people in their moment of need, and he is teaching his disciples not to desert them either. Jesus does not let his recent shock over the death of John get in the way of the situation in front of him. He is teaching his disciples to do the same. "Jesus said to them, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.'" Well, we can imagine the consternation of the disciples, when they say, "we have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." Still, the disciples are in the common-sense state of mind, which tells them that there isn't enough to go around, so nothing is to be done. Jesus is about to break through this ordinary mentality, and introduce a new way of thinking, and a new community, into the world.
     "Bring them here to me," says Jesus to the disciples, and they bring him the bread and fish. And after Jesus blessed them, "all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full."
     It seems to me that we must accept this story at face value. Its plain meaning is inescapable, odd as it may sound to contemporary ears. Something completely unexpected has occurred, and it is our task to determine its meaning. What has occurred is that a new kind of community has come into being. Our Lord has made it possible for a large crowd to receive the sustenance that they need, and he is the source of it. "All ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full." In other words, the event doesn't stop with the crowd in front of Jesus at the time. There is no limit to what is left over. The "twelve baskets full" are meant to refer to all the tribes of Israel. We may take this to mean all people, the whole human race, to whom Jesus is revealing himself. There is no limit to his generosity, there is no limit to his provision to all who come to him, there is no limit to his ability and willingness to respond, no matter what the circumstances.
     So, healing the sick, and providing for the needs of all, are the main features of this story. They are typical of the ministry of Jesus, and they show us what is to be typical of the ministry of the Church. The new community which comes into being in this story is not one in which people are left to fend for themselves, but one in which the leaders take responsibility for those around them. Increasingly, somewhat, in our society, we see a tendency, a temptation, to abandon those in need, in favor of "every person for himself." Our Lord explicitly rejects this, when he refuses to let the disciples dismiss the crowd, to fend for themselves. This is not the way of our Lord, and it must not be the way of any society that wishes to call itself Christian.
     We are called by our Lord, when the sick and the hungry are before us, to say, "they need not go away; we will give them something to eat." Our Lord will help us do this, if we let him. And if we do, there will be more food left over, as our story promises us.
     In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.