July 24, 2009
Sunday Scripture
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
BY FATHER DONALD DILGER
The liturgy today begins a series of five Sunday readings from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Had the readings continued from Mark, today’s reading would have been the feeding of five thousand in the wilderness, just as we have in today’s reading from John. Mark and John have basically the same story, but John’s version is followed by a long explanatory homily on the meaning of the feeding of the five thousand. This homily is called “The Eucharistic Discourse.” The homily reaches a climax in its insistence on the necessity of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus as a pledge of eternal life.
John opens the story with a stock phrase which often begins a story in all four gospels, that Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee. This time he lands somewhere on the eastern shore of the lake. As in last Sunday’s reading from Mark, the crowd is already waiting for him on the eastern shore. The reason: “the signs (healings) which Jesus did on the sick.” John prefers the word signs, because Jesus’ miracles are signs of or clues to his identity as Messiah and even as God. Jesus goes up a mountain. He sits down surrounded by his disciples. It is Passover time. With these key words and phrases John asks readers and hearers to reflect on the wilderness experience of Israel, the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, and the nourishment of Israel by the manna. Both Torah and manna will find their ultimate meaning in the discourse that follows.
Jesus asks the disciples the question familiar to Christians from frequently hearing or reading one of the four gospel-versions of feeding the five thousand. How will we feed this huge crowd? John makes sure no reader or hearer will misunderstand that Jesus was actually asking for information, “for he himself knew what he was about to do.” Andrew offers some help, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” Jesus takes over, “Get the people to sit down.” There were ten groups of fifty each. Jesus takes the five loaves, gives thanks, and distributes to the seated crowd. Note that in John’s version, and in contrast to the other three gospels, the disciples do not distribute the food. Jesus himself is described as doing all of it.
Since nothing happens by chance in John, what is the meaning of this solo performance by Jesus? John may be acting on the principle that Jesus acts supremely alone even as his Father did in feeding the Israelites with manna, Exodus 16. Throughout the earlier chapters of John’s gospel, the author is concerned to show Jesus’ superiority over Moses. The latter had to ask for help from God. Jesus did not. He only thanked his Father. Later in this chapter Jesus will say, “It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father . . . .” Jesus’ solo action here is another of John’s many implicit claims of Jesus identity as God. The sign is the clue. There will be more clues in this chapter.
The disciples of Jesus are not entirely excluded from the action. After all have been fed, Jesus commands them to pick up the fragments of the five barley loaves. Jesus had also multiplied the two fish, but they are no concern of John. This is a Eucharistic discourse, not a fish story. The disciples pick up twelve baskets of fragments. What does John mean by their involvement? They will continue what Jesus began — feeding the crowds. Since a long teaching discourse will follow the feeding of the crowd, we may conclude that the disciples, representing the Church or Christian community, must provide not only material food for the needy, but also spiritual food.
The crowd concludes that Jesus is “the prophet,” a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15-18, where Moses assures the people that God will raise up a “prophet like me. Listen to him!” This they will do in the discourse that follows. Next, they want to make Jesus their king. Jesus knew well what the Roman occupying powers did to would-be kings. That time had not yet come. Later he will say, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
The prophet Elisha (ninth century B.C.) feeds one hundred men with twenty loaves of barley bread. Elisha’s disciples did not think it was enough food. He replies “Give it to the people to eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’” The similarities of this story to the gospel of today is enough to conclude that the story in 2 Kings had a major influence on John’s version of the feeding of five thousand. The story concludes almost like the gospel, “When they had eaten, some was left over.”
Our readings from Ephesians continue. The letter celebrates the unity of Jew and Gentile in the one Churce, the Body of Christ. Because of their unity, the author calls upon all Christians “to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility, gentleness, and patience.” Note the emphasis on unity, “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God . . . .”