Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

July 29, 2018 

Readings:

First Reading: 2 Kings 4: 42-44

Psalm: 145

Second Reading: Ephesian 4: 1-6

Gospel reading according to John 6: 1-15

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Homily:

Jesus continued his journey to bring the good news to different places.  This time, he and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee to reach the other shore. “Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee” (Jn. 6: 1).  Jesus and his disciples usually go to different places where the wind blows.  They follow the waves of the ocean and lands to where the waves bring them.  They go where they are led by the wind and waves without any planned destination.  Wherever they went, many peoples were waiting for their arrival.  If they could not find Jesus and his disciples, they followed them.  They can easily track them.  “A large crowd followed him; because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick” (Jn. 6: 2).  Many peoples followed where Jesus went, for they saw and witnessed what he did to the sick people.

After arriving in the  place and disembarked the boat, they proceeded to the mountain and/or knoll for solitude with his disciples.  “Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.”  This solitude is important moment in the ministry of Jesus.  For Henri J. M. Nouwen said, “Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter – the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self” (The Way of the Heart, 1981, p. 16).  Jesus needed to contemplate what the will of his Father and not the caprice of the people.  He did not do what is contrary to God’s will.  He also taught this to his disciples to constantly go to solitude and ask and find the will of God “as the substance of the new life.”  This happened on the feast of the Jewish Passover was nearing.  “The Jewish feast of Passover was near” (Jn. 6: 4).  This is significant.  They are about to commemorate the liberation of the Jews from slavery in the hands of Pharaoh in Egypt.  They only brought some essential provisions in their exodus, particularly the unleavened bread.  Every year they are celebrating the Passover from the land of death to the Promised Land accompanied by the power of the almighty God, I AM WHO I AM or Yahweh.  

After that solitude and they finished their prayer of praise and thanksgiving, Jesus stood from where he was sitting and saw the crowd coming from different directions on foot.  They found them in that place and gathered them together in front of Jesus and his disciples.  All of them were tired and hungry, as if they came from an exodus in Egypt.   “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 enough for each of them to have a little’.” (Jn. 6: 5-7).  Jesus at once thought that these people were hungry.  One of his disciples who came from that place whose name was Philip, was called by Jesus to himself.  Philip knew the place where they can buy bread to be given to the hungry crowds.  Jesus would like to test Philip what he will do with these multitude of peoples after their experienced in the mountain a while ago.  Philip knew how much was needed to feed this large crowd, two hundred days wages, but still this amount is not enough, for each of them to have a little.  They will not be satisfied and be filled. 

 

Another disciple, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, came with a young boy.  His name was not given, but what he did will be always remembered. “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?’” (Jn. 6: 8-9).  This boy was voluntarily shared his provision so that in this little way others may eat.  He gave what he thought can provide others’ need, five barley loaves of bread and two fish.  Andrew was right in saying, “. . .  but what good are these for so many?”  They are all good enough; but he did not realize Jesus was with them, he can do miracles.

Thanks to the selflessness of that young boy who shared the little things he had for others.  As great distributor of the many gifts, Jesus commanded his disciples to let the peoples sit down on the ground where there were many grasses.   “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” (Jn. 6: 10).  The people were like sheep that all of them listened and followed as one flock to the command of their shepherd.  One by one, folded their knees and reclined on the ground.  They were many, “. . . about five thousand in number,” excluding women and children, where the young boy belonged, but in his insignificance he became important in that incident.

As usual before any meal, Jesus prayed the prayer of thanksgiving.  “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” (Jn. 6: 11).  Jesus raised the bread and fish in his both hands to heaven to say the blessing for the food; he gave thanks to the Father, and gave the bread and fish to his disciples to distribute to the people as much as they needed.  They can eat as much as they can. 

Everybody was filled and satisfied. They still have some bread and fish in front of them, some on their laps, while others on their hands.  So Jesus told his disciples to collect the left over bread and fish for another day’s consumption.  “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” (Jn. 6: 12-13).  Nothing to be wasted and thrown away the fragments of bread and fish anywhere because they were already full and satisfied.  So many times, we wasted extra food but we do not realize where it comes from and how many people are dying due to lack of food.  We need to eat only enough (“sapat”) food.  After collecting the left-over, the disciples gathered twelve wicker baskets full of bread and fish.  From only five barley loaves and two fish, they gathered twelve wicker baskets full.  What a miracle!?  Nothing really is impossible with God.

People saw the collecting and gathering of the bread and fish by the disciples.  They could not imagine what they witnessed and how the bread and fish were multiplied.  “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.’” (Jn. 6: 14).  They realized what Jesus did was a sign of the presence of a prophet and the coming of a new king to liberate them from hunger and wants “. . .  they saw the signs he was performing on the sick,” “people saw the sign he had done.”  They decided to make Jesus their prophet-king.so that they can receive their daily bread and not as their Lord and Savior.  Sometimes we too look for Jesus Christ only for our needs and pray for what we wants.  We do not realize that he is our Lord and Savior, our companion in our journey in this life.  We do not realize also that he is the way, the truth and the life we need in this perilous passage to eternity.

Jesus sensed already the plan of the people.  “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: 15).  So, he skipped and tried to avoid not seeing him by the people from that place and went up to the mountain, where he and his disciples were, alone.