John 6:1-14 for Sunday, August 5, 2007

Translation:
(1) After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee (Tiberias). (2) The great crowd followed him because they were watching the miraculous signs he brought about upon the sick. (3) And Jesus came up onto the mountain and sat there with his disciples. (4) It was near Passover, the feast of the Jews.

(5) Then, Jesus raised his eyes and observed that a great crowd was coming to him. He said to Philip, "Where might we buy bread in order that these people might eat?" (6) He said this to test him, for he knew what he was about to do. (7) Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii cannot buy bread for them that each may receive a little. (8) One of his disciples, Andrew brother of Simon Peter, said to him (9)"There is a boy here who has five loaves made of barley and two fish, but what is this for so many?" (10) Jesus said, "Make the people sit." Now, there was much grass in the place. So the men sat, their number was about 5,000. (11) So, Jesus took the bread and giving thanks he distributed it to the seated guests and likewise of the fish--as much as they wanted. (12) And they were satisfied. He said to his disciples, "gather the leftover peices that nothing may perish. (13) So they gathered and filled twelve baskets of pieces from the five loaves made of barley that was left over from those who had eaten. (14) So, the people seeing that he made a miraculous sign, began to say that this one is truly the prophet, the one who is to come into the world.

The remarkable thing about this miracle is how much more miraculous it gets with every verse. The whole scene starts out quietly with Jesus getting away to the other side of the sea of Galilee with his disciples. A great crowd follows him, but we are not alarmed because Jesus always seems to be surrounded by a crowd. We are explicitly told that the crowd follows Jesus because they know he has healed the sick and performed miraculous signs. Right away in the story we know that Jesus is famous for his signs and wonders.

As the crowd draws nearer, Jesus (a good host!) asks Philip if they can buy bread to feed the crowd. In verse 6 we get an inkling of what Jesus is up to. The narration tells us that Jesus already had a plan for feeding this crowd, but he wants to test Philip to see if Philip understands what Jesus will do. To understand what Jesus is planning to do (miraculously feed this large crowd) and to understand how he is able to do it is to understand Jesus' identity.

Philip responds incredulously. It would cost 200 denarii to feed a crowd this size! Suddenly, we learn that the crowd is very, very large. A denarii was Roman silver coin, worth about 18 cents which was a days wages. The amount of money it would cost to feed the crowd gives us an idea of the size. Suddenly Jesus' idea of feeding them seems crazy.

Then Andrew chimes in saying that the only offer for food that they've received so far is from a small boy. The Greek word for "small boy" is diminutive. This is a little boy, not just a boy, an insignificant boy. His offering is only five loves and two fishes, which is not nearly enough. Twice now, Jesus receives incredulous remarks from the disciples. The reader now knows that this is completely impossible. They don't have enough money to feed the crowd and they don't have enough food with them to feed the crowd.

Then Jesus starts giving the instructions, telling the disciples to let everyone have a seat. We are told that they sat on grass. In Greek, they sat on grass in a large standing field--another indication that there were lots of people in this crowd. We are told that the men sat down. Women and children were not counted in their number. Five thousand people may well only include the men. Add to that their wives and children and the size of the crowd increases!

So, now sitting before Jesus is the impossible. He simply takes the bread and gives thanks. In its context, Jesus' words are not necessarily liturgically significant. Jesus is doing the same thing any Jewish man would do before dinner by blessing the food and distributing it to his guests. Now here comes the miraculous thing: the crowd ate and they were satisfied. They didn't just eat a little, like Philip suggested, they ate until they were satisfied. And not only were they satisfied, there were leftovers. And not only were there leftovers, there were 12 baskets full! And these aren't just little baskets, this is the word for large heavy baskets. The miracle is so huge that all the people are amazed and begin to recognize that Jesus is the prophet, the one to come into the world.

This miracle keeps growing and growing. At first its just a crowd and then its a really large crowd, then its 5000 men. It's so large that none of the disciples know how this can happen. Jesus' miracle is so successful that there is even leftovers. The impossible is made completely possible.

In the end, the crowd and even the disciples learn a little bit about Jesus' identity. The last sentence is about how the crowd recognizes that Jesus is a prophet, the one to come into the world. The real point of the miracle was not simply to feed the crowd, but to give a glimpse of who Jesus is and through him to see a small glimmer of the kingdom of God.