Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

It is clear that Jesus does not bring what people want, he brings what his people need.

Good morning, happy Friday, and many blessings.
 
We come now to one of the most familiar stories in the gospels – Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-15). Part of its familiarity can be perhaps attributed to the fact that it is a story recounted in each of the four Gospels. The story however is simply memorable in its own right. We all sit back in wonder when we hear of this miracle, wondering exactly when and where the fish and the loaves were multiplied.
 
Did they increase in number just as Jesus was handing them out, or more likely as they were being passed around? The accounts of the Gospels do not tell us these specifics, but they certainly tell us that this was a miracle. We can have nothing of the attempts to downplay this event as something less than miraculous, for “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is come into the world!”
 
So, a desperate situation was brewing. At least in the minds of the disciples. Jesus knew from the beginning what he was planning to do. He was planning a miracle. Adding to the desperation was the fact that it was late in the day. The chance to find food was nearing the end for the day and all would have to go to sleep hungry if nothing became available. Have you had a time like this? I’ve had a number of desperate evenings myself in the wilderness, late in the evening, wondering, wondering, wondering “where is that shelter or campsite?” Or maybe you’ve driven across the country and it is late and you’re wondering if have missed the window to find a still open restaurant. As the end of the day approaches, and you are away from home, desperation increases.
 
Jesus, very calmly says “Have the people sit down.” That John tells us, “there was much grass in the place” highlights his being an eyewitness of the event and correlates well with the earlier statement that the Passover was at hand, for the Passover is in the Spring when the grass is not yet been scorched by the sun.
 
John also tells us now that the crowd was about five thousand in number. This is the number of men in the crowd. Guesses as to the total number of people in the crowd, including women and children, vary widely. I suppose on the minimum end it could be that just the men are out following Jesus while the women and children are at home. But that can’t be totally true as there was at least one boy there who had the fish and loaves. On the maximum end I’ve found commentators suggesting there could be as many as 15,000 or 20,000 people in the crowd.
So, what happened? Jesus simply had performed a miracle. And that is what the text tells us. It calls it “a sign.” And this sign so impressed the people that they called Jesus “the Prophet” and had their sights set on making him king.
They wanted food, and in his kindness, Christ provided it. But it was to point to the truth that Christ brings eternal food. It is just like when Jesus said to the Samaritan woman “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” We could make a parallel and say “whoever eats of the bread of life will never be hungry again.” It is clear that Jesus does not bring what the people want, he brings what His people need.

Blessings,

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Friday, April 16, 2021 - 09:15

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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