Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
Mt 14: 13-21
The news of the death of John the Baptist is followed by a ‘withdrawal’. But this withdrawal is followed by a revelation of the power and authority of Jesus. The scene of this revelation is the desert. There Jesus not only healed the sick but fed the people as well.
The miracle recalls two similar OT miracles: the manna in the wilderness (Ex 16); and Elisha feeding a hundred men (2Kgs 4:42ff).
Christians saw in this miracle an anticipation of the Eucharist (26:26ff). John brings this out more clearly in his gospel (Jn 6).
But bread has other meanings. In 15:26 Jesus uses bread as a symbol of salvation. In Is 55:2f it is used as a symbol for life and truth.
At the beginning it was said that the miracle revealed something about Jesus. Matthew presents Jesus as a prophet like Moses. He is the messiah who gives eternal life and who brings new food, the sign of the age to come.
There is evidence that some Jews expected the messiah to repeat the miracle of the Manna. In the first century we find this writing: “And it shall come to pass at that self-same time that the treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat it in those years, because these are they who have come to the consummation of time (that is, the messianic age). See also Rev 2:17.
v. 13. When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by him-self…
We find similar a expression in 24:12. Other ‘withdrawals’ of Jesus may be found in 2:14 and 22; 12:15; and 15:21.
‘Eis eremon topon” is literally ‘to a desert place’. It is translated as ‘desert’ or ‘wilderness’. It is interesting to note that it is the same word that is used in Ex 16 which describes the miracle of the manna.
v. 14. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
The compassion of Jesus is mentioned in three other places: 9:36; 15:32; and 20:34.
In Mark’s gospel (6:34), the compassion of Jesus resulted in him teaching the crowd. Why does Matthew replace that with curing the sick? Because Matthew believes that the crowds do not understand Jesus and therefore, Jesus was unsuccessful in ‘teaching’ them.
v. 15. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."
The disciples suggest this course of action because they doubt the power of Jesus. They have little faith.
v. 19. And he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
In Jewish families, the father said the grace before meals by taking a loaf of bread, thanking God for the gift of food, breaking the loaf, and giving each person present a piece of it to eat.
“Blessed” here means “blessed God”, that is, praised God and thanked him for food. It is not the bread that is blessed.
See Acts 27:35f.
v. 20. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full.
‘Were satisfied” (echortasthesan) is the same word used in the Beatitudes of the messianic feast in the kingdom: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (5:6).
The feeding in the desert is the sign of the Kingdom.
About the food left over, see 2 Kgs 4:44.
v. 21. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
“Not counting women and children” is also found at the end of the other feeding story (15:38).
Someone calculated the total number of people the Jesus feed to be from 20,000 – 30,000 people.
1 comment:
It won't truly have success, I believe this way.
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