OPENING PRAYER

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Dear God,  many times we aren’t sure what we need to do to be good disciples. Our desire to do your will is ever-present but our knowledge of the actions you require of us are sometimes unclear. Help us to remember that if we ask for your guidance and take time to listen, you will provide us with all the information we need. While we wait for your guidance, remind us that we are always doing your will when we love and serve others.  We ask this in the name  of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 28, 2024

Psalm 145:10-18  (NIV)

All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.  The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.

The Gospel:  John 6:1-21

Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),  and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.  Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.  The Jewish Passover Festival was near.  When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.  Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”  Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,  “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”  Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.  When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.  When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,  where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.  A strong wind was blowing, and the waters grew rough.  When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.  But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”  Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

MEDITATION

The Feeding of the 5,000 as a Lesson to the Disciples (Mark 6:30-44)

(By Adam McIntosh – Kuyperian Commentary)

The feeding of the 5,000 is a famous miracle of Jesus, but the significance of its placement in Mark 6 is often overlooked. The preceding story is the beheading of John the Baptist. Herod threw a banquet for his nobles and military men, and it was there that John’s head was served up on a platter. Herod kills

God’s people and offers their flesh as symbolic food to his guests. The very next story in Mark 6 is the feeding of the 5,000. Now we see Jesus  feeding people. Not with a chopped off head, but with real food – fish and bread. There are two meals in Mark 6. One hosted by Herod, the evil king. The other by Christ, the good shepherd. The text presents us with a competition: Whose party is better? Whose table do you want to eat at? Jesus is placed in contrast to Herod and shown to be a true king. He’s even shown to have his own nobles and military men – the 12 disciples – and they play a large role in this story.

Jesus’ ministry has become so popular that neither he nor the disciples have time to rest or eat . People from all the towns are rushing to be close to them. It’s not just Jesus who’s getting the attention, but Jesus and his disciples. They, too, are experiencing fame from their teachings and miracles. When Jesus sees the crowds, he has compassion on them. He sees that they were like “sheep without a shepherd” and he begins to teach them many things. Jesus gives them “verbal food” – the nourishment of God’s word – before giving them physical food. But the disciples want to send the crowds away. They say, “The hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat”.  The disciples are tired and want some privacy; they want dinner themselves! “C’mon, Jesus, can’t we take a break?” Jesus responds, “Give them something to eat”. The disciples don’t understand this. It sounds crazy, and probably frustrating (Jesus isn’t letting them take a break!). How are they going to accomplish this task? Where would they find enough food? How would they pay for it? It seemed daunting and impossible.

It’s at that moment that Jesus multiplies the bread and fish. He performs the miraculous act, but it’s the disciples  who will do the serving. Mark 6:41 says the disciples were to set the food before the people. It’s the disciples who will go into the multitude and distribute. After eating, they collect 12 baskets of leftovers. The numerical connection between “12 disciples” and “12 baskets” is obvious. There’s an emphasis on the disciples that we shouldn’t miss. Jesus is the good shepherd but the disciples function as shepherds themselves, operating under the instruction of their commander. We often think of the feeding of the 5,000 as a revelation of Jesus’ power and provision. While that is true, this event is also a lesson to the disciples. They didn’t understand what Jesus was doing. They wanted to send the people away, remember? They needed to learn that being a shepherd includes attending to the basic necessities of life – not just to teaching and miracles. Shepherding includes the whole person, body and soul together.

When the disciples made the comment about sending the people away, they didn’t know that Jesus was going to make them serve food. They doubted how he would do it; they didn’t know he would multiply the bread and fish. Did they know that they would end up with exactly 12 baskets of leftovers? No, but I’m sure they got the point when each of them had a full basket. The disciples are a new Israel – the new 12 tribes – and under Christ, they participate in his mission of shepherding the sheep. The baskets aren’t full just to throw out; they are full in order to feed more. The disciples will continue the work of feeding God’s people, both with physical food and verbal food.

How many times have you not understood what God was doing? Have you ever wanted God to do something different? Maybe you’ve wanted to avoid a responsibility he has giving you. The lesson here is that God establishes us a servants even when we do not realize it; even when we are tired and hungry and feel like we can’t go on. This can be especially encouraging to pastors and church leaders. I presume that the multitude did not know the disciples were confused and doubting. The crowd sees them distributing food that doesn’t run out!  It looks like the disciples are in on it. It looks like Jesus and his disciples are of one mind and mission. Despite your confusion and doubt, God will equip you to serve and lead. People will respect you and follow you even when you don’t have it all together. You must simply obey when Jesus says, “Feed them.” As the church, we are his army, and we must follow our orders.

In this passage, Jesus is the king of an army. He has his noblemen, just like Herod has his. The difference is that Herod commands his men to serve John’s head on a platter; Jesus commands his men to distribute true food – food that actually nourishes. Whose table would you rather serve?

CHRISTIAN POEM

Logos

(by Mary Oliver)

Why worry about the loaves and fishes?

If you say the right words, the wine expands.

If you say them with love

and the felt ferocity of that love

and the felt necessity of that love,

the fish explode into many.

Imagine him, speaking,

and don’t worry about what is reality,

or what is plain, or what is mysterious.

If you were there, it was all those things.

If you can imagine it, it is all those things.

Eat, drink, be happy.

Accept the miracle.

Accept, too, each spoken word

spoken with love.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine

is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.  Amen

BLESSING

Take us and use us
to love and serve you, and all people,
in the power of your Spirit
and in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Respectfully submitted by Lori Toro

Verger, Chaplain Corp, OTJ

Translation assistance by Archbishop Raul E. Toro, Jr

Chaplain Corp, OTJ