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This Sunday we begin a five-week focus on the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John, the chapter on the Bread of Life. At the outset, we must remember that in the Gospel of John, we do not have an account of the Last Supper institution of the Eucharist. Instead, he elaborates on the washing of the feet in the context of a meal. But Chapter 6 contains a treatise on the Eucharist which clarifies to us beyond doubt the mind of Christ.
In Christian tradition, John’s gospel has always been referred to as the fourth gospel, meaning it was composed after the other three, Mathew, Mark and Luke. Polycarp, a second-century Christian martyr who knew John personally, told Irenaeus that John had written the book during the apostle’s time serving the church in Ephesus. These factors suggest that John wrote the book between AD 85 and AD 95.
While the other three gospels portray Jesus as the King, the Servant, and the Son of Man, John portrays Jesus as the Son of God. John stated his theme more clearly than any of the other gospel writers. He wrote so that his readers might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,” so that they may have life in His name (John 20:31). To accomplish that goal, John presented a riveting and distinctive picture of Jesus Christ, one in complete unity with the portraits in the other three gospels, but one that also adds significantly to the Bible’s revelation of Jesus Christ, the God and Man
John 6 begins with the multiplications of the loaves and fish, our Gospel for this Sunday. Why is this miracle retold so often in the Gospels? There are two accounts of the multiplication in Matthew and Mark, one in Luke and one in John. In each passage, phrases are used that are repeated at the Last Supper. "He took, He blessed, He broke." Each passage refers to God's continual gift of the one food we need, the Eucharist. The actions, discussions, and even debates presented in John 6 reveal the depths of the Lord's Gift of Himself to us in the Eucharist and on the Cross, two aspects of the same salvific event.
To understand John’s way of writing one must look at it as if you are in a high place or in our modern way of filming from a drone. The event is seen in many dimensions of the actual fact, Old Testament, Divine Revelation, human reaction, and deeper spiritual insight. Let us look at three elements that John emphasizes in his account of the multiplication: the time of the multiplication, references to Psalm 23, and the gathering of the fragments that are leftover.
The time of the multiplication. The Gospel of John places the multiplication of the loaves and fish at the time of the Passover. The Passover was the sacred meal of the Jews celebrating their freedom from slavery in Egypt and thanking God for His continual protection. Jesus gave this meal to 5000 people during the Passover festival time and again to his close friends he gave the ‘last supper.’ The Last Supper was really the First Supper of the new People of God. The food would no longer be the Passover lamb, but the Lamb of God. The people who eat will be given freedom: deliverance from powers of evil. So, from the very start of today's Gospel, we know that John is speaking about more than loaves and fish. He is speaking about the meal of the Christian Community, the Eucharist.
Secondly, Psalm 23 - the meal that refreshes. In today's Gospel Jesus sees the needs of the people. He has them recline on the green grass, green pastures if you will. He restores their strength with his food and his words. This is not just about loaves and fish. Jesus is performing a prophetic action. He provides the banquet Psalm 23 spoke of: the Banquet of the Lord.
Thirdly, the recovery of the fragments that are leftover. From the prophetic writings, the people of Israel developed the longing for the fulfillment of the promise that God will provide a meal for all the 12 tribes. The leftover is gathered into 12 wicker baskets (Mediterranean wicker basket was large enough to carry a full-grown person – they were big!). The ideas of abundance and preservation are highlighted. What we have here is the biblical basis for the preservation of the Eucharist in our tabernacles. The Eucharist is stored so those who cannot attend the feast might still receive the Lord's Body.
Today we pray for a deeper appreciation, a deeper reverence for the great gift of Love that is the Eucharist. To come to the Eucharist is a privilege that we have.