With Jesus everyone has enough to eat and more

 'LORD, THAT I MAY SEE.'

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAT ACCORDING TO THE LECTIONARY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Gospel

Mark 8:1-10

The feeding of the four thousand

1.      A great crowd had gathered,

2.      and they had nothing to eat.

3.      So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them,

4.      ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’

5.      His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’

6.      He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’

7.      ‘Seven’ they said.

8.      Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground,

9.      and he took the seven loaves,

10. and after giving thanks

11. he broke them

12. and handed them to his disciples to distribute;

13. and they distributed them among the crowd.

14. They had a few small fish as well,

15. and over these he said a blessing

16. and ordered them to be distributed also.

17. They ate as much as they wanted,

18. and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over.

19. Now there had been about four thousand people.

20. He sent them away

21. and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples,

22. went to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

Jesus is in gentile territory. Although has come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, he does not abandon gentiles. The first time he was in gentile pagan territory, the people asked him to go away. The cost of discipleship seemed too much – the man possessed by the legion of evil spirits was healed but at the cost of the loss of so many pigs. Now they welcome him and stay with him, listening to what he says for three days.

Jesus has deep pity for them because they have nothing to eat and how can he send them away. Many have come from a long distance and without food they will faint.

He then proposes to his disciples that they feed them. They throw up their hands – how can we feed so many people in this desert place. Jesus knows what he is going to do.

He asks for the little they have. He takes it, gave thanks to God for it, and handed them to the disciples to distribute. All had enough and more to eat.

If Jesus is with us, we must have the trust and confidence that he will see us through if we are doing his will. The disciples have forgotten the feeding of the five thousand. It is remarkable but highly possible.  How often we forget previous great blessings of the Lord when in new difficulties.

Jesus has come not only for the Jews but for gentiles too. He will bless them as he blesses the chosen people of Abraham. He gives us real food in the Holy Eucharist. This Food will give us eternal life because it is himself with his Body, Soul, and Divinity. Receiving this food, how can we fear for the future.