Link to today’s readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080221.cfm
Today’s Reading from the Gospel of Matthew (14:13-21) has parallels in each of the other three Gospels (Mk 6:30-44; Lk 9:10-17, and Jn 6:1-15). In scripture circles we get quite excited about occasions such as this, as it is referred to as ‘multiple attestation’ which gives us greater confidence in the historical basis of the narratives. No more time needs to be spent on thinking about this unless you are completing an essay in biblical studies somewhere, so I shan’t drone on.
In each of Matthew, Mark and Luke the ‘feeding of the five thousand’ is preceded by the death of St John the Baptist. Matthew and Mark locate the feeding in a ‘deserted place’, while Luke locates his account in a private place near the city of Bethseda. The timing and locations are not accidental, but give us a rich insight in the meaning of the narrative.
Matthew uses the term erémos, a word related to the term for ‘desert’, an image we are familiar with from the First Reading (Numbers 11:4-15) where he hear of the people of Israel being fed with manna in the desert. The 1st century Jewish ear, the community for whom Matthew is writing, would immediately prick-up to this term and so appreciate its nuance/foundation for the present narrative. The people of Israel recently escaped from Egypt find themselves in a deserted place without enough to sustain them, and God provides. In Matthew’s account, the ‘crowds that followed him on foot from the towns’ also find themselves away from the familiar, and are without enough to sustain them, and once again God provides. While the ‘location’ of the feeding is important for the theological insight we again in the person of Jesus, and the inbreaking of the Kingdom of Heaven (a Matthean term), the temporal location of the narrative is also important.
In each of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the feeding of the five thousand is preceded by the beheading of John the Baptist. King Herod hosts a lavish banquet for the rich and powerful, then ends in the (malicious) death of another – St John the Baptist. In contrast, the banquet provided by Jesus, to those who do not have enough, and which ends with food aplenty is a celebration of sharing, is a celebration of common humanity and life.
In all four of the Gospel accounts (Mt 14:17; Mk 6:37, Lk 9:113, and Jn 6:5) we found the disciples doubting / questioning what is that Jesus intends (can?) do here. Whether it is the lack of resources, or the lateness of the day, or the cost of buying food, there is a hesitation on the part of the disciples – a doubt/hesitation that is smashed by what Jesus accomplishes.
The motif of the Kingdom of Heaven / Kingdom of God as being a banquet is deeply entrenched in the Jewish literature, and so would be familiar to Matthew’s readers. May we, in these difficult times, be open to the God of Plenty who seeks to nourish and feed us, even the desert moments and parts of our lives, in ways and times we may not expect but can only be gratefully surprised in.
