Feeding of the Five Thousand has three versions: from the gospels of Matthew (14:13-21) and Mark (6:30-46) as well as from the gospel of John. All writers have different perspectives on transmitting the stories to their respective communities. Let’s take a look at the version of John. Johannine’s perspective presents a picture of a world in dire need. Whatever means, such as prayer, feeding, healing, and other forms, are used to meet the needs of the people is necessary and appropriate. John portrays Jesus as a human, highlighting the close connection between his mission and the work of the Spirit. With the Spirit’s presence, Jesus’s mission will be fulfilled, as evidenced in the book of Acts (1:1-2).
In John’s version, it was noticed that the names of the place and apostles were reflected. The passage mentioned the Sea of Galilee and the two disciples, Phillip and Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The activity mentioned the coming of Passover, which is significant for the Jewish festivity. Why did John mention those in which two gospel narratives (Mark and Matthew) had never mentioned any places or names as well as the festivity of Passover? As we noticed, John demonstrated in his gospel that most of the events he wrote about Jesus happened in the region of Galilee, a place in the north of Judea. It means to say that the community of John was mainly Judean Christians as well as faith believers in Jerusalem. The gospel of John was written lately, sometimes in 100–110 AD.
Alongside Phillip, he figured out as a monetary and resource manager among Jesus’ disciples. He is well-known for his accounting skills in calculating the amount of money they have. As a matter of fact, Phillip is a businessman by nature because he projected the calculation on unseen resources. On the other hand, Andrew is a person who can look for other resources because they lack money to buy food, but his initiative to look for alternative resources made Jesus feed his followers. These two disciples took the initiative in order to sustain their resources for the long journey of their mission. However, Jesus made the miracle to administer the remaining resources on hand as well as to determine that those remaining resources would be enhanced through their faith in him and in the heavenly God. Perhaps if you have faith in God, nothing may be lost.
In regards to Passover, as it was mentioned by John in his narrative, it is associated with the Exodus experience of the Israelites in the wilderness. They lack the resources in the wilderness to feed hundreds of people. However, John connected this event to the feeding of five thousand in preparation for the coming of Jesus to Jerusalem. They observed the sharing of bread from heaven as a way to observe the Passover and remember that God provided what they needed. In this way, Jesus symbolized that this event is a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Therefore, the feeding of the five thousand, according to John, is to remember that God is the sustenance of what we need physically and spiritually.
Lastly, let’s go back to our title; nothing may be lost. Jesus instructed them to gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost. It shows us the generosity of Jesus, and at the same time, God’s providence should not be wasted. Whatever God provides to us, use it for everything, especially helping the needy. Last Wednesday, the entire island of Luzon experienced a deluge brought on by monsoon rain carried by tropical typhoon Carina. Metro Manila and nearby regions, including Region 4A, known as the CALABARZON region, Central Luzon, and the northern part of Luzon, were devastated by great floods. Two days before the flood, PBBM announced in his State of the Nation Address that there were 5,500 flood control projects accomplished by his administration. It cost billions of pesos to accomplish those projects, but those are useless and wasteful of money and resources. This time, many people are in dire need of their physiological help, and the government has limited resources to provide to them. Jesus reminds us to be generous in helping the needy and never waste what we have. Billions of pesos for the flood controls were a waste of people’s taxes, and the people who were victims of floods are seeking help from the government. Every fragment is distributed to everybody, not just a piece of bread to eat. We have lots of resources, but they were put in the pockets of those politicians. Proverbs say that if a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked (29:12 NIV). There is no guarantee that this administration will provide a piece of fragment to us. Our ruler is full of lies and promises. Only God can provide everything for us. So, keep having a strong faith in God. And this is our hope.
Nothing may be lost is a guaranteed promise of God to us. Everyone who has faith in God may not be lost. God will provide everything to us, and Jesus is our living bread spiritually. In our daily lives, we need to enlighten our spiritual level of consciousness in order to awaken our mental and intellectual awareness of what is really happening in our surroundings. Apostle Paul appeals to us that we need to stand firm and always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord (Corinthians 15:58). Once we do it, the assurance of God’s sustenance will last forever. As faith-believers, we never lose our faith in God because this is life connectedness to God (Colossians 1:17).
Prayer
God of the lowly and the mighty, you know our situation today as Your people suffered due to the inconsistency of our leaders. Also, we recently experienced a deluge, and we need your forgiveness for our negligence. Expand your hearts to us and give your mercy so that this grace will be shared with others. May your grace and mercy be with us forever and ever. Amen.
References:
- Biblegateway.com (2024). Johannine Theology, https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Johannine-Theology
- Vanderbilt Library (2024) The Revise Common Lectionary, https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayer/?y=382&season=season_after_pentecost&d=proper_13
