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13 When Jesus heard this, he left there and went alone by boat to a deserted place, but the crowd learned of this and followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus saw the large crowd, he was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When evening fell, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowd, so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. 16 Jesus, though, said to them, “There is no reason for them to leave. Give them something to eat yourselves.” 17 They said, “We do not have anything here except for five loaves of bread and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 He told the crowd to recline on the grass and then took the five loaves and two fish. Looking up to heaven, he said a blessing and broke the bread. He gave it to his disciples, who distributed it to the crowd. Everyone at and was satisfied, and there were twelve baskets of leftover pieces of bread. 21 There were five thousand men who ate, plus the women and children.

Comments

Jesus began his ministry when John was arrested (4.12), and now news of John’s death will prompt him to begin a new, more intense phase of his work in which he will reveal more openly who he is. John is Jesus’ precursor, and the more John disappears from the scene, the more Jesus must step forward (cf. Jn 3.30).

Jesus’ first impulse is to go off by himself to mourn his friend in private. He is prevented by a large crowd that follows after him. Instead of being frustrated or upset by this, Jesus feels compassion for the people who have come to him. He heals their sick, and when he sees that the hour has grown late, he multiples five loaves and two fishes to feed the people in their thousands.

The story is presented to echo Is 25.1-9, in which God saves his people and provides them a feast. It also serves as a side-by-side comparison of two banquets: Herod Antipas betrayed his wife and endangered his country to satisfy his own selfish desires. He then throws himself a birthday party where a young girl twists his arm into killing an innocent man. In sharp contrast, Jesus delays his own legitimate need to grieve in order to care for the people who come to them. He sits in the grass with men, women, and children, sharing a simple meal of bread and fish that foreshadows the feast of Heaven.