Feeding of the Multitude

by FLL Editorial Team
2013-08-05

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves.”
He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”
Then he said, “Bring them here to me,”
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children.
Matthew 14:13-21


It is a proof of the faith of these multitudes that they endured hunger in waiting for the Lord even till evening. The Lord intending to feed them waits to be asked, as not always stepping forward first to do miracles, but waits to be called upon. None out of the crowd approached Jesus, both because they stood in great awe of Him, and because in their zeal of love they did not feel their hunger. For this cause also He leads them out into the desert, that the miracle might be clear of all suspicion, and that none might suppose that anything was supplied towards the feast from any neighboring town. But though the place was a desert, yet it is He there who feeds the world; and though the hour is past, He who now commanded was not subject to time. Observe the wisdom of the Master; He does not straightway say to them, 'I will give them to eat'; for they would not easily have received this, but, Jesus said to them, "They need not depart, you give them something to eat."

They answered to Him, "We have here but five loaves and two fishes." From this we learn the philosophy of the disciples, how far they despised food; they were twelve in number, yet they had but five loaves and two fishes; for things of the body were condemned by them, they were only concerned by spiritual things. By the example of the disciples also we ought to be taught, that though we should have but little, we should give that to the needy. For when they were bid to bring their five loaves they did not say, "When shall we satisfy our own hunger?" but immediately obey.

While the Lord breaks there is a sowing of food; for had the loaves been whole and not broken into fragments, and thus divided into a manifold harvest, they could not have fed so great a multitude. The multitude receives the food from the Lord through the Apostles because through them the gifts of divine grace were to be rendered. And the number of them that did eat is found to be the same as that of those who should believe; for we find in the book of Acts that out of the vast number of the people of Israel, five thousand men believed (Acts 4:4).

References:
In Evangelium Matthaei Commentarius (St. Hilary of Poitiers)
Homily 49 on Matthew (St. John Chrysostom)
Commentariorum In Evangelium Matthaei (St. Jerome)

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