Something Fishy in John 6

The sixth chapter of the Gospel according to John is the key to understanding the Eucharist.  We get to hear this good news proclaimed in the next 5 Sundays, July 26 – August 23, the .  It is filled with rich symbols of the Eucharist and should be required reading for every Christian.  It explains, clearly and in detail that Jesus gives us himself in the Eucharist to feed us spiritually and save us from death. 

This Sunday we get John 6:1-15, the feeding of the 5000.  This is one of the few events that is told in all four Gospel accounts.     

• The crowds have followed Jesus and the disciples to a deserted place. 
• They are unable to feed themselves.  
• Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. 

John adds some important details that are really exciting: 

• The location, the Sea of Galilee is mentioned by name.  
• Passover is coming soon.  
• The account in the Gospel according to John is arranged within the “Bread of Life discourse” (Chapter 6).

Here are just some of the amazing, deeper meanings found in these 15 verses. 

6:1 – the Sea of Galilee is where the risen Jesus appears to Peter, and six other disciples (John 21:1-25).  John the Evangelist mentions the Sea of Galilee to ensure that we do not miss the connection with the resurrection. 

6:4 – the Passover was near.  

• The Passover meal had symbols and details that spoke volumes to Jewish people then and now. The Passover as a historical event celebrated God rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. 
•  Bread, which always was an important part of the ritual eventually took the place of the lamb when the Jewish people were not able to have the lamb sacrificed at the Temple. 
• It was expected that the Messiah would come during the Passover. 
• Some 20^th century scholars have proposed that the expectation of the Messiah and the importance of the bread came together with the bread being a symbol of the Messiah. 

6:6 – Jesus puts a test to the disciples.  John says that Jesus asked the disciples where they would get food for all these people as a test.  The challenge from Jesus’s perspective is not how to feed the people physically, but how to increase the faith of the disciples and the people. 

6:9 – 5 barley loaves – barley was the first grain harvested, so these loaves were the first fruits of the harvest.  Barley is also the typical food of the poor.  In the first reading this Sunday we read about how Elisha, one of the greatest prophets multiplied 20 barley loaves to feed 100 people.  (2Kings 4:42-44).  Jesus shows that he is greater than Elisha and the prophets. 

6:9 – 2 fish – If you have seen the Christian fish symbol, you may be aware that the Greek word for fish, Ichthus is written with 5 letters, Iota, chi, theta, upsilon, sigma, which are the first letters of the words Jesus, Christ,

God(‘s), Son, Savior.  The fact that this replaces lamb should not be lost on Christians.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior takes the place of the lamb at this new Passover. 

6:11 – John tells us that Jesus gave thanks, or in Greek, “eucharistein.”  John uses this word in case we missed the other symbols. 

6:11 – they had as much as they wanted.  John tells us that Jesus was able to fulfill the needs of all those gathered together. 

6:13 – they filled 12 baskets with what was left.  12 is a symbolic number, for the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 disciples, and indicates that all of Israel, or all the believers would receive the spiritual food. 

6:14 – the crowd acknowledges that Jesus is the prophet who has come into the world.  The miracle and symbols of the loaves and fish have convinced people that Jesus is the Messiah. 

6:15 – the crowd misunderstands Jesus’s mission.  They want to make him an earthly king.  They want to be saved from the oppression of the Romans, as their ancestors were saved from slavery to the Egyptians. 

A question for us, as we receive the Eucharist, do contemplate the deeper meaning and allow ourselves to be spiritually fed?  Can we, unlike many in the crowd, go beyond our immediate needs to appreciate the gift of salvation.