"Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied."

Mark 6:39-42

The disciples returned excitedly from their mission. Jesus knew they needed solitude to recuperate physically and spiritually, but the crowd tracked the boat, hurrying around the lake on foot. They were hungry and weary but, more importantly, lost and confused. That crowd stands for all mankind. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied.

Later, at the last supper, Jesus would again break bread to symbolize his body. After he had given himself on the cross and risen again, the early church recognized the symbolism of the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus took the bread, thanked God for the bread, broke the bread and gave the bread. These were also the four verbs of the last supper – took, thanked, broke, gave. Our response, too, is a series of verbs – we take, eat, remember, feed. ‘Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.’ We take deeply into ourselves the spiritual bread which will sustain us in this life and lead us to the next.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank you for the ways you provide everything I need for abundant and everlasting life. Help me to respond with gratitude overflowing in ways that proclaim your goodness to others

(edited from Encounter with God).