"Bread and Water" John 6:1-24

“The feeding of the 5,000” is Jesus’ most popular miracle and is talked about in all four gospels (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:32-44, Luke 9:10-17). Jesus walking on the water follows this miracle in Matthew and Mark, too. John’s description is much lengthier, including a central character (a little boy), and, as per usual with John, a major fight with the Pharisees. In Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels, Jesus tells the disciples, “you (emphatic as in “you yourselves”) give them something to eat.” In all the gospels the amount of food available is five small barley loaves and two fish. The crowds are there because of Jesus’ miracles. The 5,000 may have actually have been much larger, because the estimate would have been of the number of men present.

Jesus begins by asking Phillip where they can buy food for this many people. What he was doing was expanding Phillip’s perspective, something Jesus enjoyed doing with everyone around him. Andrew, the great “bringer” of the disciples, brings the boy to Jesus. The boy would have carried this food as a small snack sack. Jesus blessed the loaves and then had the disciples distribute the bread among the people. There are twelve baskets left over – the biblical number of completion. Not enough became more than enough. The people are ready to making him king, so he escapes off into the surrounding mountains.

While Jesus was on retreat, the disciples are sent by Jesus to go back to Capernaum, via the Sea of Galilee (a tear-drop shaped lake-sized sea that is surrounded by mountains on three sides). When the wind howled through those mountains, a very placid lake became a death trap. They row about 3 ½ miles from shore when the storm hits. The disciples are terrified when they see Jesus, because (according to the other gospels) they think he is the “mysterium tremendum” the death angel that comes on the sea when people are about to go down to “Davey Jones’ Locker”. But Jesus tells them that it is him. Instead of the water calming down when Jesus got in the boat, as in the other gospels, they immediately arrive at the shore. When Jesus and the disciples get to Capernaum, there will be some folks waiting that they will recognize.

For me, this story is always a metaphor of Christ coming to us in the various storms of our lives. We frantically work to overcome our storms and fear the worst. We even mistake what God is doing for something awful at times. But with the help of Christ we get through it; we get to the other side. What storm might you presently be facing that needs the presence of the coming Christ? Will you frantically take it on by yourself, or will you invite the Christ into your boat?