In John 6, 1-15, Jesus fed 5,000 people. The response of those gathered was a wave of popular opinion – they wanted to appoint Jesus as king. In response, He left immediately and went off to the mountain by Himself.
If our Church is right in calling Christ the King of the Universe, we may wonder why He reacted so promptly and negatively when He was “offered” the kingship? What the enthusiastic crowds wanted from Jesus was not the kind of service and self-sacrifice He had come into this world to offer. They hoped to have His miraculous powers at their disposal to promote their national and personal welfare.
Most likely, the crowds were less interested in Jesus’ religious and social ideals than in seeing various miracles, akin to that of the loaves and fishes. But the Gospel tells us that He had intended this sharing of food to teach them a particular lesson about service and self-sacrifice. In one sense, indeed, Jesus was born to be King, but not in the popular way that the people wanted.
Do we want a wonder-worker who will do no more than make our lives “easier,” or do we want a Savior and Lord who challenges us to give our all, hold nothing back, and strive to share in His mission of spreading His Good News far and wide?
For further reflection: St. Andrew (in John 6) knew that someone in the crowd that day had a small amount of food – five loaves and two fish – but he dismissed this as an insignificant resource in the circumstances. By contrast, there are two other responses in the story that are noteworthy. First, that of the boy who was willing to hand over the little food he had brought. He showed a most generous instinct by giving what he could, modest though it was. Then there is the action of Jesus Himself, who took the food that was offered and, giving thanks to God, somehow fed the large crowd. If we give generously from what we have, the Lord promises to work His wonders through us. Do we trust in His promise?
