In John’s version of the Feeding of the 5,000
Jesus performs this great miracle and it is the sign the crowds were waiting
for. There is a lot of rich symbolism in this passage referring to Jesus as the
Bread of Life, the one who will satisfy people’s hunger, the great teacher. But
perhaps the final lines tell us a lot about the type of ‘King’ Jesus really is.
The crowds are so enthused by Jesus’ miracles and teaching that they want to
‘take him by force and make him King’. Jesus tries to discourage them from
their own ideas of Kingship. His Kingship involves a different path to the one
the crowd are expecting. Jesus is cautious and to escape the attention, perhaps
to be alone and pray, he takes himself out of this situation and retreats to
the mountain. It could be tempting to give in to the crowd and have them
declare you as their king. Jesus’ example of leadership is service in today’s
Gospel, feeding the people, nourishing the people, meeting their needs. It also
shows us how God can work with what we have to offer, no matter how little that
sometimes is, He can turn this into much fruit.
A final lesson may be for those in authority
of any sort, that they know when it is time to leave the people they serve, to
reflect on their mission, to recharge and nourish themselves. Only in this way
can they listen to the Spirit and experience the inner freedom necessary to
lead as servant.
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