Jesus as a True Man - 9th Sunday After Trinity

NOT THE LAD ALAS

THE FEEDING OF THE 5000

One of the better-known Gospel stories.

Such stories appear sometimes only in one of the Gospels.

This one appears in all of them.

The five loaves and the two fish (It took me ages to remember which way round that was. And is the plural of fish ‘fish’?)

In Matthew, Mark and Luke the disciples supplied these.

Only in John: “There was a lad . . .”

There was a time centuries ago when such miracles were accepted by the faithful since Jesus was TRUE GOD. Miracles proved the existence and power of God.

Such things were challenged in the Age of Enlightenment, the rise of science and rational proof. Jesus was accepted as a Good Person, Teacher, Companion, but NOT a miracle worker.

Jesus as TRUE MAN.

I think this remains close to how people think today.

Attempts to explain things away arose.

The people were so impressed with the lad (I’m sticking with the lad)

That they all shared their picnics. All 5000 of them

NOTE: These stories have all been known as “The Feeding of the 5000”

5000 MEN. There were women as well. And there were children.

And then, another explanation on the lines of

“Here’s one I made earlier”

Jesus knew there would be a problem. So he stacked loads of food in a cave and stood in front of the cave and got the disciples to distribute everything.

Probably the lad helped out.

Church leaders in the early centuries of Christianity debated for many years on the nature of Christ. Adequate language could not be found. The third of the main creeds Athanasian and found in the Book of Common Prayer as the Quicunque Vult and well worth a read, states that

Jesus was TRUE GOD and TRUE MAN

A unique category if ever there was.

True God and therefore miracles are possible.

True Man and knowing our humanity by total identification and experience.

You will notice that the Feeding of the 5000 has a pattern similar to the shape of the Eucharist.

TAKE BLESS BREAK SHARE

Jesus said of the woman who anointed his feet before the Last Supper:

“Wherever the gospel is preached all over the world, what she has done will be told in memory of here”

There was a lad with five loaves of bread and two fish

And he too is remembered wherever the gospel is preached.

Philip