17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 7/25

The Gospel of John is sometimes referred to as the “Book of Signs,” as there are famously 7 miracles that begin with the Wedding feast of Cana where Jesus turned water into wine and end with the resurrection of Lazarus right before the Passion. Theologians see in the Resurrection of Jesus an 8th sign, which would begin the new creation.

The word “sign,” comes from the Greek semeion, which indicates a remarkable occurrence that points to something transcendent or supernatural. It is often translated also as miracle, which come from the Latin miraculum, meaning object of wonder. All of this gives a good context for what is to follow, both in today’s “Miracle of the multiplication of bread and fish,” as well as what follows in the next several week’s Gospel passages from John 6: the discourse on the Bread of Life, in which Jesus prefigures the Eucharist.

Today’s passage starts by giving us the context of more than 5,000 families following Jesus leads up into the mountains, and then tells the At the beginning of today’s Gospel passage, John tells us that the great multitude of people followed Jesus because they saw the “signs” or miracles that he performed on the sick. More than 5,000 families follow Jesus into the mountains, where he sits with his disciples and tells them to have the people recline. We can think of last week’s Gospel, in which Jesus had pity on the people, who were like “sheep without a shepherd.”

Today, he turns to his disciples and to test them asks Philip: “Where can we buy enough food to feed them?” Can you imagine the Lord appearing in your life in the midst of your problems and challenges? It’s as if he comes to us and says: “Patrick, how are we going to solve this one?” We might feel like the disciples often in our lives, and be inclined to tell Jesus: “It’s impossible, we would need 200 days’ wages ($30,000). All we have is couple of fish and some bread.”

The Lord seems to set the disciples up for this one. He wants it to truly be a “sign.” He is capable of everything, there’s nothing he can’t fix. Like the disciples, he wants us to trust in him as well. Has he given you any “signs”? Where are the places in your life today that he asks you to entrust your couple of fish to feed 5,000?

Patrick Travers, SCV