Mark 6:34-44
Chapter 6
It was now getting late, so his disciples came to him and said:
“This is a lonely place, and it is now late.
You should send the people away and let them go to the farms and villages around here, to buy themselves something to eat.”
Jesus replied:
“You, yourselves, give them something to eat.”
They answered:
“If we are to feed them, we need two hundred silver coins to go and buy enough bread.”
But Jesus said:
“You have some loaves; how many? Go and see.”
The disciples found out and said:
“There are five loaves and two fish.”
Then he told them to have the people sit down, together in groups, on the green grass.
This they did, in groups of hundreds and fifties.
And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising his eyes to heaven, he pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them.
They all ate, and everyone had enough.
The disciples collected what was left and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish.
Five thousand men had eaten there.
Commentaries
Feeding the Five Thousand.
When asked what to do with the crowd, the disciples suggest sending the people away and washing their hands of them; but Jesus proposes the opposite: solidarity. When we give in a spirit of solidarity, we do not seek the submission or humiliation of our brother in need, but his freedom. With the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus inaugurates a new exodus with a new manna, revealing that where there is solidarity, the bread of the Word and material bread are enough for everyone. His gestures and words (blessing, breaking, giving, and distributing) anticipate the Eucharistic banquet (14:22). What remains must be shared so the cycle of solidarity keeps growing. The twelve baskets represent the new people of God.