More Meditation on the Feeding of the Five Thousand

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. 

When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world! Today, I thought about these words in the text. And, the words preceding these powerful images. Christ knew His Own People, but they knew Him as well. Sometimes modern men and women suppose the Jews were untutored. No, all the boys and some of the girls went to "school". They knew the Scriptures by heart. They prayed daily with the Psalms of David, the beloved king. A Sign! The Jews had a huge sign.  The Jews knew their Scripture. They understood archetypes. They knew their history. The Messiah would be a prophet who would raise people from the dead, who would feed thousands, who would heal and preach. The Jews remembered and longed for the Kingdom. They loved David above all rulers. They knew the Messiah would be a King, as well as Prophet and Teacher.  In the Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes, the Jews recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. Too many God-events, too many typologies, too many resonances with their Scriptures opened their eyes to the Truth. But, they wanted an earthly Kingdom, a powerful Warrior Messiah, like the Maccabees. They wanted to make Jesus King of this world. They were the first liberation theologians, and they were wrong. Jesus slipped away. It was not time for Christ to show His power and might. That would come in the Passion and Resurrection. But, the Passion begins on Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper, the Institution of the Eucharist, and the Feeding of the Five Thousand, happening at Passover, foreshadows the Death and Resurrection of Christ. What a rich passage...I shall share two more meditations later.

When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!

Today, I thought about these words in the text. And, the words preceding these powerful images. Christ knew His Own People, but they knew Him as well. Sometimes modern men and women suppose the Jews were untutored. No, all the boys and some of the girls went to "school". They knew the Scriptures by heart. They prayed daily with the Psalms of David, the beloved king.

A Sign! The Jews had a huge sign. 

The Jews knew their Scripture. They understood archetypes. They knew their history. The Messiah would be a prophet who would raise people from the dead, who would feed thousands, who would heal and preach.

The Jews remembered and longed for the Kingdom. They loved David above all rulers. They knew the Messiah would be a King, as well as Prophet and Teacher. 

In the Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes, the Jews recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. Too many God-events, too many typologies, too many resonances with their Scriptures opened their eyes to the Truth.

But, they wanted an earthly Kingdom, a powerful Warrior Messiah, like the Maccabees. They wanted to make Jesus King of this world. They were the first liberation theologians, and they were wrong.

Jesus slipped away. It was not time for Christ to show His power and might.

That would come in the Passion and Resurrection. But, the Passion begins on Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper, the Institution of the Eucharist, and the Feeding of the Five Thousand, happening at Passover, foreshadows the Death and Resurrection of Christ.

What a rich passage...I shall share two more meditations later.