| Reading 1 | Response | Reading 2 | Gospel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is 55:1-3 RCL: Is 55:1-5 |
Ps 145: 8-9, 15-16, 17-18 | Rom 8:35, 37-39 RCL: Rom 9:1-5 |
Mt 14: 13-21 |
God’s abundance versus humans’ scarcity
During Ordinary time the Lectionary presents stories and teachings from Jesus’ everyday ministry. This week’s readings focus on God’s superabundant banquets.
The first reading is from the prophet Isaiah, specifically Second Isaiah. a prophet to the Hebrews in exile in Babylon who lived in the sixth century BC. This pericope follows Isaiah’s announcement that God’s people will return to their homeland; Isaiah then invites the returning exiles to an eschatological banquet. The water, food, milk, and wine are metaphorical, suggesting that God’s graciousness is unstinting (“you shall eat well”) and freely given (“without cost”). Isaiah invokes God’s commitment to David and his descendants (“the benefits assured to David”) as a model for how God remains committed to the exiled people. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because Isaiah’s invitation to the eschatological banquet is fulfilled in the gospel’s miraculous feeding story.
The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Rome ekklesia is part of a continuous reading in Ordinary time. In Chapter 5 Paul opened his argument for hope by asserting that disciples “boast even in our sufferings” (Rom 5:3). In Chapter 8 he closes his argument, returning to his theme of the prevailing power of God’s love. In today’s pericope Paul lists all the agents (“angels, principalities, present things, future things, powers, height, depth”) and factors (“anguish, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, the sword”) that might seem capable of thwarting God’s plan for the elect, and dismisses any threat they might pose (nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God”). Paul does not believe that disciples are immune to these forces and agents; rather, despite these powers’ attacks, disciples will “conquer overwhelmingly.” The victory of God’s love (“him who loved us”) absorbs all believers’ sufferings. The Lectionary editors chose this reading as part of Ordinary time’s continuous reading from Romans.
Matthew’s gospel tells the story of Jesus feeding over five thousand people in the wilderness using only five loaves and two fish. Only this miracle of Jesus is recounted in all four gospels. In its retellings the story has acquired multiple layers of meaning.
- Matthew’s context. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ miraculous feeding follows and is connected to the Baptizer’s execution, which takes place during Herod’s banquet. Matthew juxtaposes Herod’s banquet with Jesus’ banquet. Herod’s banquet at a royal court is about pride, arrogance, scheming, and murder. Jesus’ banquet in the wilderness is about healing, trust, and sharing.
- Looking back. Jesus’ feeding many in the wilderness echoes God’s feeding Israel with manna in the wilderness (Ex 16). In Jesus’ time, many Jews believed that, as a sign of the messianic age, God would again provide bread from heaven. The story also recalls other miraculous feedings: Elisha provides for the widow of Zarephath during the drought (1 Kgs 17:12-16) and Elisha feeds a hundred men with a few loaves (2 Kgs 4:42-44).
- Looking forward. Jesus’ miraculous feeding anticipates both the Last Supper (Mt 15:36-37) and the final banquet in the kingdom. Jesus’ taking, saying the blessing, breaking, and giving the bread to the disciples exactly match his actions at the Last Supper (Mt 26:26). Hebrew scripture’s prophets use images of feasting and banquets to imagine life in God’s kingdom, such as Isaiah in the first reading. Jesus’ banquet not only satisfies the crowd’s immediate physical hunger, but also shows that God’s kingdom is now present and can fill their spiritual hunger as well. Following Matthew’s “day of parables,” Jesus’ feeding miracle becomes a parable-in-action of the kingdom.
This week’s readings ask us to think about abundance and scarcity. Isaiah promises that God will provide abundantly for exiles returning to a ruined country. Paul describes God’s love as empowering believers to overwhelm human and demonic powers. With a few loaves and fish, Jesus feeds a multitude and has abundant leftovers. How do we approach God’s gifts? Do we see a world and a life of limited resources that we must hoard for our own needs? Is every human and divine encounter a calculation of what we must give and what we can get? Or can we imagine a life open to abundance from God and others? Can we put aside some of our scarcity fears to experience the kingdom?
—Terence Sherlock
The Lectionary In Context 