THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS, THE CHRIST AND THE SON OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JOHN. Manfred Diefenbach
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Jesus’ Blessing of the Loaves and Fish (v. 11)
Analogue to Luke 22:19, like a Jewish housefather during the ritual of the daily Jewish meal, Jesus “took” the (five) loaves, “gave thanks” (in Greek “eucharɩstéo”492 in vv. 11b, 23c) in the sense of a blessing493, “distributed”494 the “bread” (vv. 5e, 7b, 9b, 11a, 13b) and fish (vv. 9b, 11d and John 21:9, 10, 13) to the hungry people. The Fourth Evangelist remarks that they could eat as “much as they wanted”.
The word was Jesus’ blessing – for God’s help – note the divine, sacramental, Eucharistic aspect;
the deed – with the help of His disciples – was to feed the hungry people – note also the social-ethical495 viewpoint. Everything came to the crowds from Jesus through His disciples as His co-workers. On behalf of Jesus, the disciples (“missio”) had to share out the blessed bread to the “community” (“communio”) of people as the “Holy communion”, then and now. The historical, social, and (ecclesiological) theological background (the “Sitz im Leben”) of the feeding stories is the Eucharist of the Early Church because in the first centuries of the Church, the Eucharist was always both “Holy communion” and food. In the Early Church there was always a meal as well (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:17–34).
- The Verification of the End of the Crisis (vv. 12–13)
v. 12: Five loaves to feed no less than 5,000 men plus the women and children. In our eyes, it is impossible, but for God and Jesus, it is not impossible. The outcome of the sharing of both loaves and fish is clear and brief. After the dinner, the crowd who had been hungry was “satisfied”496, and there was plenty left over. Therefore Jesus gave the order – note the imperative! – to His disciples to “gather up497” (vv. 12c, 13a) “the leftover498” (vv. 12c, 13c and Matthew 14:20; Luke 9:17) “pieces/fragments499” (vv. 12c, 13b and Mark 6:43; Matthew 14:20; Luke 9:17), “that nothing /may be/ waste/lost”.
v. 13: So they implemented Jesus’ instruction. The result was: “twelve baskets500” of “leftovers” (cf. Matthew 14:20; Luke 9:17). These “twelve baskets” represent the “twelve” tribes501 under the “twelve” disciples, and the crowd represents all of Israel gathered by Jesus.
What had happened? An anonymous member of the crowd brought his own food with him and gave it to the disciples. Someone was not selfish and unwilling to share his five loaves of bread and two fish. After Jesus’ blessing of both and sharing of the meal by His disciples, the outcome of the feeding of the crowds was the wonderful multiplication of the food which was plenty. The feeding consisted of changing selfish people into generous people: With God’s help (Jesus’ blessing) and the sharing of the people’s provisions – “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) – everyone had enough to eat.
- The Reaction of the Crowd (vv. 14–15)
v. 14: Because of the “seeing” (in Greek “horáo”) of Jesus’ “doing /of/ signs” (cf. John 2:1–11; 4:43–54; 5:1–18; 6:1–13) the crowd confesses that He is “indeed the prophet” Elijah (cf. 1:21: 4:19; 7:40; 9:17 and especially Deuteronomy 18:15, 18) who “is to come into the world” (cf. John 1:9; 12:46 [“the light”]; 11:27 [“Messiah”, “Son of God”]; 16:28; 18:37 and Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 59:20; Daniel 7:13 etc.). The Samaritans say that He “is Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah/Christ will enter Jerusalem through the so-called “Golden Gate” of the walls of the old city of Jerusalem in front of the Kidron Valley and Mount of Olives.
v. 15: The reaction in the eyes of the Fourth Evangelist was that they would “try ( )” to “make (Him)” their messianic “king” (in Greek “basɩleús” in v. 15c and 1:49; 12:13, 15; 18:33, 37, 39; 19:3, 12, 14–15, 19, 21) – like David or his son Solomon – by force. To avoid this He withdrew to the hills/“mountains” – note “óros” in verse 3a –, “went”502 into hiding to be by “Himself” – to pray (cf. Mark 6:46; Matthew 14:23). He needed a “time-out” from all activities and a time for His relationship with God, the Father, for Himself as a silent personal prayer – actio(n) (fifth step of the “Lectio Divina” and contemplation(n) (the fourth step of it), ora et labora (= pray and work/do). Jesus’ prayer as His intimacy with God is the wellspring of His power.
2.3.4 Jesus’ Walking on the Water (vv. 16–21503)
- The Setting (vv. 16–18)
Who: Jesus, His disciples
Where: on the Sea of Galilee/Tiberias (vv. 1, 16b–17b), Capernaum (vv. 17b, 21c)
When: in the “evening” (v. 16a)/“darkness” (v. 17c)
vv. 16–17: As Jesus has a “time-out” in the mountain (v. 15d–e), “(His) disciples ( )” moved to the east side of the “‘Sea’ of Galilee/Tiberias” (v. 1a) by “boat” (in Greek “ploῖon”504 in vv. 17a, 19c, 21a, b, 22d, e and in John 21:3, 6) with the destination “Capernaum” (in contrast to “Bethsaida” in Mark 6:45 and “Gennesaret” in Matthew 14:34) on the west side of the “sea” in the “evening” (v. 16a). That is the point of departure in the form of an itinerary505 (cf. vv. 16a–17b). The comment by the Fourth Evangelist emphasizes that “(Jesus) had not /yet/ come to them ( )” (v. 17d) after the sunset/“darkness”506
(1) in contrast to Jesus as “the Light507 of the world” (8:12).
+ The Crisis/Problem/Case
v. 18: The verses 16a–19a situate the disciples alone at sea. As in Mark 4:37/Matthew 8:24, the “sea”/water grew “rough”508 (cf. Psalm 107:23–32 or Jonah 1:4–5)
(3) because of the “blowing”509 “(strong) wind ( )” (in Greek “ánemos”510 in v. 18b and in Mark 6:48, 51; Matthew 14:24, 30, 32 – note the genitivus absolutus “anémou megálou pnéontos”)
(2). The (collective) crisis of His disciples on the boat was that they had not found their feet – a German proverb says: “Water has no beams”. The apologetic as a “second point of view” of the biblical text interprets the boat as a symbol of the church511 and in the same way, the state of the sea could represent the hostile forces of the world as persecution, tribulation, torture, sickness, crisis, and other emergency situations, especially of the Early Church in the context of the Roman Empire which pulled the rug out from under it. The three elements (1–3) are symbols of an essential512 crisis, sickness, threat, fear, death513 … – individual or collective.
- The Solution of the Crisis by Jesus (vv. 19–21)
+ Jesus’ Initiative (v. 19)
The Fourth Evangelist remarks that Jesus’ disciples had “rowed514” (cf. Mark 6:48) “about 25 or 30” – that is about 4:8–5:76 kilometres/3–4 miles – “stadions515” (cf. Matthew 14:24). In allusion to the theophany tradition in Exodus 33:19, 22; 34:6 and 1 Kings 19:11, they “saw” (in Greek “theoréo”) “Jesus” who was “walking516” (cf. Mark 6:48–49; Matthew 14:25–26, 29 and Job 9:8) “on the sea” (in Greek “epì tèn/tēs thálassan/thalásses” in vv. 16b, 19b) and coming “near the boat”.