Lent Day 28

by Jeff Boatner

John 6: 1-15

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”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.

In its essence, Lent is a season of preparation characterized by self-examination and repentance. The process has historically been facilitated by acts of self-denial and enacted with a posture of dependence and expectation. Given that, Jesus’ miraculous feeding of 5,000 may be a surprising passage for Lenten reflection. It shows us Jesus in some of his most powerful and most playful public ministry. Jesus takes the small offering of a small boy—five loaves and two fishes—and transforms them into superabundance. There are even leftovers. 

Taking Lent as a backdrop to the passage, I am reminded of two other scenes from the life of Jesus where bread was a central feature. The first scene comes when our Lord was led into the wilderness to fast and be tested for a period of 40 days. The second scene is the one we call the Last Supper.

We follow Jesus into the desert wilderness as we engage this season of Lent. We follow him into remembrance of, and total dependence on, the presence and provision of the Father. We follow him even into his temptation, and the shortcut offered by the tempter: The illusion that we can have what we want or need on our own terms, and in our own time. It is the sin of Esau, who forfeited his future for a bowl of stew. Showing a better way, Jesus chose to entrust his deepest need to his loving Father. 

In doing so, he provides us with a model for our own journey into Lent. Jesus moves from fasting to feasting, from self-denial to self-offering. For his own false-fullness, our Lord wouldn’t turn a stone to bread, but in compassion for the multitudes, he did make a few loaves into more than enough. Ultimately, we know that Jesus gave himself as the Bread of Life: that our sinful bodies might be made clean by his body.

That brings us to the second scene: the Last Supper. Each week when we come to Christs’ table and partake of the bread that is his body. Every single week, multitudes worldwide are fed. 

What does Jesus want to teach you about your appetites and your deepest needs as you follow his journey from the wilderness to the Eucharist Table?

Create in us, O Lord, a hunger for the substance of yourself—that we may evermore dwell in you and you in us. Amen.

Jeff works as a professional counselor and teaches counseling at Liberty University. He loves to read the classics, listen to podcasts and music (especially jazz), and spend time in nature. He has recently taken up fishing, but isn’t very good at it yet. Originally from San Diego, California, he now lives in Virginia with his wife, Barbara, and their four children.