This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world. Despite the mystery that surrounded the identity of Jesus, there was a general consensus among those who encountered him that he was a prophet of some sort. They were all in agreement that the signs he was performing as well as the words that issued forth from his mouth did set him apart from the everyday ‘joe.’ From their Scriptures, they were aware that only those endowed with prophetic powers could do the things that Jesus was doing. In today’s Gospel reading, the crowds acclaim Jesus as the long-awaited prophet after witnessing him feed a multitude with five loaves of fish and two pieces of fish. As a matter of fact, they were so much in awe of what Jesus had done that they wanted to make him a king! It is worth noting that while Jesus worked other mighty signs including raising the dead, it was only following the miracle of the loaves that the crowd reacted in such a manner. It was a reaction that points to the importance of this particular miracle.
The feeding of the crowds (multiplication of the loaves) was enthusiastically hailed by the crowds because it was a sign that spoke to the most basic human longing/need in any generation and in any place. Food is without doubt the most basic need of the human person (as well as of any embodied creature, for that matter). It is a need whose desire to meet is not seconded to anything else, and the inability to meet it becomes a human rights concern. The premier responsibility of any nation or state is to have enough resources that can enable it to provide food for her people. For a people can be said to be fully alive only to the extent that they can have their fill. The crowd who witnessed the multiplication of the loaves recognized and appreciated what Jesus had done. Even their desire to make Jesus their king was motivated by their need for food security. If Jesus were to become their king, then he would ensure that they are never in want. To Jesus, however, the miracle of the loaves was an unmistakable sign of the fulfillment of his messianic mission. It was a fulfillment of God’s promise of promises: God providing for his people.
The history of God’s journey with humanity has been a history of divine providence, that is, a history of God providing for and meeting the needs of his people. At creation, from the plants and animals that had been created, God provided food for Adam and Eve. In the forty years that the children of Israel wandered in the desert, God provided them with food from heaven and water from the rocks. For a people facing the challenges that the wild desert threw at them, having their fill of the bread that the Lord himself provided was the most practical way that they experienced the loving care of the Lord their God. Not having to worry about their daily bread was perhaps the most tangible expression that the Lord was with them. It was therefore not surprising that the crowd recognized Jesus as the long-awaited prophet after witnessing the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. However, even as Jesus’ sign of the loaves might have reminded the crowd of the many times in the history of their community that the Lord came through for the people in their time of need, Jesus was not simply re-enacting the past. The Old Testament accounts had themselves pointed to a time when God would provide relief for every human need and satisfy every human longing. At that time, since the Lord himself will be present, all the aspirations and longings of the people will be met.
Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming the time of fulfillment (of God’s promises). It was indeed the time of fulfillment because he had brought with him glad tidings: the poor were going to have their fill, those in captivity were going to be freed, and the blind were going to recover their sight (cf. Luke 4:18-19). Jesus proclaimed the above good news not only by word of mouth. His proclamation of the good news was tangible. Those who encountered him were able to touch the proclaimed good news. Those who had their fill of the multiplied loaves were able to say with confidence that the Lord had indeed visited them and brought them good things. They saw in Jesus the fulfillment of God’s promises to them.