06 Jan 26 | Mark 6:34–44
Jesus reveals Himself as the true Shepherd who provides both teaching and sustenance, prefiguring the Eucharist and forming His disciples through participation in His work.
Today’s Takeaway
The Kingdom of heaven arrives quietly but decisively: through repentance, proclamation, and healing, Jesus reveals that God’s saving work has begun in earnest.
The Gospel
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
Reflection
This section of the Gospel is rich with Old Testament imagery and connections. In Book of Numbers 27:17, Moses asks the Lord to appoint a leader over the people so that the “community may not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Similarly, Book of Ezekiel 34 condemns the leaders of Israel as poor shepherds whose neglect caused the sheep to be scattered.
The use of the Greek word erēmos for “deserted place” recalls the wilderness period, placing Jesus in a setting reminiscent of Moses. Taken together, this imagery would have resonated deeply with early readers of the Gospel, signaling continuity with Israel’s story and expectations.
Jesus then invites His disciples into the problem in a striking way. He tells them to feed the people themselves. Faced with the situation, the disciples see no path forward and openly question Him. This is notable, because Jesus has already demonstrated His power through miracles and healings. The disciples have left their former lives to follow Him, yet here they stand, overwhelmed by the practical reality—calculating that it would take roughly six months’ wages to buy enough food.
What Jesus does next is particularly significant. Rather than rebuking them, He acts in a way that foreshadows future events. He takes, blesses, breaks, and gives—actions repeated later at the Emmaus meal and the Last Supper. Importantly, He does not distribute the food Himself. He chooses to work through the disciples, making them instruments in the sharing of the miracle. Teaching and feeding are thus held together: Jesus provides both spiritual instruction and physical nourishment. When the Gospel says the people were “satisfied,” it signals divine fullness, not mere adequacy.
In the modern world, it is easy to treat miracles as events confined to the pages of Scripture. Yet the reality is that they continue to occur, even if they are not widely publicized. Two well-documented modern examples include the Marian apparition at Our Lady of Fatima and the Eucharistic Miracle of Legnica.
Exploring these accounts reminds us that God has not withdrawn from history. We are not forgotten, and His power has not diminished. What may have changed is our willingness to be amazed or to publicly bear witness. Yet God remains faithful. He is love, and His work continues.
Reflection Question
How do I see God showing up in my life? Do I see anything that could be considered a miracle in my own life where God is revealing himself?