The church of the Multiplication St Mark says that after the debate in Nazareth Jesus sent his disciples in pairs to bring the good news into the Galilean villages (Mk 6:7).Their work was, in the first place to bring good news to their own people. The effect of their preaching drew lots of people to Jesus. They came to listen to him and as we know they had nothing to eat. When we listen to the story we imagine that it happened somewhere in the middle of the desert and that the crowd would die if they didn’t have food straight away. Visiting the area one can see that the like Capernaum, Chorozain and other weren’t far away. People could easily go to buy food for themselves. What Jesus did was more a free gift of his kindness, not the result of necessity. Two fish and five loves were brought. The people sat down on the grass in groups of hundreds and fifties as their forefathers were uses to doing on their journey through the desert. The old Jewish-Christian tradition of Tabgha (the place where it happened) recounts that the Lord placed the five loves and two fish on a piece of rock which is visible today beneath the altar of the Church of the Multiplication. Everything in this report: the site (inhabited by Jewish population), the placing of the groups an in particular the number of the twelve baskets points towards the fact that this feeding was meant for the twelve tribes of Israel. As I wrote before the disciples were sent to the Galilean Jews on the West and North shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today in the church of the Multiplication one can see an old mosaic of two fish and FOUR loaves. If you paid attention you noticed that one loaf is missing. In fact it is not missing as the fifth loaf is the Bread of the Eucharist placed on the altar during the Mass.
The second feeding of the crowd happened on the East Shore of the Sea of Galilee which was called Decapolis. It was the area of gentiles, non-Jews. This time the crowds were really far away from towns and villages. St Mark says that they came a long distance which also indicates their spiritual journey, they came from paganism. Here was a real emergency. Again Jesus blesses the bread and fish and gives them out. Everyone ate as much as they wanted and this time seven baskets full were collected. It doesn’t mean that the crowd here was hungrier than the previous one as less food was left over but there is some spiritual meaning to that. As the number 12 in the first feeding pointed to the twelve Tribes of Israel, so now the number seven was to indicated seven heathen nations who had once inhabited the Holy Land but after the Israelites conquest had gradually disappeared or been driven out (Hittites, Girgashities,
Amorities, Canaanities, Perizzities, Hivites and Jebusities). Note that Girgashities used to live in the area where the Lord fed the crowd. The second feeding means that the gates giving entry to God’s people now stood open to all nations.
The second feeding of the crowd happened on the East Shore of the Sea of Galilee which was called Decapolis. It was the area of gentiles, non-Jews. This time the crowds were really far away from towns and villages. St Mark says that they came a long distance which also indicates their spiritual journey, they came from paganism. Here was a real emergency. Again Jesus blesses the bread and fish and gives them out. Everyone ate as much as they wanted and this time seven baskets full were collected. It doesn’t mean that the crowd here was hungrier than the previous one as less food was left over but there is some spiritual meaning to that. As the number 12 in the first feeding pointed to the twelve Tribes of Israel, so now the number seven was to indicated seven heathen nations who had once inhabited the Holy Land but after the Israelites conquest had gradually disappeared or been driven out (Hittites, Girgashities,
Amorities, Canaanities, Perizzities, Hivites and Jebusities). Note that Girgashities used to live in the area where the Lord fed the crowd. The second feeding means that the gates giving entry to God’s people now stood open to all nations.
The Benedictine pilgrim house on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where we stayed. It was only a few minute walk to the church of the Multiplication
Courtyard of the Church of the Multiplication
The Church of the Multiplication
Altar of the Church of the Multiplication with the rock where the Lord paced fish and bread and the ancient mosaic of the two fish and four loaves
The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church of the Multiplication
Courtyard of the Church of the Multiplication. What a great idea having fish swimming in the church ;)
East shore of the Sea of Galilee. Somewhere out there Jesus performed the second miracle of the multiplication, this time for gentiles
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