Scripture Study for
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
2 Kings 4:42–44 / Psalm 145:16 / Ephesians 4:1–6 / John 6:1–15
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Understanding the Word
By Br. John R. Barker, OFM
The books of Kings contain several stories of the prophets Elijah and Elisha providing for the destitute. During a drought, Elijah ensures that a widow’s jars of flour and oil will not go empty until the drought ends (1 Kings 17:9–16). Elisha performs a similar miracle for another widow, filling all of her vessels with olive oil for her to sell (2 Kings 4:1–7). Here we have a multiplication of barley loaves. All of these stories point to the providence of God, particularly for the needy. The role of the prophets is necessary, however, for it is through them that God provides for “the widow and the orphan,” a care that God insists throughout scripture is the job of all Israel.
In last’s week reading, Paul spoke of the reconciling action of Christ, who reconciled Jew to Gentile and both to God, creating “in himself one new person” and bringing peace. Paul now returns to the theme of unity and peace. The church does not exist for itself but has a mission to announce God’s plan of salvation in Christ, which requires that Christians reflect the unifying and reconciling work of Christ by their behavior toward one another. Others must be able to see that the church, though made up of very different people, is “one body” (not a collection of individuals), animated by one Spirit, motivated by one shared hope in the one God and the one Lord, Jesus Christ.
For the next few weeks, the Lectionary departs from Mark in favor of John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand and the Bread of Life discourse. As Jesus heals the sick, he attracts a huge crowd, whom he intends to feed. Whereas Philip had noted that they would never have been able to buy enough to feed all the people, Jesus feeds them so well that there is plenty of food left over. The people rightly understand at least one implication of what Jesus has done, which is that he is no ordinary wonder worker, but “the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world” (see John 1:9). He will soon explain to them an even more astounding—and difficult— truth about who he is.