Holy Communion

March 2, 2019

Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes (Lk 9:16-9:16)

“Taking

The five loaves

And the two fish,

Jesus looked up

To heaven.

He blessed them.

He broke them.

He gave them

To the disciples

To set before

The crowd.”

 

λαβὼν δὲ τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους καὶ τοὺς δύο ἰχθύας, ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ κατέκλασεν, καὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς παραθεῖναι τῷ ὄχλῳ.

 

Luke said that Jesus took (λαβὼν) the 5 loaves (δὲ τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους) and the 2 fish (καὶ τοὺς δύο ἰχθύας).  He looked up to heaven (ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν).  He blessed them (εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς).  He broke them (καὶ κατέκλασεν).  He gave them to his disciples (αὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς) to set before the crowd (παραθεῖναι τῷ ὄχλῳ).  This is the only blessing miracle that is recorded in all four gospels, Matthew, chapter 14:18-19, Mark, chapter 6:41, and John, chapter 6:12, plus here.  The blessing of the bread and the fish was exactly the same in all the synoptic gospels, but merely summarized in John.  This feeding of a large group of people harkens back to the Exodus story, chapter 16:1-36, about the manna and the quails in the wilderness.  Yet the blessing itself has almost a foretaste of the Eucharistic Last Supper of Jesus, when Jesus blessed and broke the bread.  Mark said that Jesus took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish.  He looked up to heaven.  He blessed them.  Then he broke up the loaves of bread into pieces.  He gave the loaves of bread to his disciples.  They, in turn, set the broken pieces of bread or served them to the crowd.  Jesus also divided or shared the 2 fish among them all, something that Luke did not mention explicitly.  Matthew indicated that Jesus told his disciples to bring him the food, the 5 loaves of bread and the 2 fish.  Then he ordered or directed the crowd to sit down on the grass.  He took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish.  He looked up to heaven.  He blessed them.  Then he broke the loaves of bread and the fishes into pieces.  He gave the loaves of bread to his disciples.  They, in turn, gave them to the crowd.  This almost sounds like a large later distribution of Holy Communion.  Have you ever been to a large communion service?

April 5, 2018

The authority of the centurion (Mt 8:8-8:9)

“The centurion responded.

‘Lord!

I am not worthy

To have you

Come under my roof!

But only say the word,

Then my servant

Will be healed.

I am a man

Under authority,

With soldiers

Under me.

I say to one.

‘Go!’

Then he goes.

I say to another.

‘Come!’

Then he comes.

I say to my slave.

‘Do this!’

Then he does it.’”

 

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ἔφη Κύριε, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς ἵνα μου ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην εἰσέλθῃς· ἀλλὰ μόνον εἰπὲ λόγῳ, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου.

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν, ἔχων ὑπ’ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ.

 

This saying of the centurion is exactly the same as in Luke, chapter 7:6-10, perhaps indicating a Q source.  The Roman centurion responded to Jesus (ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος ἔφη).  Calling him “Lord” (Κύριε) again, this centurion said that he was not worthy to have such an important man as Jesus enter into his house (οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς ἵνα μου ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην εἰσέλθῃς).  He merely wanted Jesus to say the word (ἀλλὰ μόνον εἰπὲ λόγῳ), and then his servant would be healed (καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου).  He explained that he understood authority (καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν), since he was a Roman solider under the authority of his superiors and yet at the same time, he had soldiers under him (ἔχων ὑπ’ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας).  Thus, if he said to one to go (καὶ λέγω τούτῳ Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται,) or come (καὶ ἄλλῳ Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται), they would do precisely that.  The same would be true of his slave who would do whatever he told him to do (καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ).  This saying about not being worthy has entered into the Roman Catholic liturgy as a prayer before receiving Holy Communion.