Then one of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there, so the people, about five thousand men, sat down. Jesus then took the loaves,
gave thanks, and distribu­ted them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish, and gave them as much as they wanted.
And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, “Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost.”
So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is, with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
When the people saw the miracle which Jesus had performed, they said, “This is really the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”
Jesus realized that they would come and take him by force to make him king; so he fled to the hills by himself.

REFLECTION:
Gamaliel, a Pharisee who appeared sympathetic to the followers of Jesus, makes a statement that should guide our approach to things, persons,
events and circumstances that we do not fully understand: if it is God’s will, it will flourish, if it isn’t, it will not.
This was obviously in refe­rence to the great wonders that the disciples were performing in Jesus’ name and for which the Pharisees and the leaders of the people at that time showed no­thing but disdain.
Jesus in the gospel rea­ding feeds a large crowd of people with the limited resources they had – something which,
together with the great many wonders he performed – were regarded with contempt by those who were supposed to know better.
Sometimes, the prejudices and biases that we have hinder us from seeing that God is able to work outside the boundaries of the walls we have erected around him.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ time (though not all of them), were ironically the very persons who failed to recognize the signs God was working in their midst.

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