Revised Common Lectionary
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalm 145:10-18
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
Reflection and Response
Prayer Starter

Today's BCP readings celebrate God's provision for the many needs of the people. Elijah ascends into heaven, and Elisha is commissioned as his successor. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to use their spiritual gifts to build up the Body of Christ. In the gospel, Jesus walks on water, revealing his power over creation.

Today's RCL readings illustrate God's care for the hungry. Multiplication of food given to Elisha demonstrates God's power to provide abundantly. The psalmist praises God, who satisfies our needs. Paul exhorts the Ephesians to use their spiritual gifts to build up the Body of Christ. Jesus multiplies five loaves and two fish to feed the hungry crowd.

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-15 (BCP)
This story recounts the bodily ascension of Elijah into heavens and the commissioning of Elisha to be his successor. In the Old Testament, Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah are recorded as worthy to be taken up by God without having to die. Since the location of Moses' tomb was unknown (Deuteronomy 34:5-6), later tradition held that he too had ascended. The expectation also arose that Elijah would return as a forerunner of the last days (Malachi 4:5; Mark 6:15, 8:28).

Elijah and Elisha travel from Gilgal to the Jordan. On the way "the company of prophets" (vv. 3, 5, 7, 15) in each location come to meet Elisha. They are members of the prophetic guilds (1 Samuel 10:5), often associated with advising the king (1 Kings 22:6). Elijah had remained aloof from such groups, but Elisha was much closer to them. When they come to the Jordan, Elijah, like Moses at the Red Sea and Joshua at the Jordan, parts the waters. Then Elisha asks Elijah for "a double share" (v. 9)-the customary portion of a first-born son (Deuteronomy 21:17)-of his spirit.

The fire that separates the two men is associated with the power of God acting through Elijah (1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings. 1:9-16). The image of chariots and horses may recall their symbolic use as signs of divine power-both for the Canaanite sun-god and for the presence of the Lord (Psalm 68:17; Habakkuk 3:8; Ezekiel 1:15-21). The term reappears in Elisha's cycle of stories (6:17, 7:6, 13:14), perhaps as a reference to his political involvement. Assuming Elijah's mantle (1 Kings 19:19, possibly a parallel account of Elisha's call), Elisha proves his inheritance of Elijah's power by likewise parting the waters of the Jordan.

2 Kings 2:1-15
Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah
up to heaven by a whirlwind,
Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha,
"Stay here;
for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel."
But Elisha said,
"As the LORD lives,
and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you."
So they went down to Bethel.
The company of prophets who were in Bethel
came out to Elisha, and said to him,
"Do you know that today
the LORD will take your master away from you?"
And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."
Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here;
or the LORD has sent me to Jericho."
But he said, "As the LORD lives,
and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you."
So they came to Jericho.
The company of prophets who were at Jericho
drew near to Elisha, and said to him,
"Do you know that today
the LORD will take your master away from you?"
And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."
Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here;
for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan."
But he said,
"As the LORD lives,
and as you yourself live,
I will not leave you."
So the two of them went on.
Fifty men of the company of prophets also went,
and stood at some distance from them,
as they both were standing by the Jordan.
Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up,
and struck the water;
the water was parted to the one side and to the other,
until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha,
"Tell me what I may do for you,
before I am taken from you."
Elisha said,
"Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit."
He responded,
"You have asked a hard thing;
yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you,
it will be granted you;
if not, it will not."
As they continued walking and talking,
a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them,
and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.
Elisha kept watching and crying out,
"Father, father!
The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"
But when he could no longer see him,
he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him,
and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him,
and struck the water, saying,
"Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?"
When he had struck the water,
the water was parted to the one side and to the other,
and Elisha went over.
When the company of prophets who were at Jericho
saw him at a distance, they declared,
"The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha."
They came to meet him
and bowed to the ground before him.

First Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44 (RCL)
The books of 1 and 2 Kings, originally one work, tell of the monarchy from the death of David to the destruction of the kingdom-including the fall of Israel (the northern part of the divided kingdom) to Assyria and the fall of Judah (the southern kingdom) to Babylon. Though the author concerns himself with careful historical accounting, his intent is primarily religious. The background of the author's historical interpretations is always the covenant that bonded God and Israel in an ongoing relationship of fidelity.

This covenantal reflection is seen in the author's insistence on the centrality of the temple in Jerusalem as the only acceptable place of worship. This reflects Israel's developing monotheism, a belief system that began as an insistence on exclusive worship of one God, Yahweh (Deuteronomy 6:4), and came to full flowering as a recognition that there is no other god but Yahweh.

Thus, idolatry merits the harshest judgment. This idolatry takes the forms of shrines and altars built around the country, religious prostitution, the sacrifice of children and the fashioning of images for worship. Such practices deny true worship of the one true God.
Today's verses come from the Elisha cycle of stories that describe his prophetic ministry to the northern kings. In this short account, a man honors God, represented by the prophet, by offering him the first fruits of the new harvest. Elisha reflects God's compassion for the people and insists that the food be distributed to the hungry. The small offering is miraculously multiplied "according to the word of the Lord."

2 Kings 4:42-44
A man came from Baal-shalishah,
bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God:
twenty loaves of barley
and fresh ears of grain in his sack.
Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat."
But his servant said,
"How can I set this before a hundred people?"
So he repeated,
"Give it to the people and let them eat,
for thus says the LORD,
'They shall eat and have some left.'"
He set it before them,
they ate, and had some left,
according to the word of the LORD.

Psalm: Psalm 114 (BCP)
This hymn of praise recalls God's care for the people on their exodus journey through the wilderness to the promised land. Extraordinary events illustrate God's power over nature, in particular over sea and river, and signify God's presence in their midst.

Psalm 114
When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became God's sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
Why is it, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

Psalm: Psalm 145:10-18 (RCL)
This is an acrostic psalm, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It invites praise for God's greatness (vv. 2-3), love of the people (vv. 8-10), kingship (vv. 11-13), help for the needy (vv. 14-16), justice and presence (vv. 17-18).

Psalm 145:10-18
All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
The LORD upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16 (BCP)
At this point in the letter to the Ephesians, the focus changes from proclamation to exhortation, from the indicative to the imperative, from theology to ethics. Yet the obligation of the "ought" is always grounded in the reality that "is." The Ephesians are exhorted to live up to the vocation they have already received. The qualities they are to live out are modeled upon Jesus' example.

The Ephesians are to focus on maintaining the unity whose source is the Spirit. Their call is not individual but corporate, for the passage outlines the life, order and purpose of the Church. The creed-like confession (4:4-6) gives the six elements of unity that flow from the one and only God. This Christian unity encompasses the diversity of gifts given to equip all Christians for the work of ministry (4:12).

The image of the body of Christ here emphasizes its hierarchical character (with Christ identified as head) rather than a more egalitarian one where the "head" is merely one Christian among others (1 Corinthians 12:21). The goal of the work of ministry is growth into Christ, who is the source, the means and the goal of growth.

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling
to which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one another in love,
making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all,
who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
The gifts he gave were that
some would be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until all of us come to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
We must no longer be children,
tossed to and fro and blown about
by every wind of doctrine,
by people's trickery,
by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.
But speaking the truth in love,
we must grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into Christ,
from whom the whole body,
joined and knit together by every ligament
with which it is equipped,
as each part is working properly,
promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21 (RCL)
In chapter 3, Paul explains the link between his message and his ministry. The revelation to him of God's dream of one united community of Jew and Gentile gathered in Christ compels him to traverse the world making that dream know to Gentiles and realizing God's dream by including them into the Christian community.

Today's reading is his prayerful response to this ministry of grace that he has been given. He invites God's blessing on his audience so that they will experience Christ's presence and begin to grasp the universal implications of God's plan for them. He ends with a final hymn of praise (a doxology).

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven
and on earth takes its name.
I pray that,
according to the riches of his glory,
he may grant
that you may be strengthened in your inner being
with power through his Spirit,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,
as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
I pray that you may have the power to comprehend,
with all the saints,
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who by the power at work within us
is able to accomplish abundantly far more
than all we can ask or imagine,
to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel: Mark 6:45-52 (BCP)
Mark's story of Jesus' walking on the water combines two themes: an epiphany of Jesus revealing his true nature (like the transfiguration) and a rescue of the disciples. Since it never stops moving and is itself formless, the sea was a common symbol of the power of chaos and death. Thus God's mastery over it is often stressed in the Old Testament (Job 9:8: Psalm 77:19; Isaiah 43:16).

Jesus comes to his disciples "early in the morning" (v. 48, literally "the fourth watch," the darkest hour of 3-6 a.m. by Roman reckoning). He shows himself as Lord over the elements of death. It is not clear what the intent of "he meant to pass them by" is-whether Jesus intended only to appear to them, or to surprise them on the further shore, or to test their faith. The phrase echoes the Old Testament description of the appearance of God's glory to an individual (Exodus 33:18-23; 1 Kings 19:11-12).

This story has similarities to the narratives of the resurrection appearances: the disciples' fear and lack of recognition, taking Jesus for a ghost, and Jesus' reassurance to them. Even Jesus' coming and speaking to the disciples does not reassure them. As usual in Mark the disciples do not understand and remain closed to the meaning of what is occurring. Mark locates the cause: "their hearts were hardened," putting them on the same level as the Pharisees (3:5). They cannot comprehend Jesus' full significance through his teaching or his miracles, but must connect these to his messianic suffering, death and resurrection.

Mark 6:45-52
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat
and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
After saying farewell to them,
he went up on the mountain to pray.
When evening came, the boat was out on the sea,
and he was alone on the land.
When he saw that they were straining at the oars
against an adverse wind,
he came towards them early in the morning,
walking on the sea.
He intended to pass them by.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
hey thought it was a ghost and cried out;
for they all saw him and were terrified.
But immediately he spoke to them and said,
"Take heart, it is I;
do not be afraid."
Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.
And they were utterly astounded,
or they did not understand about the loaves,
but their hearts were hardened.

Gospel: John 6:1-21 (RCL)
The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus' ministry recorded in all four gospels. John's account seems to come from a tradition independent of, but parallel to, the other accounts. As so often emphasized in John, Jesus takes the initiative, even before the people arrive (1:38, 4:7, 5:6, 6:5).

John looks at the miracle from a three-dimensional perspective. He recalls the past by alluding to Moses and the feeding of the Israelites with manna in the wilderness (6:5, 12, 31; Exodus 16:4, 16) and, secondarily, to Elijah (1 Kings 17:8-16) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:42-44). He recalls the present by the mention of the celebration of the Passover (6:4).

The future is implied both by references to the Christian eucharistic meal, where the actions "took...given thanks...distributed" are the same as those described by Paul (1 Corinthians 11:23-24), and by pointing to the great messianic banquet (Revelation 19:9).
Jesus' instructions to the disciples to "gather up...that nothing may be lost" (v. 12) anticipate later statements about his ministry (11:52, 17:12, 18:9). The people's response to the sign is the desire to acclaim Jesus as "the prophet" (v. 14, the prophet-like-Moses, 1:21, 4:19; Deuteronomy 18:15). But this popular pressure causes Jesus to withdraw, for he does not seek this kind of political leadership.

John 6:1-21
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee,
also called the Sea of Tiberias.
A large crowd kept following him,
because they saw the signs
that he was doing for the sick.
Jesus went up the mountain
and sat down there with his disciples.
Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.
When he looked up
and saw a large crowd coming toward him,
Jesus said to Philip,
"Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"
He said this to test him,
for he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him,
"Six months' wages would not buy enough bread
for each of them to get a little."
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.
But what are they among so many people?"
Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."
Now there was a great deal of grass in the place;
so they sat down, about five thousand in all.
Then Jesus took the loaves,
and when he had given thanks,
he distributed them to those who were seated;
so also the fish,
as much as they wanted.
When they were satisfied, he told his disciples,
"Gather up the fragments left over,
so that nothing may be lost."
So they gathered them up,
and from the fragments of the five barley loaves,
left by those who had eaten,
they filled twelve baskets.
When the people saw the sign that he had done,
they began to say,
"This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."
When Jesus realized
that they were about to come
and take him by force to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.
It was now dark,
and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea became rough
because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea
and coming near the boat,
and they were terrified.
But he said to them,
"It is I; do not be afraid."
Then they wanted to take him into the boat,
and immediately the boat reached the land
toward which they were going.

Reflection and Response (BCP)
Israel's prophets were spokesmen of God: the Spirit of the living God worked within them, making them instruments of God's will and message. Although they and their messages were diverse, they held basic convictions in common. A unity of faith and worship welded the people of Israel into more than just a nation, a political entity. They were also a spiritual community: the people of God.

Central to Israel's faith is the belief in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth. God's creation is held together and sustained by God's power and love. The God of the Old Testament is also represented as an intensely personal being, never as an abstract object of philosophical speculation. God expects a personal response of loyalty from God's creatures. Israel also knows God as infinite righteousness, one who demands a response of integrity and justice. Finally, God is Spirit, so ineffable that the Israelites were forbidden to make any kind of image or representation of God.

Today's readings embody these revelations of God. In Psalm 114, the creation responds to its Creator. In 2 Kings, the spirit of prophecy and power is transmitted to Elisha to carry on Elijah's work for the Lord. In Ephesians, we read the great "one body, one Spirit" passage. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" expresses the consummate unity of the spiritual community to whom a diversity of spiritual endowments and gifts are given for building up the Church in the world. God's Spirit in Christ guides, equips, establishes and binds God's faithful people together in love.

The strange story of Jesus walking on the water seems to incorporate the same basic convictions about God that we have found throughout scripture. Jesus is Lord over all. The disciples do his bidding and set out across the sea; the crowd is dismissed by his word. He commands natural forces also-the storm is stilled, and the water provides a solid path to his troubled friends. In this electrifying scene, Mark continues to tell the good news. In darkness and distress, Christ is with us-or on the way-and is in sovereign control. He is no ghostly figment, but the personal, real God coming to our rescue.

We are often at sea, often rowing against the wind, even when we are doing the Lord's bidding. He may wait until the fourth watch to come to us but meanwhile, he has been up in the hills praying for us, knowing where we are. We may trust that he will come in his own time and in his own astonishing way.

Quietly consider: How am I feeling overwhelmed and in need of Jesus calming presence in my life?

Prayer Starter
Jesus, calm my chaotic spirit and help me recognize you in...

Reflection and Response (RCL)
When we consider the daunting number of people who hunger today, not only for bread but also for dignity, meaning, and happiness, we might ask the same question Jesus did: "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"

It's a trick question, as John implies with his parenthetical comment. The things which most satisfy our deepest hungers can't be purchased. Still on the literal plane, Philip despairs: no amount of money could assuage the vast crowd's hunger. (While they may well be physically hungry, remember that they followed him initially because of his compassion toward the sick.) Jesus' silence directs us to look toward our own resources.

The child's lunch box and the mother who probably packed it are a delightful reminder that "those who would be a blessing for others must bring what they possess to Jesus." Without a scoff, a snicker or a doubt, Jesus takes the bread and fish into his hands with all confidence. Ignoring Andrew's concern about scarcity, he provides an abundance. His action reassures those of us who deem our efforts too meager or skimpy to ever count as ministry, or to have any significant effect within God's design. Instead we can count it, as did St. Ignatius of Loyola, "a toweringly wonderful thing that you might call me to follow you and stand with you."

The miracle adds a new dimension to the picture of God given in Psalm 145. There, the people look hopefully to God as the source of their food. The opening of God's hand satisfies their desires. In light of John's gospel, we enter more directly into that process. No longer does God stand on one side of an abyss and we on the other. Now, Jesus takes our barley loaves into his hands and blesses them. In a co-creative act, we bring the food, share it with Jesus and each other, then gather the left-overs.

Those who are, as Ephesians calls us, one in body and spirit, cannot blame God for world hunger, neglected children and all our other social ills. For God has called us to partnership, graced our efforts, and made us abundant blessings for each other.

Quietly consider: To whom and in what way is God calling me to bless others?

Prayer Starter
O God of Abundance, fill me with your gifts so that...