So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties — the military-organization language (hundreds and fifties) echoes the wilderness organization of Israel under Moses (Exodus 18:21–25, Numbers 31:14) — another echo of the Exodus/wilderness typology that runs through the feeding narrative. The crowd organized by Jesus mirrors the camp of Israel organized by Moses. The thousands who will be fed by five loaves and two fish recall the manna that fed Israel for forty years. Jesus is doing what God did in the wilderness — providing for his people in the place of need.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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