Jesus ordered! It was very emphatic. A possible reason is that Jesus understood human nature as prone to corruption and greed and so he needed to ensure that there is order before feeding the crowds. By so doing, Jesus also taught the crowds on how to ensure that each person enjoys the common good. No one was left out of the sharing. Every one was satisfied.

Today, no one cares about the other. The struggle for wealth has become a rat race, the survival of the fittest episode, in which people cheat, fight and even kill in order to amass wealth. Often, and quite pitiably so, this is done at the detriment of the poor and those who for no fault of theirs cannot compete with others in the frenzy.

Gone are the days when the community took care of its poor. Inequality has become the order of the day. COVID-19 pandemic has shown this very glaringly.

Jesus reminds us once again of what it should be. The Psalmist who proclaims that the Lord satisfies all his needs is today frustrated by greedy persons who stand in the way of God’s blessings for all. May we, guided by the Holy Spirit of God, retrace ourselves and see the earthly goods as the gift of God to all, the weak and strong, the poor and the powerful.