Did you know that Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes exactly one year before the Last Supper? Saint John tells us that the Last Supper was held “before the Feast of the Passover,” (John 13:1). As we hear today, Saint John describes the multiplication of loaves and fish as occurring at exactly the same time, just one year earlier: “Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand,” (John 6:3).
There are other connections between this miracle and the Last Supper. At the miracle, Jesus is sitting on a mountain; at the Last Supper, Jesus is sitting on a mountain (Jerusalem is built on Mount Sion). At the miracle, Jesus commands the crowds to “sit down” to eat; at the Last Supper, Jesus commands the apostles to sit down to eat.
Saint John continues to describe the miracle in precisely the same way that the other Gospel writers describe the Last Supper. Saint John tells us that, at the miracle, Jesus first “took the loaves (of bread), gave thanks, and gave them out” (Jn 6:11). At the Last Supper, Jesus “took bread,” “gave thanks,” and “gave it to his disciples,” (Mt 26:26-27; Mk 14:22-23; Lk 22:19).
There is one significant difference between the miracle of the multiplication and the Last Supper. During the miracle, there is fish but no wine. During the Last Supper, there is wine but no fish. What’s the deal with the fish?
This is a question I have pondered a lot over the years. It seems to me that there are two reasons for the fish.
First, fish is a type of meat or “flesh”. By multiplying fish with the bread, Jesus is building a connection in the minds of the crowds between bread and flesh. After the miracle of the multiplication, Jesus gives a long sermon explaining the miracle. We will hear that sermon over the next four Sundays. During the sermon, Jesus explains that he will soon give a different type of bread, bread that is his “flesh”. No wonder, then, that Jesus says of the bread at the Last Supper: “This is my body.”
From what I can tell, the second reason for the fish is this: fish are forms of life that live in water. Throughout the Old Testament, water refers to new life. Passing through the waters of the Flood, Noah and his family begin a new life. Passing through the waters of the Red Sea, the Israelites also begin a new life. This is also why we use water in Baptism. Water gives life on a natural level, so it is used by God as a sign and instrument of the gift of the spiritual life of grace. Now fish are living creatures that live in water. In other words, the fish also represents “life”.
In the early church, the fish became a symbol for Jesus. The Greek word for fish (ICHTHUS) became an acronym for “Iesus CHristus THeou UioS” (Jesus Christ, the Son of God). This is because the early Christians understood the real meaning of the fish from the miracle of the multiplication. The fish, with its “flesh” and “life,” is a symbol for Jesus’ “flesh” and “life”.
To put it simply, the fish explains the meaning of the bread. The fish tells us that the bread will become the flesh and life of Jesus at the Last Supper.