“Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” (Luke 9:14)

“Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” (Luke 9:14)

In the miracle of the Feeding of the Five-thousand, the fact that our Lord organizes and directs the proceedings, shows Him to be the “Steward of the Feast,” as mentioned in the miracle of the wedding at Cana (John 2:8.9) and described in Ecclesiastes 32:1-2.

It was customary to appoint a ruler over the feast or “master of ceremonies” from among the guests, to see that the ordinary rules of etiquette were observed; maintaining order and supervising the proceedings. Although this person perhaps acted as the “head waiter” or “head servant” of the feast, they were generally nevertheless one of the prominent guests or intimate friend of the host.

Thus, in acting as Christ did, He was both the “Host” and the “Chief Servant” of this meal, giving us the true model of servant-leadership.

Fr. John