If you want to compare miracles in the first reading and the gospel, Elisha did his first, but Jesus did it better. Elisha had a hundred people to feed with twenty barley loaves and a handful of fresh grain. Jesus had five thousand people and only five loaves and a couple fish. Was Jesus trying to show up Elisha?
Neither Jesus nor Elisha ever did a miracle for their own benefit. When Elisha cures the king’s servant, he refused to accept a gift, because it would imply that Elisha did the miracle, while the prophet knew that God had cured him. Jesus refused to let the crowds make him a king.
The miracle of feeding the five thousand was not done just for the crowd. He was using it to teach the disciples something important. He knew there would be times when they felt overwhelmed, so he showed them what God can do with our meager abilities.
There are millions of people hungry for the good news that Jesus brings to the world. Remember the miracle of the loaves when you only have a few dollars to give to the missions, or when you’re not sure you know enough to teach someone about Jesus. And remember that you do those things, not to make you look holy, but to let God show his loving power.
Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications