There are many distinctive aspects of the “Fourth Gospel,” but one of its most unique features was John’s relatively brief focus on Jesus’ Galilean ministry. The Synoptics, on the other hand, spend a great deal of time detailing the teachings Jesus offered, the miraculous works performed, and the crowds that followed him as he crisscrossed the Galilean countryside.

Today’s text is the exception to John’s usual Galilean omissions. Because he too recounts the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, this event has the distinction of being the only miracle recorded by all four of the gospels. The details differ slightly among all four, but the variations fill in any blanks left by a single telling of this story.

John’s text opens by presenting several details of time and place. That Jesus …