^{[JN 6:]4}The Jewish Passover Feast was near. ⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. ⁷Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages^NIV-7-1 would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

This Passover, likely April, a.d. 29, marks the transition between Jesus’ second and third year of ministry. The Passover is more than a chronological marker. It helps explain the presence of such a large crowd, especially those who would begin their annual migration to Jerusalem. It also explains their fervor to proclaim Jesus King. Jewish religious nationalism surged during this feast. As this excited band makes its way around the lake, surely they collect an entourage from each of the towns and villages they pass. By the time the parade reaches Jesus’ landing sight, it is enormous. As Jesus looks up, he sees this crowd closing in on him (cf. Jn 4:25).

Why Philip? We don’t know. Perhaps Jesus has a particular lesson to teach him (cf. Jn 14:8-9); perhaps he is just the closest. Philip’s precise answer indicates that he has calculated the cost. As Jesus continues to teach and heal, Philip will have ample time not only to consider his answer but to ponder the question. Obviously Jesus is not interested in Philip’s answer but in his response.

Mk 6:35-38 with Lk 9:12 ³⁵By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples [the Twelve^LK] came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages [and find food and lodging^LK] and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages^NIV-7-2! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸”How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

Late in the day probably indicated three to five o’clock in the afternoon.^7-4 Since they are in a remote place, the people will need sufficient time to get to the nearest town(s), which might be several miles away, to find a “bed and breakfast.” The Apostles have learned, in some degree, to care for people as Jesus has. No doubt they are also moved by the growling of their own stomachs. Remember, they have not yet had a chance to eat.

When Jesus tells the Twelve to feed the crowd, we can just sense Iscariot getting nervous. If indeed they had that much money, which is doubtful, that would have nearly drained their reserves. That makes any accountant nervous, especially one in the habit of obfuscating funds.

Jesus sends them to scour the crowds to see what is on hand. They come back empty handed … almost. They commandeer a little boy’s lunch: five little loaves and two small fish.^7-5 The loaves are not like ours. They are small, flat and round (perhaps not more than four inches in diameter). They are barley loaves, the food of the poor, but not necessarily poor food. The fish are probably pickled and used as relish for his bread, not the main part of his meal. The closest thing we have would be canned sardines. It was just enough to satisfy a little boy, but pretty pathetic in the shadow of this crowd.

Jn 6:8-11 with Mt 14:18-19, Mk 6:41, Lk 9:16 ⁸Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹”Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many [unless we go and buy food for all this crowd^LK]?”

¹⁰Jesus said, “[Bring them here to me.^MT] Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down [in groups of hundreds and fifties^MK], about five thousand of them. ¹¹Jesus then took the [five^MT,MK,LK] loaves [and looking up to heaven, He^MT,MK,LK], gave thanks [and broke the loaves,^MT,MK,LK] and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the [two^MT,MK,LK] fish.

Three times John mentions Andrew bringing someone to Jesus: (1) Peter (1:40-41); (2) this boy (6:8-9); and (3) some Greeks (12:22). This was clearly his forte. We are impressed with the humility of a man who was one of the first two disciples, yet (seemingly willingly) takes a back-seat to his brother, Simon Peter. He was almost in the inner circle, but not quite, save Mark 13:3 during the Olivet Discourse. Andrew brings the boy with his meager meal; but still assumes that they are going to take a trip to the supermarket.

The spring grasses that accompany Passover make a welcome carpet for this company. They divide into groups of fifties and hundreds which make for easy calculation and distribution. Mark uses an interesting word to describe these groups (6:40), [] which literally means “garden plots.” All those people laying back^7-6 on the grassy plain below where Jesus stood must have looked like a flower garden of God.

Jesus looks into heaven and gives thanks prior to the meal, which is the typical practice of the Jewish head of the house. He may even have recited a typical prayer of thanksgiving such as this one: “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth” (m. Ber. 6:1).

It is curious to note that none of the four Gospel writers even give a hint as to how this miracle took place. It is simply assumed that Jesus had regenerative powers (perhaps reminiscent of Elijah, 2 Kgs 4:42-44). As he was able to transform the water to wine in Cana, so now he reproduces ex nihilo barley loaves and “fishettes.” Jesus has, at other times, demonstrated power over the inanimate—miraculous catch of fish (Lk 5:5-10) and the calming of the sea (Lk 8:24). But there is a qualitative difference here in his creative ability (cf. Jn 1:1-4; Col 1:16-17).

Jn 6:12-13 ¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

 Mt 14:21 ²¹The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus was economical, not as part of his mission but as part of his nature. He never preached environmentalism or animal rights, but simply lived a theology of man as the steward of God’s creation. He viewed man as the ruler and caretaker of the earth. It was available for man to use, but not to exploit.

These sturdy wicker baskets were “a distinctively Jewish basket for carrying kosher food” (Blomberg, p. 233). The number twelve may be symbolic of the twelve tribes or even the twelve Apostles.

Feeding the 4000 (Matt. 15:32-38; Mark 8:1-9a)

The feeding of the four thousand looks an awful lot like the feeding of the five thousand. Some scholars think that Matthew and Mark simply repeat them as a literary doublet to emphasize a point.^7-42 However, there are enough differences between the two feedings that the most natural reading of the texts suggests two separate events.^7-43 The similarity between the events shows how Jesus ministered comparably to both the Jews and the Gentiles during this portion of his ministry.

Mk 8:1-3 ¹During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²”I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

Jesus’ fame spreads quickly through the Decapolis. Because he stays put for several days, the crowds begin to mushroom. After three days of healing and teaching, the crowd’s backpacks and lunch-pails are empty. Instead of going home for more food, many of them fast so they can stay and hear Jesus. It’s a good thing, too, for if they leave now, Jesus will be gone by the time they return.

Now it is time for Jesus to leave. But he fears that if he sends this fasting crowd away with nothing to eat they might faint before they get home. Jesus’ compassion shines all the more brightly against the trivia of our daily existence.

Mk 8:4-9 with Mt 15:33-38 ⁴His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone [we^MT] get enough bread to feed them?” ⁵”How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. ⁶He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. ⁷They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. ⁸The people [all^MT] ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ⁹About four thousand men were present [besides women and children^MT].

Are these guys dense, or what?! Have they so soon forgotten the feeding of the 5,000 (cf. Mk 6:52). Before we hang these fellows, we ought to point out a few things.

1. First, Jesus did not always provide miracles (Jn 5:4-6; Mt 13:58). Nor is it necessarily “spiritual” to expect this (Mt 12:38-45; 16:1).
2. Second, the disciples may not be doubting Jesus’ ability, but his willingness to do for these Gentiles what he has done for the Jews.
3. Third, Matthew’s emphatic use of the word “we” (15:33) may suggest they are not doubting Jesus’ ability but their own, to perform the miracles that Jesus has done. After all, Jesus empowered them to do what he did (Mt 10:1, 8). Perhaps they think he wants them to try their hand at feeding a few thousand people.
4. Finally, an honest look at the contemporary church would hardly paint a better picture of our faith in Jesus to provide and sustain. Even though Jesus has proven trustworthy time and time again, our lives betray an embarrassing level of unbelief.

 Verse-by-Verse study

Introduction: what Jesus was doing in this event is twofold. (1) He was demonstrating or proving His Messiahship, and (2) He was teaching His disciples their part in the work of God. He was teaching them the raw essentials for ministry. He had called them to minister, to show people that He, the Messiah, was the answer to human helplessness. They were to meet the day to day needs of people and to help them through the trials and problems of life. He had to teach them a critical truth: they would never be able to do the job in their own strength. Their human resources were just too inadequate to meet the needs of the world. Humanism, man and his ability alone, could never get the job done.

Man and his resources could only take care of some of the needs, and man and his resources would always end up having to send multitudes away to fend for themselves (Matthew 14:15). Why is this true? Why is humanism such a futile failure? Why can man himself not meet all the needs of the world? Because so few see the multitude in their need and even fewer experience compassion for them (Matthew 14:14). Most say, “Send the multitude away, that they may go…and buy themselves” (Matthew 14:15). But Jesus said, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat” (Matthew 14:16).

It is at this point that man fails and fails so miserably. He has his eye stuck to the earth, only on human resources. What Jesus said is profound: “Bring them [your human resources] here to me” (Matthew 14:18). What would happen if men would bring their human resources to Christ? The resources would become wonderfully multiplied and the world’s needs would be met.

1. Essential 1: seeing people and having compassion (v.15).
2. Essential 2: accepting one’s duty to minister (v.16-17).
3. Essential 3: trusting Christ to use one’s resources (v.18-21).

The fact that the feeding of the five thousand is the only one of Jesus’ many miracles recorded in all four gospels, testifies to its unique importance. In each gospel account this miracle is placed at the climax of the Lord’s ministry.

When Jesus began His extensive Galilean ministry, it was almost completely public. The Lord sought out the crowds, going from town to town and city to city, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to all who would listen. The King openly manifested Himself before the people of Israel and offered them the opportunity to receive Him as their Lord.

But from the earliest days, the religious leaders were skeptical; and soon they became unfriendly and ultimately hostile. The clearer Jesus’ message became, the higher the flames of their opposition flared. With the death of John the Baptist and Herod’s fear that Jesus was John returned from the dead, the political antagonism was also becoming manifest. Herod felt threatened by Jesus just as he had been by John the Baptist; and he would not have hesitated doing to Jesus what he had done to John.

The reaction of the people was mixed and fickle. Although the citizens of Nazareth had twice rejected Jesus because of their familiarity with Him as a boy and young man, most of the people were still fascinated by His miracles. With the miracle of creating food for feeding the crowd of five thousand, Jesus’ popularity reached its pinnacle as the people tried to take Him by force to be their king and deliverer (John 6:15).

As the religious and political opposition became more intense and the allegiance of the crowds more vacillating, Jesus began to spend less time in public and more time in private with His disciples. During the last year of His life, He devoted the majority of His attention to the twelve, preparing them for what was soon to happen to Him in the crucifixion and for what would soon after that happen to them as they embarked on their task of laying the foundation for His church.

When the disciples of John the Baptist brought the news of John’s death to Jesus, He withdrew from the area of Capernaum so that He could be alone with His own disciples (Matt. 14:13a; cf. Mark 6:31). Jesus was not afraid for His life, because He knew no one could take it from Him unless He permitted it (John 10:18). He withdrew to avoid premature confrontation with Herod, to be alone with His Father, and to explain the significance of John’s death to His disciples.

Jesus also needed refreshment. Even if all the reaction to Him had been positive, He would have been physically drained after such a rigorous schedule of teaching and healing. The growing opposition of His enemies, the fickleness of the multitudes, and the continued misunderstanding and immaturity of His disciples made the drain immeasurably worse.

But when the multitudes heard that Jesus had gone to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, “they followed Him on foot from the cities” (Matt. 14:13b). Some of the people even arrived before Jesus and the disciples did (Mark 6:33), while the lame and sick obviously took much longer. But almost all of them came out of selfish motives, “because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick” (John 6:2). They came to be healed or to watch the healings. Few came for what Jesus could do for them spiritually.

The majority of the multitude were thrill seekers, whose ranks at this time were probably swelled by Jews passing through Galilee on their way to the annual Passover celebration in Jerusalem (John 6:4). Their perspective was self-centered and self-indulgent. In addition to wanting to be healed or entertained, many no doubt hoped this great miracle worker would prove Himself to be the political Messiah who would use His power to overthrow the hated Roman oppressors and their puppet Herod.

But the expectations of the people neither determined nor undermined the importance of the occasion. As He often does, God chose to accomplish His purposes in the very face of ungodly human motives and desires. In Matthew 14:14-21 the Lord’s plan continues to unfold flawlessly according to His perfect divine will.

 The Deeds of Piety

And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick. (14:14)

As Jesus went ashore, He saw a great multitude, whose men alone numbered five thousand, “aside from women and children” (v. 21). Because women seemed especially drawn to Jesus, it is likely many of them came
together in groups or with their fathers or brothers—in addition to those who came with their husbands and children. Children were considered a great blessing from the Lord, and most families in those days were large. It is therefore not unreasonable to estimate that the total crowd exceeded twenty-five thousand.

The normal inclination would have been to ignore the people and keep going or to have dismissed the multitude, telling them that no healings or other signs would be performed. It would have been easy to go so far into the hills that most of the people could not have followed or to go back into the boat and head for a location where they would not be discovered.

But Jesus did not follow the usual human inclinations and, although He was exhausted and in great need of rest, He was drawn to them because He felt compassion for them. (to have compassion) means literally to be moved in one’s bowels, or viscera, where the ancients considered the emotions and feelings to reside. The Son of God was not remote or coldly calculating and analytical concerning men’s needs but was deeply moved by the suffering, confusion, despair, and spiritual lostness of those around Him. Jesus felt pain, experiencing genuine anguish for the suffering of others, whether they were believer or unbeliever, Jew or Gentile, man or woman, young or old, wealthy or poor. He must have felt much as He did when He approached Lazarus’s grave and wept (John 11:35) and when He looked out over Jerusalem through tears and said, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42).

He represented the compassionate heart of God even more fully than had Jeremiah, who declared to rebellious Judah, “But if you will not listen to [God’s warning], my soul will sob in secret for such pride; and my eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears” Jer. 13:17.

In His great mercy, Christ extended His compassion even to the shallow self-centered thrill seekers. He again revealed the loving heart of God toward those who would not understand or believe and who He knew would ultimately reject Him. The Lord likewise empowered the apostles to cure disease, cast out demons, and heal the crippled and afflicted—with no restrictions or qualifications (Matt. 10:1)—rather than to demonstrate God’s power by moving buildings from one place to another or by doing other such dazzling but impersonal wonders. That kind of miracle would have demonstrated the Lord’s power, but it would have shown nothing of His compassion and mercy.

 

Jesus also felt compassion because of His perfect perception of hell and the torment those would face who did not receive Him. Even as He lovingly healed their bodies, He had infinitely greater concern to heal their souls. Even after Jesus healed a body, it could become sick or crippled again. But when He heals a sin-diseased soul, it is forever freed from sin’s dominion and penalty.

 (sick) means to be weak, without strength. These afflicted ones whom Jesus healed obviously made a special effort to follow Him around the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. Most of them probably had to be carried or helped along by relatives or friends, and they arrived many hours after the rest of the crowd. Above all else they wanted to be healed by this Man who had such compassionate power.

Jesus postponed His rest, His privacy, His time alone with the disciples, and even His time with His Father in order to meet the needs of those helpless people who suffered.

 (14:15) Compassion: the first essential for ministry is seeing people and having compassion. There is a sharp contrast between the compassion of Jesus and the disciples.

1. Jesus’ compassion was very strong. Refer back to Matthew 14:14 for the picture of Jesus’ example of compassion. His compassion had caused His heart to pour out to the multitude, and He had been ministering most of the day.

Note two things about Jesus and the multitudes.

1. Jesus saw the multitudes. He was very observant, always looking for people in order to help them. He had “come not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matthew 20:28).
2. Jesus felt compassion. The helplessness of the people pierced His heart. He saw precious, immortal souls who were hurting and being pressed under the weight of human problems. He was moved to help them and to teach His disciples the great necessity of seeing people and of feeling a gripping compassion for them.
3. The compassion of the disciples was very weak. They had a concern for the people, but a gripping compassion was missing. Their problem was the same problem that has always enslaved men. Men see nothing but their own human power and resources; they see nothing but man, his humanness. Their eyes are on the earth and on man alone. Therefore, they live only as humanists. The result is this: their power and resources are just as they have always been—inadequate. They think in terms of doing just what the disciples did: ignoring and sending the multitude away.

We often feel that we need what resources we have in order to take care of our needs. Therefore, we ignore the crying needs of those who are around us and those who are scattered all over the world.

 “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

 The Dullness of Perspective

And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, “The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” (14:15-17)

The Jews had two periods of evening, one from three to six and the other from six to nine. This was the first evening, which was just prior to sunset. Because of the lateness in the day, the disciples were concerned about what the crowd would have to eat. The place was desolate, many miles from the nearest town, which, in any case, could not have provided food for such a vast horde of people. Not only was it near the end of the day, but the long trip had doubtlessly made the people hungrier than usual.

From John’s account we learn that Jesus had brought up the matter of feeding the multitude much earlier in the day. Even while the “great multitude was coming to Him,” Jesus had said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5). Jesus did not ask Philip the question in order to get advice but “to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do” (v. 6). Philip was from that area and would most likely have known what food would have been available; but Jesus was hoping Philip would look to Him rather than to human and earthly resources. Unfortunately, Philip was more awed at the magnitude of the crowd than the magnitude of Jesus’ power, and he responded incredulously, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little” (v. 7). A denarius was the normal day’s wage for a common laborer, but it was obvious that nearly six month’s of such wages would not be enough to feed the thousands of people that were assembled. Philip knew they did not have a fraction of the money needed to buy enough food, even if they bought the cheapest bread available.

Either at this point or later in the day, Andrew discovered a small boy who had “five barley loaves and two fish;” but, like Philip, he was quick to express his despair: “but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:8-9). Apparently the Lord let Philip and Andrew continue to think about His request during the rest of the day, while He was healing the multitudes and also “speaking to them about the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:11). He provided a day-long test of the disciples’ faith.

As we look back on the scene from our two-thousand-year vantage point, it seems impossible that even when Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” the idea of His feeding the people miraculously did not enter the disciples’ minds. Seeing no further than their own resources, they replied, We have here only five loaves and two fish. It would seem to have required so little faith and to have been so natural for the disciples to expect Jesus to feed the crowd. But they were like a person who stands in front of Niagara Falls and asks where he can find a drink. They were face to face with the supreme power in the universe and yet were spiritually blind. They knew it, but they did not know it. Had anyone asked them if Jesus could do such a thing, their answer would have been an unhesitating and unanimous, “Of course He can!” But even when prompted by Jesus’ suggestion, they saw their own lack instead of His sufficiency.

We are tempted to think that, had we been there, our first thought would have been to ask Jesus to feed the multitudes, as He had proved Himself capable of doing hundreds of times. What could have been a more obvious solution than to have the Son of God create food to feed this crowd, just as He had created wine for the wedding guests at Cana? That would hardly have been an impossible challenge to the One who healed every sort of disease, raised the dead, cast out demons, walked on water, and instantaneously calmed a fierce storm. Yet, how many times has every believer faced a crisis that seemed overwhelming and insurmountable and failed to consider the Lord’s power?

Despite two years of walking with the Lord, hearing Him teach God’s truth and seeing Him demonstrate miraculous power, the twelve were too spiritually dull to see the obvious. They were looking only with their human eyes and only at human resources.

 (14:16-17) Ministering: the second essential for ministry is accepting one’s duty to minister.

2. The charge of Christ is, “Give”—give what resources you have—it is your duty to give. The command of Christ is to every man: “give.” We are to take what resources we have and give to meet the desperate needs of the multitude. We all have the duty and responsibility to give whatever we have, no matter how little or how small.
3. The disciples’ humanism still showed itself. They still could not see beyond the physical world, although they were at least thinking about the human need and the resources they had to meet the need. This is understandable, for the only life they had really known was life lived on the human plane. They had always looked only at what they had, only at what man could do with what little he had. They had not yet seen what God could do with human resources yielded to Him.

                 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

                 “But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you” (Luke 11:41).

                 “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth” (Luke 12:33).

 Note that the disciples were being awakened to the need and moved by Christ. They were now willing to offer and share what they had. But note: being aware and being moved to share will not get the job done. God is needed! We have to take our resources and turn them over to God. Why?

Because man has a problem down deep within that underlies all his problems, a problem that causes the physical needs of his experience. His physical needs are only the symptoms or results of the underlying cause. The underlying cause is sin, that is, selfishness, greed, envy, pride, prejudice, lying, stealing, cheating, indulgence, extravagance, hoarding, and so much more. Man’s spirit has to be changed before the needs of the world will ever be met.

•   The earth has the potential to meet some needs of every man, but few men have the free spirit to act unselfishly.
•   The earth itself does not have the means to give abundant life (security, self-esteem, godly esteem, love, joy, peace, etc.). (Cp. John 10:10.)
• The earth itself does not have the means to give eternal life (Ephes. 2:4-7).

 The Display of Power

And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” And ordering the multitudes to recline on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes, and they all ate, and were satisfied. And they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. And there were about five thousand men who ate, aside from women and children. (14:18-21)

Here is the primary focus of the story, in which the disciples’ dullness of perspective is overruled by Jesus’ display of power. No doubt with sadness in His eyes, Jesus said, “Bring them here to Me,” referring to the loaves and fish. He had to tell the disciples to do what, by this time, should have been second nature to them. He was saying, in effect, “I knew that you did not have sufficient food or money to feed the people, and I knew that
you had no way of getting it. I never expected you to feed them from your own resources or by your own power. In asking you to feed them I was asking you to trust Me. Without having to tell you, I was giving you the opportunity to bring to Me what little you had and trust Me for the rest.”

The northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee is often beautiful and green with grass in the spring of the year. But instead of sitting, the people had been standing up in order to see and hear and Jesus better. He therefore ordered the multitudes to recline on the grass, to make themselves more comfortable and to make distribution of the food easier. He sat them (which literally means “garden bed by garden bed”), in groups of hundreds and fifties (Mark 6:40), allowing paths between the groups for the disciples to walk while serving. In their brightly-colored garments the crowd must have resembled an enormous mosaic of flower beds or a gigantic quilt spread across the hillside.

The people probably had little if any idea why they were so carefully seated in groups. The disciples may have guessed why, but they still did not know how. When the people were seated, Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish; but before He performed the miracle He had planned all along, looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, giving thanks to His heavenly Father (John 6:6, 11; cf. 1 Tim. 4:3-5).

Then the Lord broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, who, in turn, gave to the multitudes, and they all ate. We are not told exactly at what moment the miracle took place. Apparently it was a continuous multiplication that occurred as the disciples walked among the groups distributing the food. The men could not possibly have carried containers large enough to hold all the food, even with it divided into twelve parts. There was no fanfare and no dramatic change from little to much. The miracle was all but invisible, its magnitude being
evident only as the thousands of people all ate.

(to be satisfied) was used of animals who stayed at the feed trough until they wanted nothing more to eat. Jesus uses the same term in the Beatitudes when He promises that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness “shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). Because the multiplied barley loaves and fish were divinely created, the satisfaction the people experienced must have been like no other in their lives. This food was perfect, not tainted by the Fall and its consequent corruption of all the earth through sin.

There was more than enough food to satisfy the multitudes, and a considerable amount was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. After the food had been distributed among the groups, each disciple had a basket of food left for himself, out of which he could share with Jesus! In the great economy of God, there was neither too little nor too much. As already noted, the fact that there were about five thousand men who
ate, aside from women and children, indicates the total crowd could have been as large as twenty-five thousand.

Although Matthew does not mention it, at this point the people were so awed at Jesus’ power that they tried “to come and take Him by force, to make Him king” (John 6:15). Here was a Man who not only could heal all their diseases but could deliver them from the constant work and preparation needed to put food in all their stomachs—all with but a word, and sometimes even without a word. They were convinced beyond doubt that Jesus was their kind of Messiah, and they were determined to crown Him king. They were right that He was the Messiah; but they were wrong about the kind of Messiah He was. He was not the political deliverer or food supplier they were expecting, and His coronation was not in their power to perform. During the present age, as Jesus later declared, His “kingdom is not of this world” John 18:36.

The great multitude that day was composed of three groups: the twelve disciples, the believing remnant among the multitudes, and the vast majority of unbelievers. In regard to each group we can discern many spiritual lessons.

The twelve were established. The twelve disciples were the constant object of Jesus’ concern, instruction, and training. It was upon their shoulders that the establishing of His church would soon fall, and He knew the time of their training for this task was short. From this one incident alone, He taught them a number of important principles and truths. First, He gave them the example of withdrawing from needless danger. Martyrdom or any other type of suffering that is sought as a form of self-glory is not endured for the sake of the Lord. The disciples also learned the importance of rest and solitude, even when in the midst of serving the Lord. Sometimes, as
here, rest cannot be attained in the way or at the time we prefer; but even the Lord in His humanity did not escape the need for rest, solace, and refreshment.

The twelve learned the importance of spending time away from work with those with whom one labors. Coworkers need special time together to support one another and to share needs and feelings.

Jesus also confirmed the disciples’ need to show compassion for those in need, even when the needy are fickle and undeserving. The Son of God selflessly met the needs of the multitude that day, although He knew that most of them would soon lose interest in Him and fall away. He taught them that, as important as rest and leisure are, these must sometimes be sacrificed to meet the even more important needs of others. The believer has no inalienable rights to personal freedom and benefits. Everything we have, including our own needs and rights,
should be expendable in serving others in Christ’s name (See 1 Cor. 9).

Jesus taught the disciples that, in meeting the physical needs of others, they were also to minister the truth of the kingdom. A “social gospel” that does not witness to men’s need for spiritual salvation through Christ is no gospel at all (See Gal. 1:6-9).

Jesus taught the disciples to do things in an orderly and careful manner, just as God does (1 Cor. 14:33, 40). Along with the lesson of orderliness was the even more important lesson of obeying the Lord even when the reason cannot be seen. The twelve were told to divide the multitude into groups of fifties and hundreds (Mark 6:40) before they knew the purpose for doing it. And after Jesus blessed the loaves and fish and handed them to the disciples, the food probably did not begin to multiply until it was distributed. The miracle became effective only as the disciples obeyed Jesus’ command.

Jesus also demonstrated God’s great generosity in providing enough food for every person to be fully satisfied, yet with an economy of stewardship that allowed no waste. Ours is a God of abundant providence, who does not give stingily. The ministry of God’s servants should also be characterized by giving without reserve or measure, considering the needs of others before our own. Before the disciples knew that food would be left for them, they obediently gave all they had to the multitudes. Just as the food did not begin to multiply until after the disciples started to distribute it, their own needs were not met until they had met the needs of others. The little bit of food Jesus handed to the disciples was far short of enough to feed even twelve men. It was one little boy’s lunch. But in obedience to Jesus, they gave away even what little they had.

The supreme lesson for the disciples was to learn to trust God to supply what seems impossible. Even after pondering all day over Jesus’ instruction for them to feed the crowd themselves, the thought of turning to Him did not enter their heads. Like most of us, they were still inclined to look everywhere but to Him, even after having experienced so many previous miracles. And within that lesson was the lesson that, although God is perfectly able to do His work without us and without what we have, He chooses to use us and our meager resources to magnify
His goodness and His power.

God’s plan of redemption involves the witness, the work, and the means of those who belong to Him. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord most fully manifests His power through our weakness and His abundance through our poverty (1 Cor. 1:26-29). God often uses the small things to greater effectiveness than the things that are thought to be the greatest and most promising.

As the song goes, “Little becomes much in the Master’s hand.” God used a baby’s cry to move the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter and a shepherd’s crook to work mighty miracles in Egypt. He used a boy and his slingshot to slay Goliath and rout the Philistine army. He used a poverty-stricken widow to sustain Elijah and a young girl to lead the leprous Naaman to Elisha. He used Balaam’s donkey to teach His truth and the jawbone of another donkey to slay a thousand men. He used a little child to teach His disciples humility, and He used one boy’s lunch to feed twenty-five thousand people.

 The faithful remnant was confirmed. Among the huge multitude were a few who had already trusted in Christ for salvation and who followed Him to the other side of the lake not to be healed or entertained but to be spiritually blessed. There were also those who sought and received salvation. The next day some of them asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” and begged, “Lord, evermore give us this bread” (John 6:28, 34). That elect remnant saw God’s divine power at work in Jesus and glorified Him. With their spiritual eyes they not only saw the crowds being fed but the Lord’s compassion being manifested. They saw Jesus’ great integrity and stewardship. He did not resort to spectacular demonstrations that mesmerized His audience, like so many charlatans and false healers have done and continue to do. They also saw a manifestation of the kingdom of God, because they saw the King Himself at work. They saw the King graciously minister to His subjects and even to those who would not have Him as their sovereign.

 The unbelieving rejecters were revealed. By far the greatest amount of soil on which the gospel of the kingdom fell that day was hard and thorny. Most of the people saw nothing more than what seemed an amazing feat of magic. They saw the human Jesus plainly, but they could not see the divine Son of God at all. They had their stomachs filled to a satisfaction they had never before experienced; but they did not have so much as a taste of the Bread of Life. They left physically filled but spiritually empty. Because they had received great light from God but preferred darkness, they went home further from Him and in greater sin than when they came. They came there for what Jesus could give them; but their self-indulgent, unbelieving hearts prevented them from receiving His greatest gift of all.

 (14:18-21) Ministering: the third essential for ministry is trusting Christ to use one’s resources.

1. The disciples’ duty is to bring his resources to Christ. Christ did not meet the need apart from the disciples’ resources. We have to bring our resources to Him if we are to see the needs of men met. Two facts are universally true: we are helpless in meeting the needs of men apart from God, and God is helpless without the commitment of His disciples.

No matter how little we may have, it is needed, and we are held responsible for bringing it to Christ. Christ wants disciples who will give what resources they have. It is the resources of His disciples, not angels, that God uses to show His love and His truth to others. Thus, for the cause of Christ and for the sake of the world, we must bring our resources to Christ and trust Him to effectively use them in meeting the needs of so desperate a world.

 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

 “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2).

 “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the lord thy God which he hath given thee” (Deut. 16:17).

 “Honor the lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase” (Proverbs 3:9).

 2.Jesus’ example of how our resources are to be used is threefold. (1) Christ took the resources given Him; (2) gave thanks; and (3) used the resources. He will always, without fail, do the same with whatever we give—if we will just give all that we have.

In these three acts Christ teaches how to use what resources we have.

a)   Take them: surrendering them to Christ and His purposes.

b)   Thank God: acknowledge Him as the source of the resources.

c)   Use them: giving all we have to those who are so hungry, lost, and in such desperate need throughout the world.

3. The disciples’ part in the ministry of the Lord was also threefold.
4. They had to share.
5. They had to save and demonstrate thriftiness, showing the glorious bounty of God. They had to be serving as an example of how resources should be used.
6. They had to observe the power of Christ themselves, ever learning and strengthening their own faith so that they could serve ever more forcibly in the future.

Christ did not heap up the bread all at once. The provision grew as it was distributed. It was in the breaking, in the use of the resource that it met the need of men. We must give what we have to Christ and then trust Him to multiply it enough to meet the need. Very simply, that is our part in meeting the needs of the world. We take what we have and do what we can, trusting Christ to multiply it enough to meet the need.

When we share what Christ gives, He fills everyone. There is enough, more than enough, and there is satisfaction. The needs of people are met. But it all depends upon one thing: our sharing. We must share what God gives.

Whatever we share, God multiplies. God can take a little and make it go a long way.