Jesus Provides!

⁴¹ Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, He kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. ⁴² They all ate as much as they wanted ⁴³ and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. ⁴⁴ A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves! Mark 6:41-44 (NLT)

The miraculous feeding of five thousand men along with women and children with five loaves and two fish is the only miracle (except Jesus’ miraculous resurrection) repeated in all four Gospels (see Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). The feeding was definitely a miracle (John 6:14). This miraculous feeding also gives some of the best insights into Jesus’ character and identity as God Incarnate (in human flesh) and Savior (Matthew 1:21, 23; John 1:1-5, 14 see also Colossians 1:15, 19). With this miracle, Jesus reveals His compassion, patience, goodness, grace, and mercy (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34; see also Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 15:32; Matthew 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13).

Jesus:  ¹⁰ “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. ¹¹ I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep. . . . ¹⁴ I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me, ¹⁵ just as My Father knows Me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice My life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11, 14-15 (NLT)

The miraculous feeding begins after Jesus and His disciples had returned from their evangelistic mission of preaching, teaching, and healing tour as they proclaimed the Kingdom of God (Matthew 10:9-15; Mark 6:8-13, 30; Luke 9:1-6, 10). Jesus and His disciples were very tired and weary, and they desperately needed rest (Mark 6:30-31). Jesus took His disciples to a secluded place so that they might rest after their labors (Mark 6:32; Luke 9:10). However, the crowds saw Jesus and His disciples and ran to them (Matthew 14:13-14; Mark 6:33; Luke 9:11). Huge crowds kept following Jesus wherever He went because they saw His miraculous signs as He healed the sick (John 6:2). In spite of His tiredness and weariness, Jesus welcomed the people. Jesus showed the crowd compassion and tender care instead of showing impatience at the interruption of His quiet time (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34; Luke 9:11). Jesus taught the people about the Kingdom of God (God's righteous rule in human hearts) and healed those who needed healing (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34; Luke 9:11). To Jesus, the crowds were as sheep without a Good Shepherd (Mark 6:34; see also Psalm 23:1; Ezekiel 34:4-5, 11-16; Isaiah 40:11; John 10:10-11, 14-15). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who provides all our needs so that we lack nothing!

³⁵ Late in the afternoon Jesus’ disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote place, and it is already getting late. ³⁶ Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” ³⁷ But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We would have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!” ³⁸ “How much bread do you have?” Jesus asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Mark 6:35-38 (NLT)

After Jesus’ preaching and healing, Jesus’ disciples came to Him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place” (Luke 9:12, NLT). However, Jesus said to His disciples, “You feed them” (Matthew 14:16; Mark 6:37; Luke 9:13). Jesus was not the kind of person who could teach the Word and then say to hungry and needy people, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed” (James 2:16, NIV). Essentially, Jesus put the needs of others ahead of His own needs by caring for the people physically and spiritually. Then, the disciples told Jesus, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish” (Matthew 14:17; Mark 6:38; Luke 9:13). Andrew had found the boy with five loaves and two fishes (John 6:8-9). In John’s Gospel, Jesus turned to Philip and asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (John 6:5, NLT). Jesus was testing Philip for He already knew what He was going to provide (John 6:6).

⁴¹ Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, He thanked God for the food. He divided the bread and gave it to His followers (disciples) for them to give to the people. Then He divided the two fish among them all. Mark 6:41 (NCV)

Next, Jesus instructed the hungry crowd to sit. Then, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up towards heaven, and thanked God for the food (Matthew 14:19; Mark 41; Luke 9:16). Blessing the food with thanksgiving was characteristic of Jesus (John 6:11, 23) and Jesus often looked up to heaven when He prayed (e.g. see also John 11:41-42; John 17:1). Note the prayer of thanksgiving to God occurred before the miracle. Jesus knew that the true and living God (His Father) is the Source of our daily bread (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3; see also Exodus 16:4) as well as all good and needful gifts (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13; James 1:17-18). After giving thanks to God for the five loaves and two fishes, Jesus broke the loaves into pieces and He kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people (Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16). The people numbered 5,000 men addition to women and children (Matthew 14:21; see also John 6:10). All the people ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers (Matthew 14:20; Mark 6:42; Luke 9:17; John 6:12-13). These pieces were carefully collected so that nothing was wasted (Mark 6:43; John 6:12).

⁵ Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” ⁶ That is why we can say without any doubt or fear, “The Lord is my Helper, and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me.” Hebrews 13:5-6 (TLB)

In a situation that looked impossible with human resources, Jesus revealed that nothing is possible when we look to God first with faith and thanksgiving for our help and our needs (Matthew 14:19; see also Matthew 6:33). Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37) and everything is possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23; Mark 10:27). This miraculous feeding reveal we must never allow our lack of resources blind us to seeing God’s miraculous power of providing all our needs (see 2 Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:20-21; Hebrews 13:5-6). We must do what you can with our time, talent and resources but we must always look to God with thanksgiving first for our help!  The miracle of multiplication is always in God’s hands! Instead of complaining about what we do not have, we must seek God first in prayer and thanksgiving for what we do have, and God will make our time, talent and treasure go farther. If we do all we can, God will step in and do the rest. Nothing is impossible for our all-powerful God! God can do the impossible. Faith in God is the key to miracles!

³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But you have not believed in Me even though you have seen Me. ³⁷ However, those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent Me, not to do My own will. ³⁹ And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is My Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. . . ⁴⁷ I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ Yes, I am the Bread of Life . . . ⁵¹ I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever . . .” John 6:35-40, 47-48, 51 (NLT)

Also, this miraculous feeding revealed Jesus’ tender care and compassion for those who are spiritually and physically in need (Mark 6:30-34; see also Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:22; Matthew 20:34; Mark 8:2). Jesus cares about the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those who faithfully trust and obey God (Hebrews 7:25). He does not ignore needs as Jesus is concerned with every aspect of our lives — the physical as well as the spiritual (see 1 Peter 5:7). Even more, Jesus calls His church as His shepherds to similar compassion for the needy – body, soul, and spirit. The hungry and needy do not need our pity; they need our compassion and our commitment to act to meet their needs. A needy world continues to wait the church to show unselfish compassion and faith to meet their needs. Jesus still says to His church: “You feed them” (Matthew 14:16; Mark 6:37; Luke 9:13; see also John 21:15–17). A hungry and desperate world is still feeding on empty substitutes while the church deprives them of the Bread of Life – Jesus! Jesus is the true living Bread of Life from heaven that satisfies all our physical and spiritual needs (John 6:33-40, 47-48, 51; see also Isaiah 55:1-7). Too often, we think that money is the real answer to our needs but the real answer is faith in God found in His Son, Jesus! Through faith in God found in His Son – Jesus, God, sends the Holy Spirit to help God’s people (John 14:16-17, 26). Whenever there is a need, give all that you have to Jesus and let Jesus do the rest. Jesus is a caring and loving King, who abundantly provides for God’s people.

The miraculous multiplication of food is reminiscent of the miracle of God supplying manna for Israel in the wilderness (see Exodus 16), and especially of Elisha multiplying food (2 Kings 4:42–44). Interestingly, the miraculous feeding is repeated at Matthew 15:32-39 and Mark 8:1-10 with similar details. The difference between the stories of the 5,000 is that the feeding of the 5,000 occurs with the Jews while the feeding of the 4,000 occurs in Gentile territory. These miracles give another vivid expression of the compassion and the miraculous power of Jesus. Most importantly, the miraculous feeding provides a foretaste of the Messianic feast of the banquet at the end of the age (see Matthew 8:11–12). The Messianic Kingdom with Jesus as King will be a place of lavish food because the earth will be blessed with fertility, and there will be limitless food and wine and a symbol of unbridled joy. These miracles were not just responding to people that were hurry and destitute but a foretaste of the Messianic Kingdom to come.

¹⁹ My God will use His wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need. ²⁰ Glory to our God and Father forever and ever! Amen. Philippians 4:19-20 (NCV)

References

Disciple's Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible, 1988).

Faithlife Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012).

Life Application Study Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005).

Life Essentials Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2011).

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008).

Loyd, Melton, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament. Due West Campus: Erskine Theological Seminary, 2015.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary (Victor Books, 1989).