Event 1 – The Feeding of the 5,000
Text: Matthew 14:13b-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:10b-17; John 6:1-13
K Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to heat J Jesus K said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
So L he took them with him and K they went away by themselves in a boat J to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), L to a town called Bethsaida, K to a solitary place. But L the crowds learned about it and K many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. J because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.
Then Jesus K landed and J went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, L He welcomed them and K had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things L about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
K By this time it was late L in the afternoon K so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send L the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, K and buy themselves something to eat.”
But he answered, M “They do not need to go away. You give K them something to eat.” L And J he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” K Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
“How many loves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”
When they found out, J Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, M “Bring them here to me,” K Then Jesus L said to his disciples, “Have K all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.” L the disciples did so.
J There was plenty of grass in that place, K and everybody K sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. L Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke K the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people J as much as they wanted. K He also divided the two fish among them all.
J When they had all had enough to eat, L and were satisfied, J he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves K and fish L that were left J over by those who had eaten. K The number of M those who ate was about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Comments and Commentary by JB Myers and Lonnie Davis
So he began teaching them many things – Notice that Jesus teaches them because of their persistence. When he and his disciples tried to escape the crowds, they continued to follow. To learn the truth, a person must first desire the truth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages – The disciples were proposing something Jesus was unwilling to do. Seeing the people in need, the disciples proposed letting the followers fend for themselves. Jesus knew this would be difficult, if not impossible. Jesus handles the problem instead of ducking the problem. To be fair to the disciples, they did not know how to solve the problem and Jesus did.
He asked this only to test him – Jesus does not ask questions in Scripture because he does not know something. John tells us his question was for the benefit of the one he asked.
Jesus was not tempting the disciples but testing them. Obedience to God’s commands is always a test of our faith in him. Moses said to the Israelites, “God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (Exodus 20:20). In the Old Testament, God would test men like Abraham in order to prove and strengthen their faith. “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice” (Hebrews 11:17). Earlier in the gospel of John, the disciples had witnessed Jesus providing wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11). The test is whether they believe he will provide now.
Through testing, our faith can be refined and made stronger. The Bible also says a test is not a temptation. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (James 1:13-14).
Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish – Even a little is plenty when God is in the plan. Any old atheist can count heads and then count fish and see if there is enough to feed the crowd. A Christian ought to count, but most of all count on God.
Five thousand men – He did not feed just 5,000, but rather 5,000 men plus women and children. Certainly that was many thousands more.