Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

John 6:1-15

Key Verse 11

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated
as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

This fourth sign-miracle points to Jesus as the One who came from heaven to give life to the world (Jn 6:33). He is the incarnation of the Word of life whose crucified flesh provides life-giving nourishment.

We are encouraged to participate with Jesus in feeding God’s flock by distributing the Bread of life to them.

1. Read verses 1-4.

ANSWER:

Jn 6:1-4  Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),  2  and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.  3  Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.  4  The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

The account of this miracle of feeding the five thousand is recorded also in Mat 14:13-21, Mk 6:32-44, and Luk 9:10-17. Apostle John has a different point to reveal in his account of this miracle than the other evangelists and he adds a few details which they omitted.

Where and when did this event take place? (1,4)

ANSWER:

Jn 6:1  Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),

Jn 6:4  The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

Where:
The place to which he went was the “far shore” of the Sea of Galilee (see map below). This may have been near a second town on the lake called Bethsaida.

Why:
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to find a quiet place to have some rest (Mk 6:31). This was after the disciples returned from their mission journey (Luk 9:10). Jesus probably wanted solitude in order to rest in prayer after the news had reached him of the beheading of John the Baptist (Mat 14:12-13).

When:
The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

Only one year was left before Jesus’ crucifixion. One year had passed (possibly) since the event in John 5.

The Passover looks back to the night when the Israelites feasted on the lamb (Exo 12).

The mention of the Passover also looks forward to the last supper of Jesus.

“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."” (1Co 11:23-24)

Jesus knew that the time was approaching for him to offer his body on the cross so that all men might eat of it by faith and live.

Why had the crowd followed Jesus? (2) 

ANSWER:

Jn 6:2  and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.

Because they saw his miracles.

They saw that he had the power to supply their wants and they therefore followed him.

2. Read verses 5-7.  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:5-7  When 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?"  6  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.  7  Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, what did he ask Philip? (5)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:5  When 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?"

(See the above underlined text.)

They were not hungry yet, but he knew their need and wanted to provide for their needs. 

Jesus withdrew to have some rest (Mk 6:31). But now a great crowd was coming toward him. Yet here he talks about how to serve the needs of the great crowd. We see no indication of impatience and reluctance in his response but rather compassion (Mat 14:14).

What did Jesus have in mind to do? (6,11)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:6  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Jn 6:11  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Jesus had in mind to feed the crowd as much as they wanted with five loaves and two fish.

In what sense was his question a test for Philip? (6)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:6  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

He wanted to see if Philip had faith in him – if he had faith that Jesus could feed the crowd. His purpose was not to have Philip solve the problem, but to realize that, humanly speaking, there was no solution.

Jesus did not tell him that it was a “test”. Plus, he asked him in verse 5, “Where shall we BUY bread for these people to eat?” This question is tricky because of the word "buy". This is how it is for us. This life is the school of faith where we receive pop-quizes and tests. And God is throwing all kinds of tricky, tough problems at us and yet, on the surface it does not appear that this is a test.

This is yet another allusion to the Exodus. The Lord Jesus tested Philip, just as God tested Israel in the desert (Deu 8:2). In verse 4, the Passover is referred to. In verse 3, the mountainside where Jesus went up alludes to Mount Sinai. More of these allusions are yet to come in this chapter.

By means of these allusions, Jesus is presented as the Prophet who is like Moses whom God promised to send in Deu 18:18 (see also Acts 3:22). Yet he is also portrayed as one greater than Moses (Jn 1:17).

What does Philip’s answer show about him? (7)

ANSWER:

Jn 6:7  Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

He was a man of calculation, not faith. Philip's knowledge of the situation was accurate and impressive, but his knowledge was useless in getting the problem solved. Philip thought in terms of money and how much money it would take to carry out God's work. 

3. Read verses 8-9.  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:8-9  Another 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?"

How did Andrew respond to Jesus’ question? (8-9)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:8-9  Another 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?"

(See the above underlined text.)

Five small barley loaves and two small fish were all Andrew could find in the crowd.

Only John’s Gospel informs us that these loaves were of barley. Barley loaves were the ordinary food of the poorest in Palestine. 

What can we learn from Andrew?  

ANSWER:

We should go and look for what we have rather than focusing on the enormous size of our problem and what we do not have. 

God does not despise our small ‘five loaves and two fish’ offering. Rather, he begins with what we have. He takes what we bring to him and multiplies it (2Kgs 4:43; Jdg 6:14; 1Ki 17:8-16; Exo 4:1-3; 2Ki 4:1-7; 1Sam 17:40).

Great faith is not required. Andrew’s faith was small. He said, “...but how far will they go among so many?” Nevertheless, Jesus accepted and used what Andrew offered.

(Note: Jesus does not respond directly to Andrew’s question “how far will they go...”but he seems to say here by his action, ‘I will show you how far they will go…Have the people sit down’.)

What is the difference between Philip and Andrew?

ANSWER:

Andrew had faith but Philip was thinking only on the physical level. Philip, as a man of figure and practicality, put his mental calculator to work and concluded that the situation was hopeless. But Andrew somehow responded to Jesus’ question with his searching. He might have felt embarrassed before other disciples when he actually brought five loaves and two fish. 

4. Read verses 10-13.  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:10-13  Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.  11  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.  12  When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."  13  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

How and why did Jesus cowork with his disciples? (10)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:10  Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.

Jesus told the disciples “Have the people sit down”. The verb “sit down” literally means “recline”. Reclining was the typical posture at a meal in that culture. So, Jesus was telling the disciples to prepare the people to eat. 

This was a further test of their faith. How hard it was for the disciples to have more than 5,000 hungry people sit down when there was nothing to feed them with. They could only do this believing that Jesus was about to give them something to give to the people to eat. And having the people recline for a meal may have required persuading them that a meal was about to be served. 

It was springtime (the Passover was near) and the hillsides were carpeted with green grass. 

It is beautiful that he used the disciples. He didn’t need to use them since he even had almighty power to make bread and fish appear before the people from out of thin air. But he desired to use his disciples. 

Jesus administered everything in an orderly way. Mar 6:40 reads, “So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.” This was necessary to stabilize the crowd so that there would not be a rush for the food. Having the people organized into groups also facilitated serving them with the food. Creation shows us that God is a God of order and organization.

What did Jesus do with the five loaves and two fish? (11)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:11  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

(See the above verse.)

The scene alludes to the last supper meal where Jesus explicitly taught that his sacrifice was represented by the broken bread and drink. On that occasion, Jesus also 1) took the loaves, 2) gave thanks, and 3) distributed it.

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."  27  Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  28  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mat 26:26-28)

Jesus is portrayed here as the Word who became flesh to be our bread of life. He came to give his body on the cross so that all men might eat of it by faith as manna from heaven and live (Jn 6:51).

The broken pieces were “distributed to those who were seated” by Jesus through the help of his disciples (Mat 14:19b; Luk 9:16; Mk 6:41). The disciples received the loaves and fish from Jesus’ hand and carried them to the multitude until all of them were filled. 

In the book of Acts, we see how Jesus distributed his life-giving sacrifice to thousands through the Spirit-filled preaching of his apostles. 

We are encouraged to participate with Jesus by having people sit down (recline) on the green grass with the anticipation of being fed. We are encouraged to listen to the words of our Lord Jesus and receive from him his bread of life to distribute to his flock who are seated.

People must be prepared for the meal and sit down. The activities of the flesh must come to an end if the Bread of life is to be received.

The miracle may have taken place in the hands of Jesus as he broke off pieces of the barley loaves and fish. It may also have happened as he kept reaching into the little box where the boy had his lunch so that the food simply kept on supernaturally multiplying within the box. In this respect, it resembles the miracle of the widow’s oil and flour in the Old Testament (1Ki 17:8-16).

Jesus “gave thanks”. Here he teaches us to acknowledge God as the one who provides the true bread to satisfy the need of our soul.

Jesus distributed to them “as much as they wanted”. The supply stopped only with the demand (2Ki 4:6). The stream of bread flowed on in rich abundance until all were filled. This is grace. This is what Jesus does to all his people.

What does verse 12 reveal about Jesus?  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:12  When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."

Jesus is represented as the Passover Lamb whose flesh was to be entirely consumed (Exo 12:10; Deu 16:4b).

Christ’s great sacrifice should not be taken lightly but be regarded as precious (Heb 10:29).

Jesus is shown as having power to supply the needs of all with abundance remaining.  Jesus’ fullness is exhaustless (Jn 1:16). Christ’s grace and power is more than enough to supply the necessities of the whole world.

Why did he say “Let nothing be wasted"?

ANSWER:

Though Jesus had power to provide any quantity of food, yet he has here taught us that the bounties of his providence are not to be squandered.

What we have is the gift of God. It is not given us to waste but to sustain life and to make us fit for the active service of God. Everything should be applied to its appropriate end.

Jesus wanted the disciples to benefit from their service. In this way, he provided the next day's food for them (Mk 8:19).

They ended up with much more than what they started with. They started with five and two fish, but ended up with twelve basketfuls, one for each disciple. Hence, the command, “You give them something to eat” (Mat 14:16) may feel burdensome; the life of serving the true Bread to others may seem like a losing business. But the truth, as shown here, is that it is a wise investment – a spiritually enriching business. We will receive from our Lord Jesus way more than what we give to others.

5. Read verses 14-15.  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:14-15  After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."  15  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

How did the people respond to this event? (14)  

ANSWER:

Jn 6:14  After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."

(See the above underlined text.)

The people recognized Jesus as the Prophet (Deu 18:18).

Again, we see the similarities between this passage and that of the Exodus. The crowds think of Jesus as being a prophet like Moses in the sense of Jesus being a bread provider for them like Moses was (Exo 16:4; Jn 6:30-31).

Why did Jesus refuse to be king? (15)?

ANSWER:

Jn 6:15  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

He did not come to be a bread king. Men might have been flattered by this but Jesus rejected it. In no way did he encourage this. Men are fond of external splendor and power. But Jesus rejected it and sought profound humility. Jesus came, not to be a king who serves their flesh desires, but to be the king who delivers them from their flesh desires.

Jesus escaped these crowds only temporarily for they were determined to find him – they were determined to get bread. They were surely going to catch up to him later as we will see (25).

The synoptic gospels inform us that Jesus immediately “dismissed the crowd” after feeding them (Mat 14:22; Mk 6:45). How did Jesus do this if they were determined to make him king by force? He did it by supernatural power – the same power through which he cleared the temple in Jn 2:15-17. The crowds obeyed the voice of our Lord, as did the wind and the sea when Jesus calmed the storm (Mk 4:39) and as the invalid did when he got up, picked up his mat, and walked upon hearing Jesus’ command (Jn 5:8-9).

Though the people reached a proper conclusion about Jesus, they immediately reacted in a very improper way. They were not ready to follow Jesus as the Messiah; they wanted only to use him; they wanted God to work for them according to their program and their schedule.

These were poor peasant people; they lived from hand to mouth. But the problem was that they were unspiritual; they were sensitive only to their physical need and thought that having Jesus as their bread king would solve the most urgent problem of their life. 

Men often attempt to dictate to God, and suppose that they understand what is right better than he does.

In this period of economic instability, people want job security. Faith in God as our provider should rule in our hearts rather than fear (Mat 6:31-33).

The people supposed that the Messiah was to be a temporal prince; their idea of Messiahship was political and earthly, rather than spiritual.

The people were not spiritual at all. They are just like those who come to church only hoping to get some earthly selfish benefit rather than to come to know Jesus as their spiritual king (Php 3:19).

Jesus escaped the crowd and went up on a mountainside to pray (Mat 14:23; Mk 6:46). He now secured the spiritual rest in prayer he had been seeking earlier that day.

 Map created by Bible Mapper version 3.0 by David P. Barrett. (C) 2005-2008 (http://www.biblemapper.com). No copyright restrictions are placed on any maps created with Bible Mapper.

 Was the location of the miracle Bethsaida Julias on the north side of the lake? Luk 9:10 indicates that the miracle took place at Bethsaida. Mk 6:45, however, says that this was the name of the town where the disciples went after the miracle. Furthermore, Jn 6:22 says that this miracle took place on the “opposite shore of the lake” relative to Capernaum. And the boat went through “the middle of the lake” while crossing over to the other side, Mk 6:47. All this would lead us to the suspect that there was probably a second town called Bethsaida (“house of fishing”) on the south side of the lake where this miracle happened. The following suggests that the second Bethsaida was near Tiberias: “There is a question as to the locality of the miracle. St Luke says (ch. ix. 10) that Jesus "went aside privately into a desert place belonging to a city called Bethsaida." St Mark (ch. vi. 45) describes the disciples as crossing to Bethsaida after the miracle. The general inference has been that there were two Bethsaidas; Bethsaida Julias, near the mouth of the Jordan (where the miracle is usually said to have taken place), and another Bethsaida, mentioned in the parallel passage in St Mark and possibly John i. 44. But the Sinaitic MS. omits the words in italics from Luke, and at John vi. 23 reads, "When, therefore, the boats came from Tiberias, which was nigh unto the place where they did eat bread." If these readings be accepted, the scene of the miracle must be placed near Tiberias; the Bethsaida of Mark, to which the disciples crossed, will be the well-known Bethsaida Julias, and the other supposed Bethsaida will disappear even from the researches of travellers.” (Rev. A. Carr, M.A., The Gospel according to st. Matthew, with maps, notes, and intr., Pg 123)

 Here it is Jesus who takes up the matter of feeding the multitude but, in the synoptics, it is the disciples who raise the problem with Jesus, “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."” (Mat 14:15; Mk 6:35-36; Luk 9:12). The synoptic gospels begin their account of the event when evening came. John’s gospel describes what happened when evening came starting in verses 8, but only after informing us that Jesus raised the issue earlier in the day.

 “Indeed, barley-bread was, almost proverbially, the meanest. Hence, as the Mishnah puts it, while all other meat-offerings were of wheat, that brought by the woman accused of adultery was to be of barley, because (so R. Gamaliel puts it), ‘as her deed is that of animals, so her offering is also of the food of animals.’ [Sotah. ii. 1.]”  (Alfred Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus, Pg 969)

 It comes from the Greek word αναπεσειν (G377) which means, “to fall back, i.e. lie down, lean back”. (Jonathan Kristen Mickelson, Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries) Verse 10a in the AMP reads, “Jesus said, Make all the people recline (sit down).”

 “According to Midrash Rabbab Ecclesiastes 1:9, “As the former redeemer caused manna to descend... so will the latter Redeemer [the Messiah] cause manna to descend.” If this expectation was present at the time of Jesus, the messianic views of the crowd would be all the clearer.” (Rodney A. Whitacre, John, Pg 156) “So Midras Coheleth;  "The former redeemer caused manna to descend for them;  in like manner shall our latter Redeemer cause manna to come down;  as it is written,  'There shall be a handful of corn in the earth,'  Psa 72:16."” (John Lightfoot, Commentary of the NT from the Talmud and Hebraica., on John 6:31).