The Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish – John 6:1-15

It was an immense crowd in an isolated place. They were hungry, and there was no place to go for food.

A huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing by healing the sick… Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him… John 6:2-5 ESV.

I believe most Christians have heard, or at least know, the story of Jesus feeding five thousand. Maybe it was a pastor’s sermon or a Sunday school class.

There were over five thousand to feed that day because the recorder of this event only counted the men, not the women and children. Scholars estimated it to be more like fifteen or twenty thousand in total.

What’s the situation?

Jesus sees the situation, looks to Philip, and asks how to feed them because Philip is from this area. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Philip tells Jesus, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”

How do you feed such a large crowd?

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, could only share a young boy’s lunch of five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this crowd?

Matthew, Mark, and Luke also record the account of how Jesus fed the crowd. This is a significant event, and we do well to focus on what’s happening.

Jesus was compassionate, and now people recognized His power. All His miracles and signs were proof that He is who He says He is.

As we read about what happened that day by the Sea of Galilee (Tiberius), we become eyewitnesses to a great sign – a miracle that only the Son of Man could make happen.

Jesus knew these people. He had been moving from village to village, teaching and continually healing the sick. As he moved around, the people who followed Him multiplied until, on this day, there was now an enormous crowd.

Tell everyone to sit down.

The disciples were about to receive an unforgettable lesson.

Jesus is very wise. He needed the people to settle down and sit because it was necessary to bring order, or they might try to “rush” for the food. It helped that the disciples served the food.

Obediently, the disciples directed the crowd to sit down. Grass covered the ground. So the people sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. The arrangement was like a colorful garden plot.

The crowd waited, expecting something to happen. What was Jesus going to do at this late hour in an isolated place?

Emptying the Lunchbox

Meanwhile, up on the mountain, Jesus was handling the young boy’s lunch box.

What Jesus did next revealed the true heart of God.

All eyes were on Jesus. So, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, and showed his gratitude for God’s provision. The usual form of prayer from a pious Jew at the family table would have been, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who bringeth forth bread from the earth.”

Repeatedly, Jesus pulled more loaves and fish from the lunchbox. He gave it to the disciples, who in turn gave it to the crowd. I don’t know how long it took, but it took a while.

They all ate and were satisfied. Mark 6:42 NIV.

In the end, the disciples gathered twelve full baskets of the broken pieces of bread and fish. They wasted nothing. There was enough left over to feed the disciples later.

Lesson Learned?

What can we say? What can we learn from this miracle?

Many pastors have prepared sermons on God’s perfect provision, and I agree. Others have said our limited resources are enough. God can multiply whatever is offered to Him. This too would be right.

But something of note happens after the feeding of the five thousand men. They hoped to make Him king and start a revolt. They wanted someone to rule over them, feed them, and ensure they were safe from Roman rule.

This event was spiritual, not physical. They couldn’t see it for what it was. God didn’t send him to promote His kingdom by organizing a revolt against the existing establishment.

He refused to be taken by force. He was no political pawn.

After all this, He quietly left the area and hid up in the mountain until it was safe to come down.

Supply all our needs

After reading and re-reading this account, my overall takeaway is God’s provision. He sees our need and supplies us when and where He sees fit. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

We need only trust and obey. There’s no other way.

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Phil 4:19:20 NLT.