The feeding of the five thousand—the fourth sign of the Gospel—is the only miracle which appears in all four Gospels is found in John 6:1-15. When Jesus withdraws to a mountainside with his disciples, a large crowd follows him. There Jesus feeds over five thousand men (plus women and children?) with five barley loaves and two fishes. The feeding has several Old Testament parallels. Like the changing of water into wine at Cana, the miracle typifies the messianic banquet, God’s eschatological promise to feed and shepherd his people (Isaiah 25:6 -8; 65:13 -14). By feeding the people with God’s abundant provision, Jesus symbolically serves as the host of God’s end-times salvation.
6 Sometime 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 signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
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?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wagesto buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 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?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 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.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, 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.
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels. Jesus had crossed to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee at a time when the Jewish Passover feast was near. If we accept John 5:1 as a Passover, the reference in 6:4 would be the third Passover observance recorded in this Gospel.
This is one of those several examples in John where we see the miracle-message method of Jesus’ ministry. Paul told the Corinthians that Jews required a sign, and John reminded us that a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick(6:2). Some scholars estimate there may have been as many as seven thousand to ten thousand people, since verse 10 talks about five thousand men. Chapter 6 of the Book of John is about faith, but these people wanted food. Jesus talked about spiritual relationship, but the crowds were interested in physical showmanship. They focused on the lunch, not the love; on their bellies, not their beliefs.
This passage first centers on people in need. Starvation is a stark and unpleasant reality in our modern world. Yet the problem of spiritual hunger is even more severe. Like the people gathering on the mountainside in Galilee, millionstoday need the living bread that only Jesus can provide.
The introduction of the Passover is always significant in the chronological pattern of John’s Gospel. He contrasted the rejection in Jerusalem at the end of chapter 5 with the magnificent scene of thousands coming to hear Jesus speak on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. This body of water actually has four names in Scripture: The Sea of Galilee and the Sea of Tiberias both identified here in our text; the Lake of Gennesaret in Luke 5:1; and the Sea of Kinnereth (Numbers 34:11). Today it is generally called Lake Kinneret, but students of the Bible have difficulty calling it anything other than the Sea of Galilee.
The bread-and-water connection has ancient Israeli roots in the manna of the desert and water from the rock. The entire Exodus experience sets the historic basis for the Jewish Passover Feast. In Israel’s history, stories of food and water are indelibly attached to faith. From the tree of life in the garden, the rescue of Noah in the flood, and throughout their pilgrimage these two symbols are repeatedly rewoven into the fabric of God’s dealings with His people.
Remember that Jesus had been doing more miracles than the three John has recorded for us so far. Many people followed him because of their interest in his power and his teaching. This crowd would have been greatly enlarged because of the number of visitors to Palestine for the Passover. Jesus had led his disciples out to this solitary place to have some private teaching time with them, but the crowds followed. Mark tells us in his account that Jesus had compassion on them and taught them late into the day, and he also saw their need for food.
From a picture of people in need we move to a picture of the disciples in confusion. Philip’s reply is so typical of what we might say. He looked strictly at the human dilemma, considering only his own resources, and pronounced that the situation was hopeless. This whole inquiry was instigated by Jesus’ question: Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? It is typical of John to remind his readers that Jesus already knew what would happen next (verse 6). At first we wonder why Philip was singled out, but then we remember he was a native of Bethsaida, possibly the closest town. If a local convenience store had been open at that hour, Philip would have known about it. Nevertheless, Philip did a quick assessment of what it would cost for each one to have a bite!
But Andrew had a plan; this fellow-citizen of Bethsaida found a boy carrying a lunch consisting of barley loaves and fish. Like Philip, Andrew had no idea what use that pittance would be. John’s record offers so many interesting observations, not the least of which is that the two fish Andrew found were definitely small. The word opsarion is used only by John, and it emphasizes the insignificance of these tiny sardines.
Two things surface in this portion of our text. First, we see that Jesus Christ was all-sufficient for any need even when his disciples were in confusion. Second, the purpose of the miracle seems clear: to instruct the disciples, to lay a foundation for the sermon on the bread of life, and to feed hungry people.
Like Moses’ ancient rod, Samson’s donkey jawbone, and David’s sling, this simple lunch shows again that seemingly useless things can become important in Jesus’ hands. He alone is all-sufficient. Everyone was satisfied, and each disciple had his own personal basket of leftovers as a reminder of the Master’s power. The identification of the number of men appears in all four Gospels. We can only guess what the total number of people might have been. Some estimates reach as high as twenty thousand people. What a wonderful picture John paints of Jesus holding those five small barley loaves in his hands as he gave thanks. The verb is the word from which we get our word eucharist, though this was a simple mealtime blessing, not a religious ceremony.
But why the command to gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted? The ample provision is important, and surely a special focus on the role of the disciples. All of them probably doubted that anything could be done to feed this vast number of people. Philip and Andrew just happened to be on the spot to respond publicly.
Jesus can supply all our needs. And he often works miracles to provide for us physically. But there is always the need for faith and the intent to teach us to trust him for both physical and spiritual needs. As God provides for our physical needs, we should let down our defenses and allow him to put his arms around us and tame our sinful and rebellious spirits.
No one could deny the miracle, especially those who had enjoyed lunch. Many people were drawn back again to questions posed to John the Baptist in 1:21, particularly the reference to “that prophet” promised by Moses. But Jesus would have none of their political pressure brought on by full stomachs. He slipped again into the hills for rest and worship. Mark told us that he “dismissed the crowd” (Mark 6:45), and John told us that he withdrew again to a mountain by himself. He would be no political messiah hustled into battle with the Romans to regain Palestine for Israel.
This passage marks one of the high points of Jesus’ popular favor. Since the promise of Deuteronomy 18, the Jews had looked for another Moses, for the great Prophet sent from God. And who better to fulfill that prophecy than this Jesus who gave them a new kind of manna? But the crowd’s limited view of the prophet’s message and ministry seemed to exclude his spiritual mission. They had no understanding of suffering for sinners and death for forgiveness.
Jesus could not accept the popular movement to make him king. The people were ready to offer him worship, but it was false worship. This was one of the things Satan had promised during the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus’ own people wanting to make him king.