The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “The most pressing question on the problem of faith is whether a man as a civilized being can believe in the divinity136 of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, for therein rests the whole of our faith” (source unknown).

Perhaps no story in the Bible, other than the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, confronts us with this reality of our Lord’s deity more directly than the feeding of the five thousand. Only God could do what occurred on that remarkable day in Israel. This story, so popular and captivating for children—and yes, adults—is so important in the life and ministry of Jesus that it is the only miracle, outside of the resurrection, that is recorded in all four Gospels (Matt 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13). Mark also will record a second feeding miracle in 8:1-10, with four thousand men in attendance.

John 6:15 informs us that this miracle made such an impact on the crowd that they attempted to take Jesus “by force to make Him king.” Our Lord would refuse their advance and stay the course to the cross, as was His divine destiny.

Many lessons are contained in this story. We will structure our study in three parts.

Like Jesus We Should Find Rest from Ministry

Mark 6:30-32

Mark returns to the evangelistic mission of the Twelve (6:7-13), which had been interrupted by his account of the execution of John the Baptist (6:14-29). The “apostles,” the word here meaning sent-out “missionaries,” returned and rehearsed “all that they had done and taught” (v. 30). Jesus had sent them out, as He sends us out, with a job to do. They had experienced great success. When Jesus authorizes us and empowers us, we can anticipate God’s blessings in what we do. We must simply believe and go.

They now return to evaluate their successes as well as their failures. This was how our Lord mentored His men:

• Teach them.
• Send them out.
• Have them return.
• Report and evaluate.

I doubt we can improve on this model of discipleship and training.

Rejoice in God’s Blessings on Your Ministry (Mark 6:30)

They shared with the Lord “all that they had done and taught.” They had cast out many demons, healed many who were sick, and preached the gospel137 of repentance (6:12-13) just like John the Baptist (1:4) and Jesus (1:15). One can imagine their excitement as they shared what they had been able to do in His name and with His delegated authority (6:7). They had worked hard, putting in many long hours. Still the blessings and joys of ministry were evident.

Get Away for Some Rest and Relaxation from Your Ministry (Mark 6:31-32)

Some people “rust out” in ministry because they are lazy. Others “burn out” because they never take a break. Vance Havner says, “If we don’t come apart, we will come apart” (Jesus Only).

Jesus tells His apostles, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while” (v. 31; cf. vv. 32, 35). Why? So many were coming and going they could not even eat (cf. 3:20)! They need some “down time,” a “break in the action,” much-needed R & R. Jesus gives a command: “Rest for a while.” It was not a sin for them to take a brief sabbatical. It would have been a sin for them not to. The same is true for us! In fact, the greater the demands, the greater our need to find time alone with Jesus.

We can glean several practical insights. (1) There is a time to work (cf. John 9:4). Laziness has no place in the Christian life. (2) We should have periods of rest because Jesus tells us to. Being a workaholic is not spiritual and actually can be sinful. Some make ministry an idol. (3) Rest is best when accompanied both by solitude and companionship. (4) Rest is for a specific period of time. It is not permanent. (5) Even while resting, be prepared for ministry if necessary. A devoted follower of Jesus is never off duty.

Like Jesus We Should Have Compassion for Others

Mark 6:33-37

Often the Bible pictures our Lord as a Shepherd and us as His sheep. Jesus is the “Lord” who is “my shepherd” of Psalm 23. Jesus is the rejoicing Shepherd of Luke 15:4-6 who goes after the one lost sheep. Jesus is the “good shepherd” of John 10:11 who lays down His life for His sheep. Jesus is the “chief Shepherd” of 1 Peter 5:4 who honors His servants. Jesus is the “great Shepherd” of Hebrews 13:20. Jesus is the Shepherd Lamb of Revelation 7:17 who guides us to springs of living water.

We, on the other hand, are stupid sheep who cannot take care of ourselves and cannot save ourselves. Dietrich Bonhoeffer understands the desperate situation “human sheep” face without a shepherd: “There were questions but no answers, distress but no relief, anguish of conscience but138 no deliverance, tears but no consolation, sin but no forgiveness” (Garland, Mark, 258). We desperately need a shepherd, One who is compassionate and able to provide for us and protect us. We need a Shepherd Savior.

People Have Spiritual Needs We Should Address (Mark 6:33-34)

The people saw Jesus and the disciples leaving and ran ahead of them. When Jesus and the disciples went ashore, already “He saw a huge crowd.” Was He angry? Frustrated? Depressed? No. First, He “had compassion on them.” He was deeply moved, and His heart went out to them. Second, He saw them “like sheep without a shepherd.” The spiritual leaders of Israel had become hirelings (cf. John 10:12-13; Ezek 34:1-24!). The nation of Israel was lost, helpless, without guidance, malnourished, and lacking protection. Third, “He began to teach them many things” (cf. 1 Pet 5:2).

In the wilderness Moses pleaded with the Lord to raise up a leader “that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd” (Num 27:17). God raised up Joshua in anticipation of the greater Joshua named Jesus. In Ezekiel 34 the Lord rails against the evil shepherds who have neglected and abused the people. He promises, “I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them.... I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them” (Ezek 34:23-24). That Davidic Shepherd King has now appeared in Jesus. Now when the people are once again lost in the wilderness, “a desolate place,” the Good Shepherd Jesus has arrived to spiritually guide them and feed them by His Word. His compassion moves Him to meet their greatest needs, their spiritual needs, and their other needs as well.

People Have Physical Needs We Should Address (Mark 6:35-37)

Jesus cares for our souls and our spiritual needs. He said, “For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life?” (8:36). However, He also cares for our body and our physical needs. In Matthew 25:31-46 He tells us to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, give rest to the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit prisoners. There is no social gospel, but there are social ministries that are the natural outgrowth of the gospel. As Jesus had compassion for spiritual and physical needs, so should we. The hour is now late. The disciples bring this to Jesus’ attention and actually command Him to “send [the people] away” so they can “buy themselves something to eat.” The tone of their request may be a bit harsh, but we can certainly understand the logic of it. Further, the people are becoming something of a nuisance.

139The number of men present was five thousand. Add women and children and the number may have been between 15, 000 and 20, 000! This makes Jesus’ response all the more outlandish: “You give them something to eat.” The Twelve say, “Send them off,” and Jesus says, “Feed them.”

God wants us to have compassion on those in need, and He wants us involved in their lives meeting both spiritual and physical needs. We indeed minister to the whole person. That’s what Jesus did.

Like Jesus We Should Seek to Meet the Needs of Others

Mark 6:37-44

It is one thing to recognize a legitimate need. It is another to do something about it (cf. Jas 2:14-17).

At first blush Jesus’ command to feed them seems unreasonable, even insane. Still the disciples give it their best shot. Full of unbelief, they at least obey the instructions of their Master, and they will actually participate in one of the Lord’s greatest miracles.

Do What Only You Can Do (Mark 6:37-40)

Given a command to feed the people, the apostles do a quick cost assessment. They calculate it would take two hundred denarii—eight months’ wages—to feed the crowd. They do not have that kind of money. Strike one! Jesus then asks them what they have. They quickly survey the crowd: five loaves and two fish. John 6:9 teaches us these sardines and crackers were given by a young boy. So all they have is the lunch a mother would pack for her boy. This is strike two!

The disciples obeyed, and this is all they were able to do. Their problem was now clearly beyond their resources. If Jesus does not intervene, then it’s not going to happen. But He does intervene. He commands them to get organized, so in obedience they sit down by groups of fifties and hundreds (cf. Exod 18:21). Now let the party begin!

Trust Jesus to Do What Only He Can Do (Mark 6:41-42)

God loves to demonstrate His power and sufficiency in our lives. Often He allows problems to invade our lives that are far beyond our abilities or resources to handle. Why? He wants us to look to Him. Warren Wiersbe is exactly right: “Jesus looked at the situation, not as a problem, but as an opportunity to trust the Father and glorify His name” (Be Diligent, 65).

Jesus now serves as the Host of a messianic banquet. The desolate place becomes a place of plenty. As Moses met Israel’s physical needs with manna140 and quail, a greater Moses, who is not only the “good shepherd” (John 10:11) but also the “bread of life” (John 6:35), will now feed His people with an abundant feast unlike any they have ever known.

He took the five loaves and two fish and blessed it. Perhaps He prayed the common table prayer of the Hebrews: “Praise be to you, O Lord our God, King of the world, who makes bread to come forth from the earth, and who provides for all that you have created” (Edwards, Mark, 192). Then He broke it into pieces and distributed it through the disciples to the people.

“And they all ate and were satisfied.” None left hungry. His compassion is overflowing. His provision is satisfying.

Recognize That a Little Can Become a Lot with Jesus (Mark 6:43-44)

Following the banquet, the leftovers were gathered. It was 12 small baskets full, one for each of the apostles. Where we see a lack, Jesus sees abundance. Where we see human problems, He sees and accomplishes divine possibilities. A little can become a lot with Jesus!

Sally Lloyd-Jones writes, “The Bible is not a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a story.... You see, the best thing about this story is—it’s true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling the one big story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them” (Storybook Bible, 17). Jesus showed His love and came to the rescue in a desolate place to feed the five thousand. He showed His love and came to the rescue in a lonely place on a hill called Calvary. There is a great hero in the Bible. He is our God. He is our Rescuer. He is our Shepherd. He is our Savior. He is Jesus.

Spurgeon said, “Come, then, weary hungry sinner. You have nothing to do but to take Christ.... Open your mouth and receive the food! Faith to receive what Christ provides is all that is needed” (Spurgeon’s Sermons, 21:1218).

Isaiah 40:11 says, “[The Lord] protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment.” Let Him gather you. Let Him carry you.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What do you think was Jesus’ purpose in having the apostles report about their mission? What benefit is there in sharing failures with a group? What benefit in sharing successes?
2. Do you have a tendency to work too much or too little? When Jesus invited the disciples to come away to a remote place, what does that say about the balance of work and rest?
3. 141What would be your ideal timing for periods of rest? What kind of activity in what kind of place restores your spiritual energy and equips you to resume ministry with renewed vigor?
4. How is a spiritual sabbatical different from a vacation? Can the two be combined?
5. Have there ever been times that you were so tired you seemed to have no compassion? What is the remedy for this deficiency?
6. Are peoples’ “felt needs” sometimes different from what they really need? How can you determine what are the real needs of the people to whom you minister?
7. How can we meet the physical needs of people without turning our ministry into a “social gospel”? How can we advance the gospel of salvation without neglecting the physical needs of people? How is the response of the crowd a warning for us (John 6:15, 26-27)?
8. How did Jesus keep the feeding of the five thousand from being a mere social gospel? Was the miracle for the benefit of the crowd or for the disciples (see Mark 8:16-21)?
9. Have you ever known of a situation where the resources and manpower were clearly inadequate to complete the ministry task that God had unquestionably assigned? What happened?
10. What are some events that have brought you the most spiritual encouragement and prompted the most praise to God? Do these often arise out of impossible challenges?