The miracle: V. 12. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost. V. 13. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
V. 14. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Incidentally, Jesus taught proper food conservation. He commanded that the disciples should pick up the small pieces that remained, the fragments, that nothing might go to waste. And when they did so, they filled twelve large wicker baskets or hampers, such as are used in the orient and elsewhere by gardeners for carrying fruit and vegetables on the back. The evangelist emphasizes that these fragments remained over and above that which had been eaten by the multitude.
There is a lesson for all times in this story, namely, that infinite resources do not justify waste. There is a far cry from being anxiously careful for the future and being careful of the gifts which God has given.
But the people did not draw the right conclusion from the miracle. They merely thought that this was "the beginning of that reign of earthly abundance which the prophets were thought to have foretold."
Some of them may have believed that Jesus was truly the Messiah, but the majority voiced their opinion in the statement that this man was of a truth, beyond doubt, that prophet that should come into the world, for they understood the words of Moses, Deuteronomy 18, 15, of a mere man, with the spirit and the power of Moses.
Note: There are many people in the midst of Christendom whose ideas concerning Christ are just as hazy as were those of the Jews on this occasion. It is only by continual study of the Bible that a full and clear understanding of the person and office of Jesus may be gained.