Mark 6:30-44
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
37But he answered, "You give them something to eat."
They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages[a]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"
38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."
When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish."
39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42They all ate and were satisfied, 43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
Jesus feeding the five thousand is a miracle in everyone of the gospels...
Earlier Jesus had sent out the Twelve to go to village to village to tell of the good news...When they returned the apostles gathered around Jesus and told them what they had done and taught, their successes and their failures...Jesus, was becoming increasingly popular...His Twelve disciples we also becoming more known...People we coming and going around Him and His Twelve that they all sought His spiritual food...The people followed Him with such a curiosity and passion that did not even take time to eat...
But Jesus knows His disciples had been on the road for days...So He and the Twelve went away by boat to be in a solitary place...Jesus knew the Twelve needed to rest and unwind after their mission...The people watched the group take off in the boat and many of them tried to follow them...Many, more people, along the banks of the lake recognized them and added to the crowds that were following and went ahead of them where they would come ashore...When Jesus and the Twelve landed He had great compassion for them...He saw them as lost sheep without their shepherd...He was their shepherd and is our shepherd...So He began teaching the people...
After His teaching, it was late...They had followed Him to this remote, solitary place...They had had no food that day, because of their zeal to follow Him...In this remote place, the disciples said we must send them away, so they can go to a nearby village, to find something to eat...But Jesus tells the Twelve, "You give them something to eat"...The disciples told Him it would take eight months wages to feed the crowd that was still there...Jesus ask if there was any food among them... The disciples found five loaves of bread and two fish...
Jesus organized the large crowd...He ask them to sit down on the green grass in groups of fifty and on hundred...He took the loaves and the fish and looked up to heaven and gave thanks and broke the bread...A miracle happened...His prayer was answered...The five loaves and the two fish were enough to feed all the five thousand...
He fed the five thousand and they had twelve basketfuls of bread and fish left...The people all did eat, and everyone was satisfied...The disciples picked up the leftovers.... Jesus teaches us not to waste our daily bread and the things God blesses us with...Jesus is our teacher, our mentor, who has compassion for our spiritual needs, but also our physical needs...Jesus is the bread of life...
God tests us, as did Jesus here, when He said, "You give them something to eat"...The disciples like us, don't know what to do in difficult and impossible situations...They learned to trust in the LORD...We know here that prayers are answered...The LORD is willing and able to provide...