Mark 6:30-44
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, 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.”
32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When 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.
35 By 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. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! 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.”
39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking 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 distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
Exposition
- All they had done and taught: The disciples were enthusiastic to report to Jesus the works they had done in His name (cf. 6:7-13; Luke 10:17-18). The joy and exhilaration that comes with doing the Lord’s work is unmatched. Many Christians do not experience this joy because they never purposely engage in doing the works of Jesus.
- Come with me… and get some rest: Jesus appointed the “twelve [first] that they might be with Him and [second] that He might send them out to preach” (3:14). Being with Jesus is more important than working for Jesus. This also shows Jesus’ care for His disciples, to give them rest for their souls (Matthew 12:28).
- A solitary place: Literally, a desert. This is the set up for many parallels of the Bible, including Israel’s wandering in the wilderness of Sinai where God provided manna for them (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
- He had compassion on them: The am ha’aretz had no true shepherds who cared for the welfare or loved them for their souls’ sake. As a result, they had probably little to no exposure to the Word of God (Amos 8:11). Jesus loved them and gave them truth to nourish their souls (Luke 4:18-19).
- You give them something to eat: Jesus’ solution to the hungry crowds was another opportunity for the disciples to do the works of Jesus. He tasked them with feeding this multitude; which, humanly speaking, was impossible. But this was a set up for the disciples and the hungry crowd to witness a miracle from heaven. This teaches us the practical lesson that we should take responsibility to help others in need. When you see a need, fill it. When you see a hurt, heal it. It also teaches us that God can take our little and make it much. Little is much when God is in it.
- Looking up to heaven, He gave thanks: Perhaps He uttered the prayer which many pious Jews pray over their bread, “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who bringeth forth bread from the earth.” No matter the size or the spread, a meal is blessed when received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3). Contrast this blessed banquet with the debauched and wicked affair of Herod and his officials in the previous section (6:14-29; cf. Proverbs 17:1).
- They all ate and were satisfied: Everyone had as much as they wanted; they were not left with the frustration of a half-met hunger. The Lord likewise has promised to fully satisfy every longing and need of the human soul (Matthew 5:6).
- Twelve basketfuls: The disciples’ had not even enough to feed themselves at the outset, but, having offered up what little they had to the Lord in the service of others, they left with more than enough.
John 6:32-35, 48-51
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
48 I am the bread of life.49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”