Last week, we saw Jesus send out the 12 to announce the nearness of The Kingdom, and to learn to depend completely and absolutely on the Father’s provision for their needs.
This week, we want to return to the middle of Jesus’ ministry, to the time when the disciples returned from their mission.
Picking up the story there, we find them with Jesus, recounting their experiences (Mark 6:30; Luke 9:10). Jesus had sent them with the authority to cast out demons and heal, as a means to validate their message of the Kingdom. Undoubtedly, they would have been telling stories about those encounters, the messages they preached, and the responses of the various cities.
This had to have been quite an experience. Being sent out to announce that Messiah was near. And then, being able to validate that message with the same kind of miracles that Jesus had been doing … wow. Not to mention that through it all, they got to watch the Father provide for their needs as they moved from town to town. No doubt, the disciples returned feeling fulfilled, yet exhausted.
Mixed with these amazing experiences was unsettling news. Herod had just beheaded John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-29).
So, put yourself in the disciples shoes – you have just returned from a ministry trip, excited but weary. You are grieved, and probably unsettled, by the news that John the Baptist, a central figure to your faith, was executed because the King’s wife didn’t like His message. In the midst of all this, there are so many people coming and going, that you don’t even have time to eat (Mark 6:31b).
Although the ministry has been good, you are feeling pretty depleted and Jesus’ invitation to go away to a secluded place to rest (Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:31; Luke 9:10) is more than welcome. You look forward to the chance to get away, and, rather than tend to the needs of others, to recharge a little yourself.
So, you all get in a boat, and head off across the Sea of Galilee.
Problem is, all these people see you, and figure out where your are going. When you get to the other side, there is a crowd waiting for you. 5000 men, plus women and children ( Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-14).
When Jesus sees them, He sees them as sheep with no shepherd, and is moved to compassion. He begins to teach them. Your vacation is going to have to wait.
As day moves toward dusk, the crowd seems oblivious to the fact that they are in an unpopulated area with no markets or inns. You and the other disciples urge Jesus to send them into the surrounding villages to find food and lodging for themselves.
We need to pause here to consider the irony of this.
The disciples had heard Jesus’ instructions in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34) – “Don’t worry about food and covering. Seek the Kingdom and the righteousness of God, and food and covering will be provided.” Yet it was not the disciples, but the crowd that had this mindset. They do not appear to be worried about food and covering. They are so drawn to Jesus that they seem unconcerned about these basic needs. On the other hand, the disciples feel that these priorities are misplaced and need to be reoriented back toward food and lodging.
Seems backward, doesn’t it?
To be fair to the disciples, we need to remember that they were weary and ready for a break. They were headed for a retreat, but instead encountered over 5000 people in desperate need. Perhaps their desire to send the crowds away was at least partly motivated by the hope that they could get some food and rest themselves.
Nevertheless, John tells us that Jesus used this situation to test the disciples (John 6:5). Rather than sending the crowd away, Jesus makes the disciples responsible for feeding them. Consider the weight of His words in Matthew –
“But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!””
(Matthew 14:16 NAS95)
Again, put yourself in their position. You’ve gone away for a little vacation, and now, suddenly, you have to serve dinner to 5000 men, not to mention women and children. Where would you come up with enough food for such a crowd?
The disciples reply that 200 denarii would not even begin to fill the need (John 6:7). A denarius was equivalent to one day’s wages for a soldier or day laborer. To put that in today’s terms, if we figure an 8 hour day at minimum wage (7.25/hr), it would work out to $11,648. And they had just returned from a trip where they took no money, food, or extra clothing. If you were them, where would you have come up with that much food?
All they could muster was two fish and five loaves of bread.
So, Jesus has them organize the crowd into groups of 50. Blessing the bread and fish, He begins to give it to the disciples, who, in turn, deliver it to the crowd. Remember, He has made them responsible for feeding the multitude.
Now how much food do you think a disciple could carry on each load? How many loads to feed a group of 50? How many groups of 50? How many times would each disciple have taken a basket of fish and bread from Jesus, to a group of 50, and then returned to Jesus for another load?
In the end, they not only fed the entire multitude, but fed them until they were completely satisfied. Jesus supplied them with so much that they had 12 baskets more than they needed.
Some time later, there was another, similar incident. A large crowd had gathered to Jesus, this time 4000 men, plus women and children (Matthew 15:29-38; Mark 8:1-10). They’ve been with Jesus three days, and He is concerned that they will faint if He sends them away. Again, the disciples don’t know where they could get enough food to feed such a crowd. This time, they are able to muster up seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. As before, Jesus blesses the food and begins to give it to the disciples, who distribute it to the multitude. And as before, not only is the crowd fully satisfied, but there is another surplus. There was more than enough by seven large baskets-full.
So, what were these miracles about?
Well, clearly, they were motivated by Jesus’ compassion for the multitudes. But there was also something that He expected the disciples to grasp from these experiences.
Soon after the feeding of the 4000, the Pharisees and Sadducees came to argue with Jesus and test Him (Matthew 16:1-12; Mark 8:11-21). They are looking for a sign, but Jesus refuses. He has already provided sufficient evidence that He is the Messiah (Matthew 11:1-6; Luke 7:18-23). The Pharisees and Sadducees should been able to read these signs (Matthew 16:2-3).
Leaving them, Jesus warns the disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus is warning against their teaching, but the disciples think that He says this because they have forgotten to bring any bread. This draws a sharp rebuke from Jesus. Their faith is not what it should be. All those trips carrying bread and fish from Jesus to feed the 5000 and, later, to feed the 4000, should have taught them that He would amply supply their physical needs.
They did not need to be concerned about what they would eat. Not only would they have enough for their own needs; He would provide more than enough so that they could share generously with others.