Anchor My Faith

Jesus Provides the Food

Scripture: Matthew 14:21; Mark 6:39-41; Luke 9:13; John 6:8-9, 11-13

We ended the previous lesson with Jesus asking the disciples how many loaves they found among the people. ^{Jn 6:8} “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹ “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many – ^{Lk 9:13} unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”’ There are several interesting things about the answer Andrew gave. Was the boy there alone, maybe sent by his parents to learn from Jesus and then report back? Having barley loaves indicates that he is from a poor family because the wealthier preferred wheat bread. The fish the boy had were probably dried or preserved, possibly pickled.

I can imagine that there was more food scattered among the people, but not enough for everyone to end the day with a good meal. Having the boy’s barley loaves and fish, Jesus ^{Mk 6:39} “commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. ^{Jn 6:11} (Now there was much grass in the place.) ^{Mk 6:40} So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.”

Commanding them to sit down in groups on the green grass, reminds one of Psalm 23:2 (ESV): “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Dividing them up into groups of hundreds and fifties is what Moses did with all the people under his command: Ex 18:24 “So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”

Assuming 20,000 people in groups of 50 would result in 400 groups; 100 to a group will result in 200 groups. With the people assembled in groups of 50 or 100, Jesus ^{Mk 6:41} “taking the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all, ^{Jn 6:11} as much as they wanted.”

Having the loaves and fish in hand, Jesus said a blessing, but we aren’t told what he said. He broke the loaves into pieces, but nothing is said about when the pieces multiplied. Consider this possibility. Jesus divided the five loaves and the two fish into enough pieces to give each disciple one piece of each. As each disciple goes to one-twelfth of the groups they leave their piece of bread and fish with the group. As they do it might then multiply into enough to feed the group or multiply as they have further need. As this is happening, maybe the piece they gave away is replaced with another for the disciples to give to the next group. Imagine the impact of setting a small piece of bread before a group of 50 or 100 people and they watched the small piece of each grow into enough loaves and fish to feed them with all they wanted. Imagine what this might have meant to the disciples.

With a supply of bread and fish at each group, the people ate as much as they wanted ^{Jn 6:12} “And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. ^{Mt 14:21} And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” After the people had eaten, Jesus had the disciples take a basket (I wonder where they came from) and go around to the groups and pick up the leftovers, providing each disciple with a full basket of food.

There are a few verses left in this section, but we will not try to fit them into this lesson. We will leave them until the next lesson and maybe have a short lesson.

Conclusion

Imagine the affect it would have had on your life if you were there and saw the bread and fish multiple and then ate it to see if it tasted like the original. How do you think that would have affected your relationship with Jesus? Before you answer that question, you should walk the gospel path with us to the end and see if you are one of the many that turned away to have Jesus crucified or were you among the few that believed in him and found eternal life in him?