Feeding the Five Thousand
TRANSLATION
(10) And when they returned, the apostles reported to him all that had taken place. And Jesus withdrew with them to a town called Bethsaida. (11) But when the crowds heard of it, they followed him, and he welcomed them. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God and cured those who needed healing. (12) Late in the afternoon, the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so that they may go into the villages and countryside and find food, for we are in a remote area.” (13) He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they responded, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we go and buy food for everyone,” (14) for about five thousand men were there. He said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” (15) And this they did so that everyone sat down. (16) And he took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, he blessed them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to the disciples to distribute to everyone. (17) And everyone ate and was satisfied. And what was left over filled twelve baskets with broken pieces.
OBSERVATIONS
This passage is filled with significant numbers: twelve disciples…five loaves and two fish…five thousand men…groups of fifty each…twelve baskets of broken pieces. Repeated words included “crowd(s)” (three times in vss. 11, 12, & 16), “five loaves and two fish” (vss. 13 & 16), “eat/ate” (vss. 13 & 17), and “sit down” (vss. 14 & 15).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus met the spiritual needs of the multitude by teaching them. (10 & 11)
II. Jesus met the physical needs of the multitude by healing and feeding them. (12-17)
IDEA STATEMENT
By meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of the multitude, Jesus established his identity as Israel’s Messiah.
APPLICATION
The only miracle found in all four Gospels is Jesus feeding the five thousand in the wilderness near Bethsaida. Several striking facts make this account even more remarkable. First, the size of the crowd (five thousand men) did not account for all the women and children present which probably indicated that the actual number was much larger (vs. 14). Jesus’ response to the disciples’ request to send the crowd away must have startled them as much as it startles us as we read, “You give them something to eat” (vs. 13). Little did the disciples know that he was preparing to manifest his divine power by turning five loaves and two fish into a banquet with a huge amount left over, twelve baskets full of broken pieces (vs. 17).
What is the significance of this great miracle? John in his Gospel related the feeding of the five thousand to Jesus’ declaration, “I am the bread of life,” that is, the manna sent from heaven to nourish the whole world (Jn. 6:35). Here in Luke’s account it is clear that Jesus on this occasion displayed the kind of divine power that only the Messiah could possess. But more than that, by including his disciples in the miracle, he showed them that they could play a significant role in his kingdom if they would simply respond in faith to who he was and to what he was asking them to do.