22

The Creator Provides
(Mark 6:30–44)

The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves. (6:30–44)

Significantly, of the countless miracles that occurred during the ministry of Jesus (cf. John 21:25), only two are found in all four Gospels: Christ’s resurrection and the event recorded in this passage (cf. Matt. 14:13–22; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15). Commonly known as the feeding of the five thousand, this familiar miracle occurred near the end of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and served as the climactic capstone to His time there. According to John 6:4, it took place shortly before the Passover (likely in March or early April A.D. 29).

Jesus was raised in Galilee (in the village of Nazareth), but that was not the primary reason for His extensive ministry in that region. By focusing His attention far away from Israel’s religious establishment in Jerusalem, the Lord used geography to make a spiritual point. Other than through confrontation and condemnation, the Messiah would have nothing to do with the nation’s apostate leadership. Still the Lord would not stay in Galilee indefinitely. Soon after performing this massive miracle, Jesus traveled with His disciples to the predominantly Gentile regions of Tyre and Sidon, and the Decapolis, before finally journeying south to Judea and Jerusalem. As opposition from the Pharisees and scribes increased (cf. Mark 3:6, 22), along with a growing interest from hostile King Herod (cf. Luke 9:9), Jesus began to spend less time preaching in public and more time instructing His disciples privately. During the final year of His ministry, in the looming shadow of the cross, His primary focus was training the Twelve for the mission He would give them after His resurrection (cf. Matt. 28:18–20).

In terms of visible scale, the feeding of the five thousand was Jesus’ most extensive miracle. Its name is somewhat misleading since, in reality, it encompassed far more than just five thousand people. As Matthew explains, “There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children” (Matt. 14:21, emphasis added). Assuming the number of women was approximately equal to the number of men, and that the number of children was at least the same as the number of adults, a crowd of twenty thousand or more was likely present on that Galilean spring day. To instantaneously create food for twenty to twenty-five thousand people was something only the Maker of the universe could do (cf. John 1:3).

This miracle was more than just an astounding display of Jesus’ divine nature and creative power. It also demonstrated His merciful compassion and tender care. God the Son not only possessed the power to meet vast human needs, He also had the sincere desire to do so. Here is a picture of Jehovah-jireh (Gen. 22:14), an Old Testament name for God, meaning “the Lord who provides.” Tragically, most of the people in the crowd that day would ultimately reject Jesus (cf. John 6:66). Yet He generously fed them anyway, thereby providing a vivid illustration of God’s common grace, in which “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45). Thus, this section (Mark 6:30–44) highlights both the creative power and the compassionate provision of Jesus. As the passage unfolds, the Lord provides rest for the weary, truth for the wandering, and food for the wanting.

REST FOR THE WEARY

The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. (6:30–32)

Earlier, Jesus had delegated His power to the Twelve and instructed them to preach a message of repentance throughout the cities of Galilee (Mark 6:7–13). Doing so enabled Jesus to multiply the extent of His ministry sixfold, since the apostles were sent out in pairs. As He commissioned them for their task, the Lord instructed them:

All of the apostles except for Judas Iscariot were from Galilee, and were therefore familiar with the villages to which they traveled to preach the gospel. Mark does not designate how long the Twelve were gone, but their mission probably lasted weeks, maybe even months. Their ministry efforts created a buzz throughout Galilee, causing even Herod Antipas to take notice (cf. Mark 6:14–16). (For more on the short-term ministry assignment given to the apostles by Jesus, see chapter 20 in this volume.)

When the Twelve returned, they gathered together with Jesus, likely in Capernaum, and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. After an extensive ministry tour, the apostles were undoubtedly fatigued from their travels, which included persecution and rejection (cf. Matt. 10:16–23). Adding to their weariness was the news from the disciples of John the Baptist that John, the greatest of all prophets, had recently been executed (cf. Matt. 14:12). When the Lord heard about John’s death (cf. Matt. 14:13), and in order to give His disciples a much-needed respite, He instructed them to get into a boat and set sail across the Sea of Galilee. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) The effort required by the ministry was so intense that they could not even find a few moments for a meal (cf. Mark 3:20).

The Lord recognized their need for rest and responded with tenderness. Following His instruction, the disciples went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. The boat likely belonged to some of the former fishermen among the Twelve (such as Peter and Andrew or James and John). Even the trip across the lake provided the disciples with an opportunity to enjoy a short reprieve from the pressure of the crowds. According to Luke 9:10, Jesus and the Twelve sailed to an area near the town of Bethsaida. Archaeologists do not know the exact location of Bethsaida. Its name, meaning “house of fish,” suggests that “fish town” was one of the many villages that bordered the Sea of Galilee. It may have been located on the northern shore of the lake, to the east of the Jordan River. (Some scholars believe there was another village by the same name on the western shore, near Capernaum [cf. Mark 6:45].) The Gospels indicate that Peter and Andrew were originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44), though they relocated to Capernaum (Luke 4:31, 38). Philip (John 12:21) and possibly Nathanael (John 1:45) were also former residents of the town.

In Luke 10:13–14, Jesus rebuked Bethsaida, along with Chorazin, for its unbelief: “Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.” In Old Testament history, the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, located on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel, were noted for their rampant idolatry, immorality, violence, pride, and greed. Consequently, God judged both of those cities by totally destroying them (Isa. 23:1–18; Ezek. 26–28; Amos 1:9–10; Zech. 9:3–4). Yet Bethsaida, full of outwardly religious residents, was marked out for even greater judgment than the pagan Phoenicians because they had rejected the Lord and Messiah despite the remarkable miracles and revelation to which they were exposed. (It is likely that some of the apostles had preached there on their recent ministry tour.) As deserving as Tyre and Sidon were of divine wrath, the people in those cities would have repented in sackcloth and ashes if they had witnessed the miracles that Bethsaida experienced (including the miracle recorded in this passage). Because they refused to believe in the face of such overwhelming revelation of the Son of God, the self-righteous Judaistic legalists in Bethsaida would face harsher everlasting consequences than idolatrous pagans (cf. Heb. 10:26–31).

TRUTH FOR THE WANDERING

The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. (6:33–34)

Given the indefatigable persistence of the crowds that constantly surrounded Jesus and His disciples, it is not surprising that as they pushed out into the lake, the people saw them going, and many recognized them. They watched Jesus and His disciples leave in the boat and began traversing the shore on foot in order to follow them. As John writes, the “crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick” (John 6:2). Most of those in the crowd were thrill seekers, motivated out of a desire to witness and perhaps personally experience miracles. Those who were sick wished to be healed, and those who were well wanted to be entertained. Some were also fueled by political ambitions, hoping to press Jesus into becoming their political deliverer (cf. John 6:14–15). Noting the direction the boat was headed, the people assessed its general destination and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them.

When Jesus and His disciples reached their destination, the ubiquitous, swarming crowd was already there waiting. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd that had already gathered. Though they violated His privacy, Jesus responded by “welcoming them” (Luke 9:11). The Lord could have ignored them or sent them away; He could have gotten back in the boat and sailed to a different location. Instead, He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. The verb translated felt compassion (from the Greek word splanchnizomai) literally means “to be moved in one’s bowels,” where the feelings of pain are felt, so that the ancients considered them to be the seat of emotions. Jesus was deeply moved by genuine concern for these people because, spiritually speaking, they were wandering as lost sheep without a shepherd for their souls.

In an agrarian society, where sheep were a mainstay of agricultural life, the serious dangers faced by sheep without a shepherd would have been immediately understood. Without help and guidance, sheep are defenseless, unable to clean themselves, and prone to getting lost. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was sometimes pictured as a flock with no shepherd (Num. 27:17; 1 Kings 22:17; 2 Chron. 18:16; Ezek. 34:5). The metaphor depicted the nation as being spiritually vulnerable to deadly enemies and malnourished, threatened by error and sin, and lacking in faithful caretakers and spiritual protectors. As “the good shepherd” (John 10:11), Jesus was willing to feed, cleanse, and protect these lost sheep (cf. Matt. 10:6), and lead them into eternal safety in the fold of salvation. Thus He began to teach them many things. According to Luke 9:11, He was “speaking to them about the kingdom of God” (i.e., the realm of salvation), which was the primary theme of His preaching (cf. Mark 1:15; 4:11, 26–32; Luke 4:43; 6:20; 8:1; 11:20; 17:20–21; 18:24–25; John 3:3; Acts 1:3).

As was His usual pattern, Jesus not only taught the people, He also healed them. As Matthew 14:14 explains, “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.” The Lord’s compassion extended beyond the spiritual needs of people to include their physical infirmities as well. Jesus’ ability to heal them from temporal ailments was evidence of His ability to offer them spiritual help: salvation not just from the debilitating effects of sin in this life but from the eternal effect of sin itself. The physical healing He provided was limited to this life only, but the eternal life He offered abounds with blessings and benefits both for this life and the next.

FOOD FOR THE WANTING

When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” And He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves. (6:35–44)

After a full day of teaching and healing, Jesus was approached by His disciples, who had collectively decided that the people were hungry and needed to eat. When it was already quite late refers to the late afternoon and early evening (sometime between three and six o’clock), just prior to sunset (cf. Matt. 14:15). Due to the lateness of the hour, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” From a human perspective, the disciples’ concerns were reasonable. They did not know where to find provisions for such a massive crowd. Aware of the people’s hunger, and probably being hungry themselves (cf. Mark 6:31), they encouraged Jesus to dismiss the multitude.

When the disciples noted that the place was desolate, they were not implying that the location itself was a desert (as some translations make it sound). The Galilean countryside in springtime is beautiful, and the people were sitting on green grass (v. 39). The disciples’ observation merely indicates that they were in a remote and unpopulated area, where food was not readily available. So the disciples suggested dismissing the crowds so that the people could head for locations to find dinner for themselves.

Jesus undoubtedly shocked His disciples when He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” His words were intended to test the level of their faith, while also forcing them to acknowledge that they had no human solution to the problem. The apostle John records the interaction between Jesus and His disciples regarding this logistical dilemma:

Two hundred denarii equaled about eight months’ fair wages for a man. Even that was clearly not enough to feed a crowd of tens of thousands. So they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” The disciples’ question evidenced their incredulity and skepticism. Humanly speaking, the problem appeared insurmountable, far beyond the financial resources available to them. The possibility that Jesus might create the necessary food never crossed their minds. They were so focused on the problem, and the need to find a human solution, that they failed to consider the divine power of their Lord.

Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Here again John’s account fills in the details: “One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?’” (John 6:8–9). The word loaves might be literally translated as “bread-cakes,” and refers to flatbread wafers or biscuits. The small fish were likely pickled and intended to be eaten with the bread. Together, this constituted a standard lunch for a small boy. That one meal fit for a child could launch a miracle that would feed tens of thousands was never imagined.

But Jesus knew what He was about to do. Speaking of Christ on this occasion, Charles Spurgeon aptly declared:

Addressing the crowd, Jesus commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. The people had been standing as they pressed around Jesus to be healed and instructed by Him. But He ordered them to sit in neatly organized units, to facilitate the distribution of food and so that the people would be comfortable as they ate. Doing so also accentuated the grandeur of this miracle, because it made the vast numbers of people easy to count. With a simple command, Jesus transformed the chaotic crowd into a highly coordinated assembly.

As the people waited to see what He would do next, Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food by giving thanks to His heavenly Father (John 6:6, 11; cf. 1 Tim. 4:3–5). Then He broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. Because there is no human explanation to a divine creative miracle, the Gospels do not attempt to describe the manner in which this miracle took place. It apparently involved continuous creation as Jesus kept producing meals and giving them to the disciples, who were distributing them to the people until everyone was fed.

In the process, thousands of hungry people all ate and were satisfied. The word translated “satisfied” (from the Greek chortazō) derives its meaning from the world of animal husbandry and describes livestock eating until they are completely full. Thus it speaks of being gratified to the point of not wanting any more. Jesus used this same word in the Beatitudes to promise those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that “they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). The food Jesus created from nothing was perfect, having never been tainted by the corruption of a fallen world; He made more than enough to satisfy the famished crowds. Per Jesus’ instructions, the disciples picked up any leftover food (cf. John 6:12), using small baskets to collect it. That there were exactly twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish was obviously no coincidence. As a result of Jesus’ perfect providential precision, the apostles each had their own basketful of food. Surely they shared their portions with their Master who created it all.

Mark concludes his account of this remarkable miracle by noting that there were five thousand men who ate the loaves. As noted earlier, Matthew 14:21 indicates that there were also many women and children present, meaning that the total number of people in the crowd was far greater than just five thousand. Astonished by the scope of what they had just seen (and the deliciousness of what they had just tasted), the people exclaimed: “This is truly the Prophet [an Old Testament reference to the Messiah] who is to come into the world” (John 6:14). In their euphoria “they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king” (v. 15). Obsessed with both His healing and creative power, the crowds longed for Jesus to usher in the ultimate welfare state, in which sickness and hunger would be permanently banished. Here was a Man who could also use His limitless divine power to overthrow Herod and the Romans, as well as gratify their needs.

The people were right to identify Jesus as the Messiah, but as they had all along, they misunderstood the purpose of His coming. Though He will one day return to establish His earthly kingdom with all promised power, provision, and protection as laid out by the Old Testament prophets, at His first coming the Son of God came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 ESV). Though the people wanted to make Jesus their political ruler, He was willing only to be spiritual King to those who believed in Him. As generous as He was in the creation of food, Jesus intended the visible display of His power and compassion in the physical world to be a symbol of His might in the spiritual realm. His willingness to give physical rest was a symbol of His offer to give spiritual rest (cf. Matt. 11:28). His desire to teach the truth underscored the fact that He is the truth (cf. John 14:6). And His readiness to make bread and fish was evidence of His ability to provide spiritual food for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (cf. Matt. 5:6). He is the Bread of Life, such that those who believe in Him will be eternally satisfied (cf. John 6:35).

Jesus refused to be a permanent source of free meals, but He was willing to be an eternal source of spiritual sustenance. Sadly, most of the people were not interested in that. The very next day, most of those who had been miraculously fed rejected Jesus, and many of His disciples stopped following Him altogether (John 6:66). By supernaturally feeding them, He had clearly demonstrated Himself to be the compassionate Creator. By stubbornly rejecting Him, they evidenced the true nature of their hard-hearted unbelief, for which they would be eternally judged in severity. Yet not everyone exhibited such calloused unbelief. Even as many were departing, the apostle Peter articulated the heart cry of every true believer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God” (vv. 68–69).