This is the ONLY miracle outside of the resurrection that appears in all 4 Gospels!
Back Story
- Jesus is doing ministry around his hometown and being challenged by the Jewish leaders
- He sends out his 12 closest disciples 2 by 2
- John the Baptist is been beheaded by King Herod
Matthew 14:12
12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
Matthew 14:13
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.
Mark 6:30-31
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.”
Luke 9:9
9 But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.
John 6:1-2
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
All 4 perspectives together give us the whole picture:
- Jesus’ cousin is murdered
- As He’s grieving that loss, He’s surrounded by massive crowds
- He finds out that the king who killed John is coming to see Him
Then when Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee He realizes that all of the people followed Him
Jesus Provides When You Sit at His Feet
Mark 6:34-36
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.
Luke 9:11
He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Matthew 14:14
he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
He gave them everything they needed in his own time of need, so how much more is He going to take care of our needs now? But He doesn’t stop there.
Mark 6:35-36
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.”
John 6:5-7
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
That sounds like an insane amount of money, but it's more than that. We’re actually not talking about 5,000 people…
Matthew 14:21
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
This is confirmed in Luke 9:14, Mark 6:44, John 6:10. Most theologians estimate that there were about 15,000-20,000 people there that Jesus decided to feed!
Jesus showed us that when we sit at His feet and we’re faithful to follow His voice, He takes care of the practicals of life for us. He definitely blesses lost people in their needs too, but I believe He does something different with us when we commit our lives to his call.
When we show up, sit at his feet, and refuse to leave even if we’re hungry for worldly things: He blesses that!
True Disciples Trust God in the Crazy Things
After they look at the massive crowd of people, Jesus looks at His group of teenage disciples and says:
Matthew 14:16, Mark 6:37, Luke 9:1
You give them something to eat.
Mark 6:37
“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?”
John 6:9
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
I think they all thought INSTANTLY, “Oh my Gosh, what a burden!!!” But, Jesus wasn’t putting a burden on their shoulders, He was including them in a miracle He was about to pull off.
Matthew 14:17-18
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said.
Mark 6:39-40
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.
Luke 9:16-17
16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
John 6:14-15
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
When people around you see God show up so powerfully in your life when you are willing to put your faith in Him and do the crazy thing…. THEY WANT IN TOO!
Even today, God still provides for us when we’re willing to sit under his teaching!
Even today, God includes us in accomplishing His work when we’re willing to trust Him in the crazy things!
