The Bread From Heaven
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Preparation for the miracle
1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
a. Then a great multitude followed Him: This miracle is also recorded in the other three Gospel accounts. Luke mentioned that on this occasion Jesus went out to a deserted place to be alone (Luke 9:10), yet the crowds followed Him there. In spite of this imposition, Jesus still served the multitude with great compassion.
b. They saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased: Luke 9:11 tells us that Jesus also taught this multitude, something that John doesn’t specifically mention.
i. John 6:2: “The multitude ‘kept following’ Jesus because they ‘continually saw’ the signs that He ‘habitually did’ on the sick.”
And also understanding as he did this he was also teaching them: Luke 9:11 “ And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.”
d. The Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near: John is the only one of the four Gospel writers who told us this took place near the time of the Passover. Perhaps this great multitude was made up of Galilean pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.
i. Passover is associated with the Exodus and God’s sustenance of Israel in the wilderness. Jesus would soon sustain this multitude in their small “wilderness” with bread from heaven — both literally and spiritually.
Jesus asks Philip a question.
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
a. Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Perhaps Jesus asked Philip this question because he was from this area (taking Philip’s knowledge of the situation).
i. “John does not say, as Mark does (Mark 6:34“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:” .)
b. He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do: Jesus knew what miracle He was about to perform, but wanted to use the opportunity to teach His disciples. For Jesus this wasn’t only about getting a job done (feeding the multitude), but also about teaching His disciples along the way.
i. Philip had already seen Jesus do many miracles; there should have been no question to him about the divine resources Jesus had.
c. Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient: Their problem was in at least two parts. First, they didn’t have the resources to buy bread and to feed the multitude. Second, even if they had the money it would be impossible to purchase enough bread to feed them all.
i. With greater faith and knowledge, Philip might have said: “Master, I don’t know where the food is to feed this crowd but You are greater than Moses whom God used to feed a multitude everyday in the wilderness, and God can certainly do a lesser work through a Greater Servant. You are greater than Elisha, whom God used to feed many sons of the prophets through little food. What is more, the Scriptures say that man shall not live by bread alone, and You are great enough to fill this multitude from the words of your mouth.”
d. Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them: Philip’s knowledge of the situation was accurate and impressive (two hundred denarii is more than six month’s wages), but his knowledge was useless in getting the problem solved.
i. Philip thought in terms of money; and how much money it would take to carry out God’s work in a small way (every one of them may have a little). We often limit God the same way, looking for how God’s work can be done in the smallest way. Jesus wanted to use a completely different approach and provide in a big way.
ii. “He was a man of figures; he believed in what could be put into tables and statistics. Yes; and like a great man other people of his sort, he left out one small element in his calculation, and that was Jesus Christ, and so his answer was from below.
iii. “Philip was apparently a matter-of-fact person (John 14:8), a quick reckoner and good man of business, and therefore more ready to rely on his own shrewd calculations than on unseen resources.” John 14:8 “8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”
Andrew’s help
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
a. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother said to Him, “There is a lad here”: Andrew once again introduced someone to Jesus. First it was his brother Peter (John 1:40-42). Now it was a lad with some barley loaves and two small fish.
i. “The word for ‘lad’ is a double diminutive, probably meaning ‘little boy’.”
b. Five barley loaves: Barley was always regarded as simple food, more often fit for animals than for people. This means it is likely that the young boy came from a poor family.
i. “Barley scarcely bore one-third of the value of wheat in the east: see Revelation 6:6.
ii. Two small fish:
c. What are they among so many? There wasn’t much to work with, but God doesn’t need much. In fact, God doesn’t need any help — but He often deliberately restrains His work until He has our participation.
i. “Small things are not always unworthy or worthless. It all depends on the hands in which they are.”
Jesus commands the group to sit down.
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
a. Make the people sit down: Jesus was in no panic or hurry. He had a huge catering job to fulfill, but went about His work in an orderly way, making them sit down upon the grass.
i. One might say that Jesus here fulfilled the role of the loving Shepherd in Psalm 23:1-2. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. That Psalm also gave the picture of the Lord as a host, serving a meal to His servant as a guest: you prepare a table for me…you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over…I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:5-6).
b. The men sat down, in number about five thousand: Jesus administered everything in an orderly way. Yet, they had to come under Jesus’ order to receive Jesus’ miraculous provision. The ones who came under Jesus’ order would soon be filled to the full.
The five thousand are fed.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
a. When He had given thanks: Jesus only had a few loaves of bread and a few fish, but He was determined to give His Father thanks for what He did have.
i. “For five little cakes and two fishes Christ gave thanks to the Father; apparently a inadequate cause for praise, but Jesus knew what he could make of them, and therefore gave thanks for what they would presently accomplish. ‘God loves us,’ ‘for what we are becoming.’ Christ gave thanks for little things because he saw whereunto they would grow.”
b. Jesus took the loaves... He distributed them to the disciples: The miracle resided in the hands of Jesus, not in the distribution. Little is much in His hands.
i. “A moment ago, they belonged to this lad, but now they belong to Christ. ‘Jesus took the loaves.’ He has taken possession of them; they are his property.”
ii. “The multiplication of the food was obviously not done with great ceremony”. This is so true that we aren’t told specifically where the multiplication happened. It seems to have happened as Jesus broke the bread and fish and distributed them to the disciples. “It was not the basic loaves or basic fishes that were multiplied, but the broken portions of them.”
Most everyone ate and was filled, but had no idea that a miracle was happening.
The disciples did not do the miracle; they simply distributed the miraculous work of Jesus.
iii. “These five loaves (by a strange kind of arithmetic) were multiplied by division, and augmented by subtraction.”
c. He distributed them to the disciples: Jesus relied on the labor of the disciples in this great miracle. Jesus deliberately chose a method that brought the disciples into the work.
d. As much as they wanted: God’s supply was extravagant, as much as any of them wanted. All ate until they were completely satisfied.
i. “For the significance of this story we must bear in mind that the figure of eating and drinking is widely used in the Old Testament. It is a figure of prosperity… and it is often used of the blessings the people of God would enjoy in the Promised Land.”
ii. As much as they wanted also included the little boy who gave the five loves and two fish. The boy himself ended up with more than he started with. It certainly was an adequate lunch for himself; but he gave it to Jesus and He it turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet for the boy as well.
Gathering up the fragments of the feast.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
a. When they were filled: Jesus was generous, giving everyone as much as they wanted. This was a remarkable miracle, and some think that the disciples should have (or could have) anticipated that Jesus would do such a thing.
i. Though the disciples did not understand or anticipate the miracle, Jesus invited them to participate in it. They distributed the miraculously multiplied bread and fish. Without their work, no one would have been fed.
b. Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost: Jesus was generous, but never wasteful. Jesus wanted to make good use of everything.
i. “The term used for ‘basket’ usually denotes a large basket, such as might be used for fish or bulky objects.”
Jesus as the Prophet predicted by Moses.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
a. When they had seen the sign that Jesus did: The way Jesus provided bread for a multitude in the open air (something of a wilderness) reminded those men of how God worked through Moses to feed Israel with manna in the wilderness.
b. Truly this is the Prophet: Moses predicted the coming of the Prophet they expected: The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear. (Deuteronomy 18:15) If the coming Prophet was to be like Moses, it made sense that he would also feed the people miraculously as Moses did.
i. This crowd was willing to support Jesus so long as He gave them what they wanted — bread. It’s easy to criticize how the crowd loved Jesus for the bread He gave them, but we often only love Jesus for what He give us. We must also love and obey Him simply for who He is — Lord and God.
ii. “A rabbi of a later date is credited with the observation that ‘as the first redeemer caused manna to descend… so will the last redeemer cause manna to descend’, and the general idea seems to have been current in the first century.”
