Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-42)

Having diverted slightly by giving details about the death of John the Baptist Mark resumes his account of Jesus and the apostles as he prepares them for their future ministry. The main characteristic that Mark stresses about Jesus in connection to this amazing miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is his compassion. We read about his compassion for his tired disciples and about his compassion on the hungry multitude.

The apostles report

The first detail that Mark highlights is that the apostles, when they returned from their spheres of labour, told Jesus all that they had done and taught. While it is possible that the other apostles were within earshot of the reports, it looks as if each apostle only reported to Jesus and not to the other apostles. Of course, they were all learners at this stage, so we cannot make too much of this detail because in the Book of Acts we read about the apostles telling the churches about what had happened to them. Yet here they were aware that their only Master was Jesus and not the other apostles, and that they were accountable primarily to him.

Mark also stresses that the apostles reported on their actions as well as on their teachings. This order of doing and teaching is the same as that which Luke uses to describe the ministry of Jesus (Acts 1:4). Probably the main content of their actions would be the miracles that they performed. Nevertheless the principle is that their actions and their words must be in harmony. There would be no value in teaching about prayer if they were not praying beforehand.

We can easily imagine the pleasure with which Jesus would have listened to the reports and how wisely he would have responded to their comments and how gently he would have dealt with any mistakes. It is obvious that the apostles were not reluctant or apprehensive when they reported to Jesus. And to be regarded in such a manner is an essential aspect of true leadership and will be seen in leaders who are Christlike.

The question arises as to what is an equivalent practice today regarding reporting to Jesus about one’s labours for him. Although we cannot go into his physical presence and do so, we can go to him in prayer. We can see how a pastor or a Christian worker can do this, although the practice should be engaged in by any person who does something for Jesus. But it might be worthwhile if each of you were to imagine what I, or one of the elders, would say about the congregation when giving a report to Jesus in prayer.

The apostles rest

Life was obviously very busy where Jesus and the apostles were. Even their meals were interrupted, and that was before the days of telephones! Clearly the apostles were tired. It is worth noting what Jesus did not do on this occasion and that was to suggest that they should have a special prayer meeting for divine strength to overcome their tiredness. Obviously there may be times of tiredness when such prayer is the proper response, but usually the correct response involves a time of rest.

The ancient world did not have the modern concept of holidays. Nevertheless God required of Israel that they should have regular gatherings together away from their regular routines. There were three annual feasts to which the people could go and those occasions were designed to be times of spiritual and physical refreshment in which they would spend a few days resting and focussing on God and his ways. One of the aspects of modern holidays is that they tend to major on the physical, but we need to give our souls some refreshment as well. In the past in our geographical area, that need was met by communion seasons. Those methods have gone, but others such as conferences have replaced them.

As far as the particular incident here is concerned, we can see two details about it that we can apply in a general way. First, the location of rest should be one that is suitable for Jesus and all the apostles. We can imagine Peter thinking that a few days of fishing would be a good way to rest, but it is likely that Matthew would not be too keen on such a proposal. Jesus did not suggest that they should go somewhere that it would be inappropriate for him to be present. Second, what did Jesus mean by a desolate place? Probably, it would be somewhere where they would not be disturbed.

On this occasion, the intention of Jesus and his disciples to find a place of recuperation was hindered by the crowd following the boat by running along the shore to the place where the boat was heading. So the recuperation had to be delayed or cancelled. Instead the apostles received another lesson from Jesus as they participated in the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men.

Yet we should notice the response of Jesus to the interruption to this time of relaxation with his disciples. Instead of being annoyed with the crowd he felt great compassion. The reason why he did so was because he was able to see the true state of their hearts. They were lost, like sheep without a shepherd, without any shepherds to care for their souls. Jesus loved to encourage even the faintest interest in his kingdom.

The role of the apostles

Mark does not mention some of the details that John includes in his account of this miracle. The obvious one is that John mentions the involvement of the young boy who gave his bread and fish to the disciples in order for Jesus to use. It is interesting to compare how the Gospel writers describe the response of Jesus to the interruption. Luke says that he welcomed them and Matthew and Mark say that he had compassion on them. Mark says that he taught them, Matthew says that he healed the sick, and Luke says that he did both. What each of the writers indicates is that the event was an important classroom for the apostles as they learned what Jesus could do with small resources.

The first detail that we can observe here is the suggestion of the apostles that Jesus could not solve the situation of feeding the crowd by himself. Their remedy was to suggest that Jesus send the crowd away to find food in the surrounding villages. Perhaps the apostles wanted to resume their time of recuperation. We find their suggestion surprising because they had already seen Jesus do many amazing things.

They would have been surprised at Jesus’ solution to the problem, which was that they should feed the large crowd. Clearly they had assessed the situation and knew how much it would cost to feed the crowd. The apostles did have a common purse, but they did not have enough to spend on buying such a large amount of food. Of course, the apostles had something that Jesus could use because they did have a small amount of food.

No doubt, the apostles would have thought that was the end of the discussion. Instead they discovered that Jesus had a strategy to deal with the situation – and the strategy involved the apostles making it easy for the food to be handed out. Jesus would miraculously provide sufficient food but he did not use a miraculous way to deliver it.

The strategy itself was very simple in design and suitable for everyone. The crowd was to be divided into groups of similar sizes and the apostles were to receive the food from Jesus and take it to the various groups. Jesus involved his disciples in the event. Not only did he ensure that they would arrange the people into groups, he also used them to bring his provision to the crowd. Jesus could have performed another miracle in that he could have arranged for each person to receive their portion of bread and fish instantaneously. Or else, he could have made them all stand in a queue and receive bread and fish from him personally. But he chose to involve his followers, and he still does!

We can imagine people in each group asking each disciple as he returned with a full basket, ‘Where are you getting all the food from?’ Each disciple would answer, ‘Jesus is giving it,’ and right away the people would stop looking at the disciple and gaze on Jesus.

This next detail may seem ridiculous, but I want you to think about it. What would the disciples say to a person who wanted to comment on the nice basket they were using? Surely, the disciple would tell the person that he was missing the point. What mattered was what was in the basket. Similarly, when the gospel is preached, the setting is not what matters. It is of no difference whether it is preached in a majestic cathedral or in drab room; such pre-occupations are the equivalent of thinking about the basket rather than what was in it.

What would the disciple say to a person who said that he must be very strong to keep returning carrying a basket full of bread and fish? The disciple would say, ‘Listen very carefully. The provision has got nothing to do with my abilities. My arms would have nothing to carry unless Jesus gave me the bread. Similarly, we can look at those who bring the gospel and say to them, ‘You must be very clever to be able to convey the gospel.’ The answer to such a suggestion is, ‘I would have nothing to give if Jesus did not give me his promises of forgiveness and eternal life.’

What would the disciple say to a person who asked, ‘Are you not getting fed up going back and fore carrying bread and fish to us?’ The disciple would reply, ‘No. Each new amount I receive from Jesus is fresh. I know that several minutes passed between each time I received an amount. Yet each new amount is as fresh as the previous ones.’ Similarly, a conveyor of the gospel never gets fed up passing on the gospel of Christ. Each time he goes to Jesus, he receives from Jesus what he needs for himself as well as what to give to others. As he carries the gospel to others, its aroma does good to his own soul.’

What would the disciple say to the person who asked, ‘The day is passing and it is getting late. How long are you going to continue handing out this bread and fish?’ The disciple would reply, ‘I will continue doing it as long as there is a person here who has not received his share.’ Similarly we must take the gospel to those who as yet have not received their personal blessing of the gospel.

The reward for the apostles

After all had eaten, Jesus asked that his disciples gather up all the crumbs that were left over. They did so, and collected twelve full baskets. The number of baskets probably corresponds with the number of disciples. So each of them received a great blessing: they had started out with a young boy’s small basket and finished off with a large basket each. Here is a vivid picture that spiritual poverty does not come to those who share the provision of Jesus with others.

There is another reason why the disciples collected the crumbs. They had to learn that they had to feed on the same provision as Jesus provided for the crowd. On this occasion, they would eat after the crowd, but in the spiritual world the disciple of Jesus can eat before, or during, or after he shares Jesus and his promised blessings with others. And that is a great reward.