And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. (Mark 6:56)

When you think of Jesus’ miraculous works, other than the resurrection, what first comes to mind? Among all the “mighty works” attributed to Jesus, only one is recorded in all four gospels. The “Feeding of the Five Thousand” appears in Matt. 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-14.

The story’s popularity, along with an account of Jesus feeding more than 4,000 people in Gentile territory (Mark 8:1-9 and Matt. 15:32-39), suggests how significant Jesus’ followers considered the event to be. The miracle food fed more than their bellies.

An attempted getaway

(vv. 30-32)

Mark’s version begins with an attempt to avoid doing any miracles at all. The story opens with Jesus’ disciples returning from a mission of preaching and healing on which he had dispatched them earlier (vv. 7-13). After a lengthy excursus on the death of John the Baptizer (vv. 14-29), Mark resumes the narrative. With apparent excitement, the Twelve gathered around Jesus “and told him all that they had done and taught” (v. 30).

            Knowing they were weary, Jesus told them to “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” They all needed respite, for Mark adds that “many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat” (v. 31).

The attempt proved to be fruitless: though “they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves,” many people ran around the lake, spreading the word, so that when their boat came ashore, a “great crowd” was waiting for them (vv. 32-34a). [DD]

            Despite his weariness, Jesus “had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (v. 34b).

A hungry crowd

(vv. 33-44)

The hour grew late, and the people grew hungry, but they didn’t want to leave. With no restaurants or food trucks around, the disciples asked Jesus to call it a day and send everyone home, but Jesus had other ideas. Maybe he wanted to show that the gospel has social as well as spiritual dimensions, or perhaps he wanted a large crowd to witness an amazing act that they’d never forget.

Or could it be that Jesus wanted to teach the disciples a lesson? “You give them something to eat,” he said (vv. 35-37a).

Can you imagine being put in charge of feeding 5,000 hungry men—not counting women and children—with neither food to give them nor money to call a caterer, even if one had been available?

Mark’s unvarnished portrayal of the disciples has them dismayed, exclaiming that even 200 denarii wouldn’t be enough to buy sufficient bread (v. 37b). John’s gospel says it was Phillip who did the math and said that six months of wages would hardly get them a mouthful apiece (John 6:7).

Jesus told the disciples to see how many pieces of bread they had, as if checking their own resources, and “When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish’” (v. 38). Only John says that the food was obtained from a young boy that Andrew had found (John 6:9).

Five loaves and two fish aren’t very much when the “loaves” are small circles of flatbread and the fish are salt-cured sardines. [DD]

Sometimes we might feel similarly ill equipped when faced with overwhelming tasks, and we wonder how we can do what needs to be done. Jesus wanted the disciples to look beyond the normal human resources that came to mind, to be willing to share what they had, and to trust Jesus to make that enough.

Even so, Jesus’ disciples must have been muttering to themselves as Jesus instructed the crowd to sit down. Mark sharpens the image by saying they sat in “on the green grass” in groups of fifties and hundreds (vv. 39-40).

All three synoptic gospels note that Jesus took the food in his hands and “looked up to heaven” before blessing and breaking the loaves (John says only that he gave thanks, John 6:11). This reminds readers that Jesus was never wholly apart from God, drawing his power from the fullness of the Godhead.

If we can imagine the disciples’ surprise when Jesus first told them to feed the multitude, consider how flabbergasted they must have been to discover that, no matter how many times they passed baskets of fragments among the people, they never came back empty.

The gospels offer no detail about how the miracle took place, relating only that Jesus broke the paltry provisions into pieces and gave them to the disciples to distribute. To everyone’s amazement, everyone ate their fill (vv. 41-42). [DD]

How long did the disciples’ excitement over the miraculous multiplication last before their task turned into mere labor? If it was up to the Twelve alone to serve the crowds, as the story implies, each would have been responsible for more than 500 people—and they thought they were tired before.

Whether by innate frugality or direct instruction, the disciples returned to collect the leftovers, and they ended up with twelve baskets of surplus bread and fish, one for each of the disciples (vv. 43-44). Their weariness must have known no bounds, but witnessing such an act of grace and power must have been energizing, too. [DD]

The presence of a full basket for each disciple suggests that Jesus’ power not only makes our service effective in helping others, but provides for our own needs, as well.

            Jesus’ miraculous lesson was not just inspirational, but motivational. What physical and spiritual needs do we see in the world about us? What gifts can we offer toward meeting those needs? And what are we doing with that basket in our hands?

Another attempted escape

(vv. 45-52)

Having tried and failed to find respite, Jesus made another attempt. This time, he sent the disciples ahead in the boat while he remained and somehow “dismissed the crowd” (v. 45) before slipping away to find solitude on a mountain for a time of prayer before rejoining the disciples. [DD]

Mark’s account is a bit confusing. “When evening came,” indicating the dusky period before dark, Jesus could see that the disciples were pulling hard at the oars, straining because the wind was against them. When Jesus went out to meet them, however, it was “early in the morning.” If they had been struggling in the evening, why wait until early morning to go to them? Mark does not say. [DD]

Moreover, Mark says that Jesus “intended to pass them by” (v. 48). Some interpreters posit that Jesus intended to pass close by as an encouragement to let them know he was near, while others compare it to the Old Testament account God “passing by” Moses in a theophany (Exod. 33:19-22).

Either meaning was lost on the disciples, “for they all saw him and were terrified,” thinking he was a ghost. Jesus soon quieted their fears, if not their curiosity: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid” (vv. 49-50). We often note that the Greek words “It is I” (ego eimí) are equivalent to the self-revelation of Yahweh to Moses: “I am” (Exod. 3:14).

            Mark’s version does not portray a severe rainstorm, as Matthew does, but speaks only of a strong wind. Once Jesus got in the boat with them, however, “the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded” (v. 51).

            Of course they were.

            Mark adds that the disciples “did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (v. 52). The implication is not that they intentionally refused to believe, like the pharaoh hardening his heart in the Exodus narratives, but that they were obtuse, not yet capable of understanding the magnitude of Jesus’ lordship.

            This seems odd, given that—according to Mark’s chronology—the Twelve had not only witnessed mighty works, but had also been given authority to heal and cast out demons. Comprehending the full meaning of Jesus’ identity could never have been easy, however.

Another day, another needy crowd

(vv. 53-56)

Although Jesus had instructed the disciples to set sail for Bethsaida, near the northeast edge of the Sea of Galilee, Mark reports that they crossed over to Gennesaret, which was on the northwestern shore (vv. 45, 53). Was the adverse wind to blame? Mark doesn’t say.

            The crowds had not followed Jesus through the stormy night, but people soon recognized him, “and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was” (v. 55). As Jesus moved about, “wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed” (v. 56).

            The gospels suggest that most people failed to understand Jesus’ true identity and purpose, seeing him only as a traveling healer.

            Stories such as this should challenge modern readers to ask who Jesus is in our imagination. Do we follow him only in hopes of attaining heaven or having someone to pray to when facing illness or trouble? Is our view of Jesus as shallow as those who saw him only as a means to an end? Is it as muddled as the disciples, who couldn’t quite make out what Jesus was about?

            Do we find too much rest, and not enough challenge?