1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
—John 6 (cf. Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9)
This is one of the many New Testament narratives testifying to the deity of Christ. Like nothing else, the miracles of Jesus bear witness to his divinity (Luke 7:19–22; John 2:24–25; 14:10–11). Remember this: this text is not a VeggieTales episode. It is not a morality play about the boy who gave his lunch away. It is not about the boy at all. About the boy, we are told only this: “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish” (v. 9). Matthew, Mark, and Luke (this is the only miracle recorded by John that is also found in the synoptics) leave him out entirely. All we know about the boy is that he had some fish and bread. The boy is accompanied by no action verbs. There is no word about his generosity or compliance with the request for his victuals. I rather suspect that, like the owner of the foal in Matthew 21, Mary in Luke 1, and the woman at the well in John 4, he was not asked, but told. Jesus is not a beggar who comes hat-in-hand; he is the Lord who commands.
This narrative is entirely about Jesus. So what does it tell us about him?
He had compassion on a crowd that was undeserving. Here was a bunch that followed him, not for who he was, but for what he could do for them (v. 2). They were nothing but freeloaders, most of whom, as Jesus knew, would abandon him. Yet Jesus, weary, in need of rest (Mark 6:31), felt compassion for them, healed their sick (Matthew 14:14), taught them (Mark 6:34), and commanded the disciples to feed them. Overlooking their selfish motives for following him, Jesus mercifully ministered to their needs.
He was patient with his faithless disciples. These disciples, who had already seen him turn water into wine (John 2), still thought they were limited, even in his presence, by the size of their purse. Rather than rebuking them, he presented a test for the strengthening of their faith. “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” he asked. Of course he knew the answer, but he wanted confront them with the impossibility of meeting such a great need. There was clearly nothing they could do. These are the times in which our faith is built, when we are helpless in impossible circumstances (James 1:2–4).
Jesus delivered. After commanding the disciples to feed the multitude, forcing the admission that it couldn’t be done, he took matters in hand. “Everybody sit down. Bring me the fish and bread.” Then he gave thanks, and began distributing the food, and the distribution continued until all were fed, with leftovers.
Jesus is Lord. The crowd saw the miracle, and recognized Jesus for who he was: the Messiah. So they did what people will do: they took charge of doing what they thought should be done, and thought to “take him by force and make him king.” But Jesus was the king, and his crown was not of this world; no man had the authority crown him. He would take his throne at the right time, according to the Father’s will, and no man would say they had made him lord. He is the Lord. He is the Lord.
Of the boy, we are told nothing. To draw a lesson from him, you must first make up a story. Are there any moral lessons we can learn from the other minor players in this drama? Certainly, but as is typical, they aren’t good. That is, the other characters — the disciples, the crowd — are examples of how we should not be. And those examples bring us back to Christ, because they model for us a false, or at least weak, view of Jesus. The crowd saw him as a benefactor, someone to help them in their quest for their Best Life Now. The disciples had been with Jesus, had seen him work miracles, but tasked with feeding the crowd, they scratched their heads and wondered how it could be done.
Are there moral lessons to learn from Christ himself? Certainly. But above all, this story is told that we may know who he is, and believe in him. That is the theme and purpose of this narrative.
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