Bible Study with Danelle

Chapter 6 is packed with well know stories, but this story is probably one that even a non-Christian has heard before.

The story of how Jesus fed the 5,000 with only two fish and five loaves of bread is one that is in all four gospels and shows us many characteristics of Jesus.

First, it illustrates the importance Jesus placed on rest. This section begins with the disciples returning from their mission and telling Jesus all they had done. He knows how exhausting this task was for them and He told them they needed to go away to a desolate place to rest. And while this plan did not go exactly as planned (as people recognized them in the boat and followed them), we will see in later chapters that Jesus focuses again on taking time away and resting. I know many times, especially in our society today, it can be hard to escape and find true quiet and rest. I think more and more people are coming to understand the importance, but for those of us that are a little older, we know that has not always been the case. It was expected for you to work overtime and you felt guilty taking time away from work. I want to encourage you that rest is important and needed. And even Jesus took time out to rest!

Second, the story shows us Jesus’ compassion for people. As they came to the shore (where they thought would be desolate and quiet) they found that thousands of people had gathered as they had seen them and ran ahead to be there when they arrived on the shore. Mark describes them as ” sheep without a shepherd”. They were desperate for Jesus. To see and hear Him. Instead of turning them away, Jesus taught them, and when the time came for them to leave, He fed them. He fed them physically and spiritually.

Third, we see the true power of Jesus’ miracles. Think for a minute about 5,000 people. That is an incredibly large crowd. In comparison, the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway where Hamilton plays holds 1,319 people. You could fill that theater almost 5 times. And that is just the amount of men. We don’t truly know if they counted the women and children that were on the shore that day. Now think about five loaves of bread and only two fish. I don’t know about you, but that may not be enough to feed my family of 5 let alone 5,000. And yet, we are told they filled twelve baskets with leftover broken pieces of bread and fish. This is after Jesus’ twelve disciples had just returned from their mission work and we are told they barely ate. I don’t think it is a coincidence there were twelve baskets left over. (God is very specific, meticulous, and purposeful with numbers.)

Fourth, we see how Jesus uses other people to help perform His miracles. This is not the first time He has used others like this. It is not talked about in Mark, but with the water to wine at the wedding, he used the servants to fill the jugs and then pour the wine. Jesus continues to use everyday people to perform His miracles just as He did back then.

There are many more lessons we can learn from this story. Check out this article from Christianity.com for more.

I pray that God will speak to you through this story. I pray you will see Jesus continue to work miracles with the help of everyday people. Take time to reflect on this story and what characteristics of Jesus you are shown.