According to John
Chapter 6, Verses 1-14
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 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?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 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. 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. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 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. 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.”
COMMENTARY
To begin our discussion of this familiar story regarding a miracle of Christ, let me challenge you to think about your personal perspective of this event. As you think of a mountainside with Jesus feeding thousands of people, what do you see through your minds eye? What role are you playing or from which angle are you viewing in this familiar age-old story? There are three possibilities: 1. the view of our Lord in which you see the faces of the disciples and the faces of the crowd; 2. The role of a disciple in which you see the face of Jesus, the faces of the other disciples and the faces of the crowd; 3. The role of one in the crowd, in which you see the face of Jesus, the faces of the disciples, but in this role you see the back of the heads of the crowd, not the faces; Finally, 4. You view this story totally objectively in which you see everyone's face without seeing the back of anyone's head. I am asking you to consider your disposed perspective for it will determine your ability to interpret the miracle. We will revisit these perspectives after we discuss the text in the format of who is speaking.
Although our text, verses 1-14, is one paragraph in the Greek, John narrates this story with a theatrical style. He gives his perspective of the story by laying out the sitz im leben in the first 4 verses. Jesus speaks in verses 5-6. Philip answers in verse 7. Andrew speaks in verse8-9. Jesus gives direction in verse 10. Verses 11 describes the typical role of the pre-meal blessing. Verse 12 has Jesus speaking again. Verse 13 lets us know that miracle took place. The crowd speaks in verse 14.
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. John begins this paragraph by referring to 'after these things.' It is beneficial to remember that this According to John account of the life of Christ is not in strict chronological order. However, John had a reason to have this account to immediately follow Jesus healing and then His self defense following the Jews placing a death warrant on His head. Is Jesus on the run? Chapter 5 has Jesus Jerusalem, some 26 miles from Galilee, for the Passover. With this also being a time of the Passover, it is thought that at least a year has passed between chapter 5 and chapter 6. Do miracles, heal sick, and a crowd will follow you, even to the other side of the Sea. Here we have a small glimpse into the masses, at least in the Galilean area, beginning to abandon religious traditions to follow him. The Greek word translated 'crowd' is ὄχλος meaning: A. a crowd, throng, the mass of the soldiers, in numbers (for an army), undisciplined masses, camp-followers; 1. in political sense, populace, mob, and popular assemblies (in a contemptuous sense), already in the mouths of the people; 2. generally, mass, multitude: in pl., the masses. B. annoyance, trouble, to give trouble, to be or become troublesome. This is a crowd, according to John, was a impetuous group that is getting into their recovery time. The use of this term lays a foundation for the disciples to the people, the ὄχλος, with a stiff arm approach.Jesus and his disciples reach a resting spot near the top and sit down, thereby giving the crowd a chance to catch up. The Greek word translated 'mountain' is ὄρος which is usually not translated 'hill.' This word, ὄρος, is most notably use in the LXX's translation of the flood residing "The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible (Genesis 8:5)."
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. Jesus sees the crowd, the ὄχλος, coming to infringe on their time away. His 'seeing' them has nothing to do with His introspection of them, thereby seeing their deep, below the surface need. The Greek means to 'gaze at, behold, mostly with a sense of wonder' or ' contemplate.' You might imagine Jesus rubbing His chin as He views the crowd. He is marveling at their persistence in abandoning food preparation. In His genuine marvel of the crowd, Jesus seizes a teachable moment and asks Philip a question. Remember they are on the 'up a mountain' and on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 'Where' might be a ridiculous negative question. 7. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” Philip, unable to directly answer the 'where' question, poses an answer to the ridiculous question of 'how.' Philip basically says, 'I do not have a clue." Even if we knew 'where' we do not have the capability. "Two hundred denarii:" how much is that? Two hundred denarii is approximately eight months wages. That is the end of Philip's dialogue in this story. I wonder if he past Jesus' test. 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?” Here comes Andrew, who is known for bringing people to Jesus. He has been observant and active as he offers a solution (as meager as it may be) to the crowd's genuine need. Andrew was watching the crowd, listening to Jesus and Philip and looking for a solution. He found the boy and brought him to Jesus. The text, ἔστιν παιδάριον ὧδε, could read 'Here is a lad' or 'A lad is here.' Andrew is a busy disciple. The lad with barley loaves and fish was enough for Jesus to get started. Enough verbal instruction, it was time to meet the needs of the 'crowd' who were hungry. 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. 'Have a seat.' 'Rest yourselves.' 'Let us serve you.' 'Don't worry.' 'I will take care of you.' 'You are not an imposition.' 'You are our guests.' Jesus, through His disciples, directs the immediate affairs of more than 5,000 people for there were 5,000 men which does not include women and children. The photo at the top of this post has about 5,000 people pictured. 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. There it is. The model for us to 'give thanks' for our food. He did, we should. Other than that, just an interesting thought here. If they were NOT seated, i.e. did NOT obey Jesus initial direction, would they have been fed? Interesting. 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. Here we go. The result of a miracle. The food multiplied for there to be enough to eat and lots of barley loaves left over. I have actually heard this being a miracle of the people's compassion. In that the ὄχλος had the food with them all the time and now they were just willing to share it with their fellow ὄχλος. That might be so if we did not have Jesus distributing. Therefore, regardless of what was left over, there was enough to be distributed. I don't know about you, but I would have an impossible time breaking 5 barley loaves into over 5,000 pieces. And then break 2 fish into over 5,000 pieces. They were filled. 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.” Even the people knew a miracle, or sign, had taken place. Their response was a declaration. Limited as it may be, it was declarative.
SUMMARY
The Feeding of the 5,000 is one event that appears in all four gospels: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-13. John brings out the initiating compassion of Christ in recognizing the need of the multitude. Matthew, Mark and Luke note that the disciples came to Jesus with a suggestion of how to handle this feeding dilemma.
What is your perspective of this miracle: through Jesus' eyes; the disciples' eyes; the crowd's eyes, or your own objective theatrical view? This is NOT a play! Is Christianity something you observe, in your family or friends, from an objective perspective, like a play or movie, without any participation or life change? Let me suggest that you view this story from either the crowd's perspective or the disciple's perspective. As a part of the crowd, you follow Jesus, you obey His commands, you allow Him to meet your needs, you acknowledge His miracles on your behalf and you declare who He is and what He has done. As a disciple, you journey WITH Him, you rest WITH Him, you are tested by Him, you speak WITH Him, you work WITH Him, you serve WITH Him and you obey Him. Let me suggest that you begin to participate in Christianity. Are you hungry? Blessed or happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled or satisfied.
There is one facet of Jesus life at this time that is strikingly missing from this story: the religious antagonists. Therefore, since all people mentioned in this story were participants, then all people, religious antagonists included, would be classified as spectators who have objective perspectives. They were not there. They read this story in the local Galilean Parchment Times. Religion is spectator based. Christianity is participant based. Question: What do you see here? Are you in the story? Or, are you just reading the story?
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Note: The image above is from Switchfoot, a contemporary, somewhat hard rock, Christian band. I found this photo of them while searching for groups picturing 5,000 people.
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