We have all probably heard and even told the story of Jesus feeding 5,000. We tell it so casually, without much thought to the details. This is just a simple miracle performed by the Lord as He went along His way in His day-to-day activities.

But there is so much more to this story. It reflects some very special characteristics about the Lord that we never consider as we repeat this story to our own children or the children in our Bible classes. We hear it in sermons, but those sermons mostly reflect Jesus proving His Lordship or proclaiming the little boy with the small lunch as a hero in the story.

The truth is, there was far more to Jesus feeding more than 5,000 people with food provided by a “lad” about which we know practically nothing.

The story is the only miracle found in all four gospels. It takes reading all four to really get the full story. You will find the story in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6.

Matthew tells us that Jesus had received the news that John the Baptizer had been beheaded. Naturally he was sad. This man had proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, he was a relative, and they were friends. Jesus needed a quiet place to be alone.

Because of the miracles Jesus performed, the people came in droves to see Him, many hopeful that Jesus would perform a miracle on them. There would be no quiet time for the Lord on this day.

The place Jesus chose was a desert place. That doesn’t mean it was deserted, like we would think of such a place. It was not barren either. It was simply a place with no houses or shops.

As the people approached Jesus, Matthew tells us in verse 14 that Jesus was, “moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick”. I think we miss that when we tell the story. Jesus didn’t run from them or dismiss them. Rather, He had compassion on them. He felt their need. He understood their desire to see Him. Even though they followed Him because, “they saw his miracles” as told by John 6:2, He welcomed them.

In the late afternoon, Jesus once again showed His compassion by being concerned that the people needed to eat. The disciples wanted to send them away, but Jesus had other ideas.

John says that He asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:6 KJV). Verse 7 says that Jesus asked this of Philip to prove him. Jesus knew what He was going to do to take care of this problem.

We don’t know why Jesus singled Philip out for this lesson, but He did. Maybe Philip needed to be strengthened more than the other disciples. Maybe he had expressed some doubt or lack of compassion for these people. We just don’t know, but we do know that Jesus felt a need to teach Philip a lesson. And He did just that!

Philip was quick to tell Jesus that even 200 pennyworth, or about $34, would not be enough to feed this hungry crowd. Andrew came up with a solution, even though he didn’t know it at the time.

Andrew told Jesus that “a lad” had five barley loaves, and two small fishes”. He also displayed his doubt when he said, “But what are they among so many?”

We don’t know much about this “lad”, except that he was probably from a poor family. Barley was the bread of the poor and for slaves. The lunch he had would have been like having 2 sardines and 5 crackers. Just imagine what Jesus did. He turned that small amount of food into a full meal for 5,000 men plus women and children.

We also don’t know how this lad reacted when Andrew wanted his fish and bread. Maybe he gave it willingly. Maybe he really didn’t want to give it away. We just don’t know, but we do know what Jesus did with it.

Jesus had the disciples seat the men in groups of 50 and 100, and then Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and blessed the bread. He prayed before He ate. He was thankful for God’s gift of food.

Jesus had the disciples distribute the food. Everyone ate their fill, and then we learn something else about Jesus. He was not wasteful. He asked the disciples to collect the remaining food. I wonder what happened to the 12 baskets of leftovers. He may have fed many more people, but we have no record of it. It is sufficient to know that Jesus didn’t waste it.

So, what have we learned from this story? We learned that Jesus needed quiet time. He had compassion on the sick. He was thankful for the food God provided. Lastly, we learned that He was not wasteful.

These are qualities we should all have. We all need quiet time. The sick and needy need our compassion and our willingness to help them. We need to be thankful for the material blessing we receive on a daily basis, and we should convey this thankfulness to God. We should not waste what God has given us.

May God help us to put these qualities of the Lord in our lives.

Sandra Oliver