John 6:10-15 (NIV): Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
What seemed like an insurmountable problem was no big deal to Jesus. The difference was that Jesus constantly heard God’s voice, and the disciples could hear nothing until Jesus spoke. One day they, too, would hear God directly instead of relying on a “prophet” to tell them what He wanted, and in that day they would begin to do the things that Jesus had been doing, and even greater things (cf. John 14:12, 16:26-27). But for now, they needed to listen to and obey Jesus as He instructed them in what to do to solve this “insurmountable” problem.
Step 1: Have the people sit down in groups of fifties and hundreds (cf. Mark 6:39-40). This calmed both the people and the disciples, and set up a feeling of anticipation instead of doubt: Jesus was getting ready to do something!
Step 2: Bless the food that God had provided. Actually that is a misnomer. Jesus didn’t bless the food, as much as He blessed God, who had provided it. The typical “blessing” of the day was: Praise be to you, O Lord our God, who brings forth bread from the earth. The focus is not primarily on the food, but on God, the provider of “daily bread,” which is exactly as it should be. (That’s one of the big reasons that Jesus could do this and the disciples couldn’t. They were focused on the food, or the lack of it, while Jesus was completely focused on the provider of the food.)
Step 3: Distribute the food. The miracle was not readily apparent until the distribution began. Like the widow’s flour jar and oil jug that never ran out in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 17:8-16), the miracle happened as the contents were used. They never ran out. As the disciples gave the bread to the people, there was always more to give. As they distributed the fish, there was always more fish to distribute. This continued until everyone had had enough to eat.
Step 4: Collect the leftovers. Even after everyone had eaten, there was enough bread and fish to fill 12 baskets – enough to provide food for the disciples for the following day. Jesus wanted to be sure that the food that God had provided wasn’t wasted, not just thrown away or left to decay. This was not merely “conservationist” in the modern meaning; it was maintaining the focus on God. This was food that God had graciously, even miraculously provided, and that provision should never be taken for granted. God’s provision for the future was contained in the miracle of the present, and it needed to be seen as that and used responsibly.
Of course, when the people who had been fed by this miracle saw what had happened, they decided that Jesus was obviously someone special. Not the Messiah, they thought, but the Prophet whom Moses had promised would come to lead them (Deuteronomy 18:18-19). So they decided that they would crown Him king by popular vote, and then march on Jerusalem with Him at their head. But Jesus knew their hearts as well as He knew their bodies and their needs. He had not come to be the king of the Jews in Jerusalem. He had come to be king of the Universe at the right hand of God Almighty. So He withdrew to the mountain until things calmed down a little bit.
Father, how often do we see clearly the problems we face, but have a difficult time clearly seeing You, the one who has all of the answers? How often do we panic and plead with You, instead of simply stopping and listening to Your voice? And how often are our prayers of thanks focused on the gift instead of the Giver? O, Lord, forgive us for our short-sightedness that oftentimes is actual blindness to what You are doing. Forgive us for allowing our focus to be on the peripheral issues instead of on You, our Lord and Savior. Amen