John 6 Verses 1-4 

John 6:1 “After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.” 

In this passage we are told that a great multitude had followed the Lord because they had been witnesses of the miracles that he did upon them that were diseased.  Later we will see many who the Lord said followed him not because of the miracles, but because they had eaten of the bread and fishes that he had fed them with.  Even later we see that several of the disciples turned from following him because of what they called “hard sayings.”  When Jesus asked the twelve if they would go away also, Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

“And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.”  There is a natural tendency when witnessing some supernatural event to want to see more and to follow the one who is responsible.  However, we will not always witness miracles.  The events soon fade from our mind.  No doubt, these who had witnessed Jesus healing the sick, causing the blind to see, the deft to hear and the dumb to speak, etc. were in awe of such miracles.  However, we read in John 12:37 of many of these same Jews: “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:” It is not the miracles that we see, but the far greater miracle that is performed on us that leads us to believe on Christ.  We ask, which is the greater miracle: the blind being made to see; the deft being made to hear; the lame being made to walk; the diseased being cured: or to see the dead raised from the dead and given life?  The answer is the latter.  According to Eph. 2:1 “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.”  When we were in the state of spiritual death, following the course of this world, having the spirit of Satan working in us, and living our lives selfishly to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, we were quickened into spiritual life.  This was by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit giving us spiritual life when we before did not have it.  It was life from death.  This miracle is what enables us to live and believe and become a true follower of Jesus Christ.  

“And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.”  On occasion the scriptures taught us that Jesus would go up into a mountain and his disciples would come unto him, where he would sit and teach them.  Going up into a mountain requires a lot of effort.  As his disciples if we are to learn what Jesus has set forth in his word, we are required to put forth a lot of effort in study, reading, meditating, praying, and following.

John 6 Verses 5-13 

John 6:5 “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” 

An account of the feeding of the multitude is given in all four gospels.  Very few things are given to us in all four gospels, so this miracle holds much significance to us. 

We notice the place where this feeding took place.  In all four accounts, it is described as a desert place.  A desert place is not where you would normally go to find food to eat.  We associate barrenness with a desert place.  This world is a spiritual desert place to the child of God.  The world cannot provide spiritual food.  Spiritual food must come from the Spirit.  As born-again children of God, we need spiritual food.  Our souls become very hungry without this spiritual food.  In John 6:10 we are told there was much grass in this place.  Now that is unusual in that you do not normally associate much grass with a desert place, unless it is an oasis in a desert.  When the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea and had gone out into the desert, they came to a place where there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees.  They rested and refreshed themselves there in that oasis.  However, this place where Jesus was with the multitude was a desert place yet it was also a place of much grass where the people could rest and refresh themselves.  The Lord's church is described as being in a wilderness: 

1.  Acts 7:38 "This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:" 

2.  Rev. 12:6 "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." 

3.  Rev. 12:14 "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." 

The church is a resting place and oasis in the wilderness of this world to which God's people can resort and be fed spiritually. 

The desert place to which they resorted belonged to the city of Bethsaida: Luke 9:10, "And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida."  Bethsaida means fishing place.  The Lord told Peter, "Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men."  It is in the church that the "fishers of men" draw men into the kingdom of heaven.  The church is a fishing place where the gospel ministry draws men into the kingdom of heaven here on earth.   

The disciples wanted to send the multitude away that they might go and buy food through their own efforts.  The gospel is not for sale.  You do not buy the gospel.  The gospel is a gift of God.  God gives it to us.  The food that the multitude ate was free to the multitude and they did not have to provide it themselves.  

In Mark chapter 6 the Lord told the disciples, "He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?  He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes."  In John Chapter 6 Philip said even two hundred pennyworth was not enough: "Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little."  The number of people to be fed was 5000 men besides women and children.  Conservatively, there were probably at least 15000 to 20000 people to be fed.  If 200 pennyworth was not sufficient that all may have a little, then how could this multitude be fed with five loaves and two small fishes?   

Furthermore, we note that the five loaves was not the common bread made of wheat, but it was barley bread: John 6:9 "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?"  Barley was the bread of the poor people.  God's humble people in the church are an afflicted and poor people: Zep. 3:12 "I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD."  The gospel is designed for those who feel themselves afflicted with sin and poor in spirit.  It is spiritual food to the poor and afflicted.   

There were five loaves.  Five is associated with the covenant death of Jesus Christ.  This five-part covenant is set forth in Rom. 8:29, 30, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."  This covenant of redemption is spiritual food for the consumption of God's poor and afflicted people.  It satisfies their longing soul and reveals to them that they have a savior who has saved them from their sins and has quickened them into spiritual life and prepared them for and given them a promised home in heaven.  It is rest for the weary souls and food for the spiritually hungry. 

Fish is meat to eat for the hungry.  There were two small fishes.  Two is associated in the scripture with the subject of witness.  When we rejoice in the gospel, we are rejoicing in the teaching of the Old and New Testaments.  In addition, we are rejoicing in the work of one who was both God and man.  Through the preaching of the gospel, we feast on the finished work of this God-man.   

Before the Lord fed the multitude, he had them to sit down in companies of 50 and 100 on the green grass.  The Lord's local churches are not large, but rather are of a size such as 50 to 100 members in number that can be served by an under shepherd (pastor).  Churches with membership larger than 100 will often be too large for a single under shepherd (pastor) to serve adequately.   

How can a gospel minister take a subject or a passage of scripture and feed a congregation of people?  He generally knows not what the people in the congregation need.  How can he even know what subject to preach? 

The Lord took the 5 loaves and 2 fishes and blessed them and broke them and gave them to the disciples who gave the food to the multitude.  The Lord must first give the message he wants the preacher to preach to the preacher.  It does nobody any good for the preacher to choose out his own message.  The preacher must wait for the Lord to give him a message.  Next, the Lord must bless the message before the preacher can deliver it to the congregation.  Without the Lord's blessing and breaking (opening up the message to the preacher's and the congregation's understanding) the message, it would not be beneficial.  As preachers of the gospel, we are dependent upon the Lord to give us the messages we preach, to open up our understanding of the message, and to bless us to deliver the message.  Furthermore, the congregation must be prepared to receive the message.  This work is also dependent upon the Lord.   

When the Lord blesses the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, it is sufficient to feed to the full the entire congregation.  The Lord regularly fulfills what would seem impossible to us.  This, indeed, was a notable miracle that the Lord did in the sight of the people.  Similarly, every time the gospel is preached in power and demonstration of Spirit, a miracle of feeding the congregation takes place.  The very little that the gospel minister knows himself to have, the Lord blesses and multiplies so as to prepare a feast to God's waiting people.   

The Lord told the disciples to gather up the fragments that remained after the people had finished eating so that nothing be lost.  Through the preaching of the gospel the people are filled and there remains spiritual food for the coming days that God's people may feast upon.  This happens often when the gospel is preached.  People are fed by what is preached and then they go home and meditate upon it during the week and study upon it, so that their souls are continuously fed throughout the week.   

They picked up twelve baskets of fragments that remained over and above what the people had eaten.  Twelve is a representative number in the scriptures.  This teaches us that the gospel is sufficient to feed all of God's people when not only it is first preached but also with the fragments that remain after the preaching service is over.