LESSON 12.—MARCH 20.—JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND
(13) "Now when Jesus heard it, He withdrew from thence in a boat, to a desert place apart; and when the multitudes heard thereof, they followed Him on foot from the cities. (14) And He came forth, and saw a great multitude, and He had compassion on them, and healed their sick. (15) And when even was come, the disciples came to Him, saying, The place is desert, and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. (16) But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. (17) And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (18) And He said, Bring them hither to Me. (19) And He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and He took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. (20) And they all ate, and were filled; and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. (21) And they that did eat were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (22) "And straightway He constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before Him unto the other side, till He should send the multitudes away. (23) And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into the mountain apart to pray; and when even was come, He was there alone." Golden Text.—"Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of Life." John 6:35. (1) For what reason did Jesus, on a certain occasion, cross the sea from Capernaum? To what kind of place did He and His disciples go? Who followed Him? Verse 13, Note 1. (2) What was His feeling when He saw the multitude? What did He do? Verse 14, Note 2. (3) As the evening drew on, what did the disciples say to Jesus? Verse 15, Note 3. (4) How did Jesus reply to this proposition? Verse 16, Note 4. (5) What did the disciples say of their ability to feed so many? Verse 17, Note 5. (6) How did Jesus meet this spirit of doubt? Verse 18, Note 6. (7) Then what disposition did He make of the multitude? Verse 19, first clause; John 9:14; Mark 6:39, 40. (8) What did Jesus do then before distributing the food? To whom did He pass the food for distribution? Verse 19, last clause. Note 7. (9) Did the people have sufficient food? What was done with what remained? How much was left over? Verse 20; Mark 6:42, 43. Note 8. (10) How many people were fed? Verse 21, Note 9. (11) What then did Jesus urge His disciples to do? Verse 22. (12) After sending the multitude away, where did Jesus go? For what purpose? Did He have any companions? Verse 23, Note 10. 1. "When Jesus heard it,"—that is, of the death of John the Baptist, He proposed this temporary retirement. Mark and Luke note the fact that the disciples of Jesus had just returned from a missionary tour, and had reported to Him the results of their labors, and He suggested that they go over the sea for a brief rest. These are the two reasons given for the trip across the sea. Those who saw the company depart noted their course, and followed by land, telling others as they passed through the villages or met them by the way. Some also followed in boats. 2. When Jesus saw the eager multitude so anxious to hear Him, He could not turn away from them. So He gave up His rest and began to minister to them. The necessities of suffering mankind were of far more importance to Him than His own rest and comfort. 3. The disciples did not yet fully understand the Spirit of Christ. To turn a needy people away to shift for themselves was no part of His mission. Moreover there was yet an important lesson to be taught on that occasion, important to the disciples as well as to the multitude—namely, that He was possessed of creative power. 4. "They have no need to go away." Why?—Because there was One there who could supply all their needs. "Give ye them to eat." A real test of faith was this. Had they not yet learned that a command of Christ implied the power to obey? The Lord never requires an impossibility of any one. 5. Walking by sight as yet, the disciples did not see beyond their little personal stock of food, and limited their ability to that. 6. "Bring them to Me." Ah! that changes the character of all human effort. Their little stock was all right if dispensed through the power of Jesus. Says the Master, "Without Me ye can do nothing." But the man of faith replies, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 7. Jesus worked through His disciples, making them the mediums of His blessing to the people. "In Christ's act of supplying the temporal necessities of a hungry multitude, is wrapped up a deep spiritual lesson for all His workers: Christ received from the Father; He imparted to the disciples; they imparted to the multitude; and the people to one another. So all who are united to Christ will receive from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food, and impart it to others."—"The Desire of Ages," page 369. 8. The fragments were precious, not only as food for others, but as evidences of the power and benevolence of God through Christ, who is the Bread of Life. In the work of Christ there is to be no waste, either of material blessings or of opportunities for doing good. 9. He who fed the five thousand in this desert place was the same who fed the children of Israel in the wilderness with manna from heaven. As in that case, so in this, He gave them only plain, substantial food rather than the luxuries of life. Yet it was the same food that was provided for Himself and His disciples. 10. The importance of this great miracle is emphasized by the fact that it is the only one recorded by all the four evangelists. The student of this lesson should compare all four accounts for important points. And let us all remember that "He that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; ye being enriched in everything unto all liberality, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God." 2 Cor. 9:10, 11.