One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, is the disciple who speaks to Jesus in the feeding of the multitude. He reports that a boy in the company has been found carrying five barley loaves and two small fishes, which at Jesus' word are brought to Him for distribution. He questions what such a small store is among so many, counting it as nothing for the great crowd with no more food to be obtained in the desert place. A meager supply placed in Christ's hands is multiplied as it is imparted until it sustains the multitude, so limited visible resources are to be used faithfully and entrusted to God. Christ supplies what His workers need to give, for they can impart spiritual nourishment only as they receive it from Him and depend on Him when they feel helpless with nothing to give.
Setting and Occasion
Jesus had withdrawn with His disciples to a secluded place when the crowd gathered to meet Him, and the Passover was near. The company numbered five thousand men besides women and children, above ten thousand persons in all. The multitude had been all day without food in that retirement.
The place was a desert place and a deserted place where no more food could be obtained. It was a grassy place away from the cities, a barren shore and beach beside the Sea of Galilee where much of His ministry was spent. That beach lay within sight of where the disciples later gathered and not far from Capernaum, the scene of many miracles. Standing at times upon a hill, He sat as a teacher with authority, not at ease.
The people had followed Him on foot from place to place and listened to His teaching until thousands were gathered, weary and hungry. He pitied them rather than sending them away hungering, and fed them bounteously. He had taught them words such as had never before fallen upon ears, words never heard before that laid hold of minds and sank into hearts, while His pure and simple doctrine and tender benevolence won hearts. He had healed their sick and comforted their sorrow. In this He considered their bodily needs as well as their spiritual benefit.
He asked what food was at hand and what could be found among the company to feed the crowd. He already knew what He would do. He took advantage of circumstances and of the opportunity to become a field preacher to the multitude that followed Him. Supplying temporal food to the hungry opened the way to place Him in the chair of instruction to give the people the Word which is the bread of life, and the occasion would be long remembered.
Andrew's Report
The one who speaks is Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, one of the disciples addressing Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand. He stands among the disciples through whom the provision is afterward distributed, with the credit for the work remaining Christ's. His speaking identifies him in the account as the disciple who brings the scanty supply to notice while seeing how far too little it is for the crowd.
What Andrew reports is that a boy, a lad in the company, has been found carrying five barley loaves and two small fishes, only a few loaves and a few fishes. He brings this small supply forward in answer to the inquiry what food could be found among the company. At Jesus' word the little store is brought to Him, who commands that it be brought for distribution and then uses it to feed the people until food is left over.
With the report Andrew asks what such a small store is among so many, counting it as nothing for the great crowd of about five thousand men besides women and children who had followed on foot until weary and hungry. No more food is to be obtained there in the deserted place, and the amount on hand cannot feed the multitude. His question shows how great need set against limited resources can make human means appear as nothing and weaken faith, making men hesitate to give what they have instead of depending on God and following Christ's direction.
Miracle of Provision
Jesus blessed the small supply and had it brought for distribution, giving it to the disciples to pass to the people in an orderly way until all were satisfied. The bread multiplied in the distribution and the fish increased in the hands of those who distributed them, so that five thousand men besides women and children — above ten thousand persons — ate from five barley loaves and two small fishes. When all had eaten, the remaining fragments were gathered so that nothing would be lost, and twelve baskets remained.
No human power could create so much food from so little, and no other one could do so mighty a miracle. The increase showed Jesus’ power and beneficence and care, revealed the Father’s works done through Christ, and showed His divinity and His connection with the Father. It gave evidence heaped upon evidence, sufficient to convince any mind open to evidence, and led thoughtful and candid witnesses to take exalted views of His character and office. His pure and simple doctrine had laid hold of minds and His tender benevolence had won hearts, for He had taught words never before heard, healed the sick and comforted sorrow rather than send the multitude away hungering. While eating the food He bounteously provided, those served decided He was indeed the Messiah, for teaching and healing had nearly convinced them of His divinity and this miracle crowned their growing conviction with entire belief.
The miracle reveals the same creative power God continually uses to provide the harvest and feed people, the same divine power at work in the multiplication of seed and the daily production of food. God gives life to the seed and provides food through the harvest, sustains living things by active power, and can in a moment create a supply sufficient for more than five thousand when need requires it. Men are thus dependent on God for life, for food, for health, and even for the very air breathed, and the grace of God on a small portion makes it all-sufficient, able to spread a table in the wilderness and multiply scanty provision a hundredfold. That provision is not to be squandered or used in an aimless, wasteful manner but is to be used with care, industry and frugality, with glory given to the Creator rather than to natural causes, human work, selfishness or unnatural appetite.
The fame of the wonderful miracle on the barren shore spread far and near. The multitude left Jesus there knowing no boat remained by which He could depart, and on the following morning returned to the spot where they had last seen Him, arriving in large numbers by land and water to seek Him. Strengthened in conviction that He was the Messiah, they planned to take Him by force and make Him king, a project set on foot by Judas which Christ rebuked with greater and unusual authority and refused. Judas was not satisfied with how affairs turned out there, was provoked by the rebuke, and became more separated from Jesus in feeling and love. The disciples remembered this feeding when Jesus later provided them with a miraculous catch of fish, which helped them recognize His power to provide and His care for them. That providing of bread for five thousand besides women and children was part of His mission and expressed His love for the children of men.
Bread of Life Taught
Supplying temporal food to the hungry opened the way to place Jesus in the chair of instruction to give the Word which is the bread of life. He took advantage of circumstances to become a field preacher to the multitude that followed Him, standing at times upon a hill and sitting as a teacher with authority to enlarge a small substance of temporal food by miracle. The account belongs to the feeding of the five thousand and shows He cared for the people's physical need for food as well as their need to hear words of life. Through the miracle He taught that the spiritual food He gives — Himself, the Bread of Life — is more important than perishable food, and the lessons of the chapter direct readers to Christ the living bread and to receive and obey His words, which are spirit and life leading to eternal life.
Eating the Son of God's flesh and drinking His blood explains how eternal life is gained. As bread gives the body strength, faith in Christ and obedience to His teaching give the soul spiritual strength and everlasting life. This means trusting His words and the power of His sacrifice, not literally consuming His human body, for His teaching, example, life and death are the spiritual food that gives life. The living bread is received by taking the Word into the life, and the language about Christ's flesh and blood points to Him as the substitute for sin and the only hope of ancient Israel.
The sixth chapter shows the Word of God is the bread of life representing the body and blood of the Son of God. The gospel does not address the understanding alone like mathematics for the intellect but aims at the heart, addresses the moral nature, and takes possession of the will, casting down imaginations and every high thing exalting itself against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Learning this requires being a submissive student in the school of Christ, disciplined to habits of obedience, with the soul emptied of all proud possessions so Christ may imprint His image on the soul and the soul-temple may be the abiding place of the Most High.
In this chapter Jesus spoke plain truths that many, including disciples, did not understand at the time though later events made them clearer. These truths brought people's real feelings to light and led them to decide for or against Him, testing those who claimed to follow Him. Many were offended because they resisted reproof and chose human praise over God's admonition, and many turned away when His words exposed their lives and when they heard the conditions of eternal life and entrance into God's kingdom, while the test established the faithfulness of those who remained. The miracle of the loaves became the occasion for the teaching that He was the bread of life, and together with walking on the water it stands as the setting in which some disciples turned from Him.
The people who later asked for a sign had witnessed the feeding and hoped He would repeat it, but He used the miracle to lead them to believe in Him as the Son of God and receive Him as the Bread of Life. Those who had followed Him for food and other temporal benefits rejected that lesson despite seeing His works, for they were not seeking evidence that would settle their faith. Those who sought Him for bread and resisted the cross turned away when they heard the conditions of eternal life.
Disciples as Channels
In the feeding the disciples stand as channels and appointed means of communication between Christ and the people, receiving from Him and passing His provision on to others. The food multiplied in His hands as they distributed it, for He is the source of strength and the Bread of Life, and His followers are to rely on Him for what they give. All who are united to Him receive the bread of life from Him and impart it to others, and they can impart spiritual nourishment only as they receive it from Him. They served as instruments through whom He provided food to the crowd, and the credit for the work belonged to Him, not to them.
He brings His disciples forward before large numbers to give them reputation, so that many will recognize in their workings that they work as He worked, and His deeds of mercy open a door for them. Supplying temporal food to the hungry opens the way to place Him in the chair of instruction to give the Word which is the bread of life, and the distribution of grace in words with the free-will offering of enlarged food with His blessing on it prepares the way in many places. The same blessing rests on disciples as they break the bread of life to hungry souls.
The lesson is that He supplies what His workers need to give, for their own resources are not enough but what they receive from Him is sufficient, and giving does not leave them without supply. He received from the Father and gave to the disciples to distribute to the people, and He relied on His heavenly Father for what was needed to feed the hungry multitude. His representatives are shown to give the bread of life to the people and to depend on Him when they feel helpless with nothing to give, for their work was to give the people the bread of life and when they would often face hungry souls they had to seek spiritual food from God so they could serve others rather than turn anyone away unfed.
The small supply increased as they gave it, and the gift increases in the giving. His followers receive grace from Him to give to the needy, they too share in the food provided, and the miracle shows the value of working together with God to care for people. His command to feed others carries the power to provide what is needed, and a small supply placed in His hands can sustain many when it is imparted, so that His servants relying on His power can give others the Bread of Life.
The account is applied as an example of how those who dedicate themselves to God may receive the Holy Spirit and serve people in need, as He attended to the needs of the crowd and provided abundantly from a small amount of food. It shows that God provides for His people and that people should not take God's place by restricting others.
His way of working in this event is an example for His followers to follow, for the event shows His power and that He is the source of all blessings. He can also give tact, skill, and understanding to those who follow Him, as He provided abundantly from five loaves and two fish.
Trust and Faithful Use
After all were satisfied Jesus directed the disciples to gather the remaining fragments so that nothing would be lost, and twelve baskets were left over. God's gifts and food are a good and necessary provision that are not to be wasted but are to be used with care, industry, frugality and thrift, especially in times of difficulty and when resources must be used economically. What is received is to benefit others rather than be lost. The food had multiplied as it passed from Christ to those who received it, and His actions in giving and then gathering leave lasting impressions.
As the loaves and fishes increased as they were received and passed on, so truth multiplies as it is shared, and for that reason even small fragments of literature containing truth should be preserved rather than lost. God can multiply what is given to meet the needs of a multitude, turning a meager supply into abundance. A small supply placed in Christ's hands can sustain many when it is imparted, for five loaves and two fishes fed five thousand men besides women and children with twelve baskets left over. Jesus blesses and multiplies scant resources until they meet great needs, working with those who give and serve with unselfish hearts so that the little offered can be made sufficient to carry forward His work, and He can make limited offerings sufficient for the needs of His work today. Therefore limited visible resources should be used faithfully and entrusted to God, and His servants relying on His power can give others the Bread of Life.
To be connected with Christ means to do one's best though it is not much, then to cast the helpless soul upon Jesus as Saviour and Redeemer with a faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Without fretting over what cannot be controlled, what seems insufficient can become enough for oneself and something to share with others. People should share what they have and care for those who lack the truth. Faith should lay hold upon God and expect success, and not stop work or measure advance in the work by the means at hand, for to do so shows very limited faith. Small and scattered means placed in missionary work will be multiplied by God as they are imparted to others so that all eat and are filled.
As God's human agents given the great work of diffusing the gospel over the whole earth, people are to plan and work in faith, practice economy, bind about wants, save something from a meager store to sustain the work and cause of God, do what the hands find to do, and go forward in sincerity and faith while character is formed after the divine pattern. That feeding is an example whose methods are to be studied in carrying forward food work, with simple, inexpensive preparations and without selfish private interests obstructing the work. Gifts sent with thanksgiving and prayer to advance medical missionary soul-saving work will be multiplied and blessed in the same way the food given to the disciples to give to the people was multiplied and blessed. Making the best use of the means available allows God to enable the feeding of multitudes who are starving for the bread of life. Christ has power to supply food miraculously and will supply the needs of His children today in the same way, giving knowledge to find food and continuing His benevolence in providing for bodily needs.
He promises wisdom and skill, talent and ingenuity to devise means to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and teach the ignorant, and to manufacture necessary, wholesome, inexpensive foods to be sold to the poor at as low a rate as possible, a work more needed in the Southern states than in any other part of America. Andrew's report of a boy's small supply set against the needs of a great crowd, followed by food for everyone with twelve baskets left over, shows that Christ can meet great needs and calls for faith and practical willingness to help. The miracle teaches His disciples to care for people seeking salvation by making practical efforts to provide for them when they are hungry or weary and removing obstacles that make coming to Christ difficult. The account of the disciples having only five loaves and a few small fish, far too little for the hungry crowd seated on a grassy place away from the cities, yet distributing until everyone had eaten and gathering what remained, shows Christ's provision and teaches that His works of help are to be valued.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, is the disciple who speaks to Jesus in the feeding of the multitude. He reports that a boy in the company has been found carrying five barley loaves and two small fishes, which at Jesus' word are brought to Him for distribution. He questions what such a small store is among so many, counting it as nothing for the great crowd with no more food to be obtained in the desert place. A meager supply placed in Christ's hands is multiplied as it is imparted until it sustains the multitude, so limited visible resources are to be used faithfully and entrusted to God. Christ supplies what His workers need to give, for they can impart spiritual nourishment only as they receive it from Him and depend on Him when they feel helpless with nothing to give.
Setting and Occasion
Jesus had withdrawn with His disciples to a secluded place when the crowd gathered to meet Him, and the Passover was near. The company numbered five thousand men besides women and children, above ten thousand persons in all. The multitude had been all day without food in that retirement.
The place was a desert place and a deserted place where no more food could be obtained. It was a grassy place away from the cities, a barren shore and beach beside the Sea of Galilee where much of His ministry was spent. That beach lay within sight of where the disciples later gathered and not far from Capernaum, the scene of many miracles. Standing at times upon a hill, He sat as a teacher with authority, not at ease.
The people had followed Him on foot from place to place and listened to His teaching until thousands were gathered, weary and hungry. He pitied them rather than sending them away hungering, and fed them bounteously. He had taught them words such as had never before fallen upon ears, words never heard before that laid hold of minds and sank into hearts, while His pure and simple doctrine and tender benevolence won hearts. He had healed their sick and comforted their sorrow. In this He considered their bodily needs as well as their spiritual benefit.
He asked what food was at hand and what could be found among the company to feed the crowd. He already knew what He would do. He took advantage of circumstances and of the opportunity to become a field preacher to the multitude that followed Him. Supplying temporal food to the hungry opened the way to place Him in the chair of instruction to give the people the Word which is the bread of life, and the occasion would be long remembered.
Andrew's Report
The one who speaks is Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, one of the disciples addressing Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand. He stands among the disciples through whom the provision is afterward distributed, with the credit for the work remaining Christ's. His speaking identifies him in the account as the disciple who brings the scanty supply to notice while seeing how far too little it is for the crowd.
What Andrew reports is that a boy, a lad in the company, has been found carrying five barley loaves and two small fishes, only a few loaves and a few fishes. He brings this small supply forward in answer to the inquiry what food could be found among the company. At Jesus' word the little store is brought to Him, who commands that it be brought for distribution and then uses it to feed the people until food is left over.
With the report Andrew asks what such a small store is among so many, counting it as nothing for the great crowd of about five thousand men besides women and children who had followed on foot until weary and hungry. No more food is to be obtained there in the deserted place, and the amount on hand cannot feed the multitude. His question shows how great need set against limited resources can make human means appear as nothing and weaken faith, making men hesitate to give what they have instead of depending on God and following Christ's direction.
Miracle of Provision
Jesus blessed the small supply and had it brought for distribution, giving it to the disciples to pass to the people in an orderly way until all were satisfied. The bread multiplied in the distribution and the fish increased in the hands of those who distributed them, so that five thousand men besides women and children — above ten thousand persons — ate from five barley loaves and two small fishes. When all had eaten, the remaining fragments were gathered so that nothing would be lost, and twelve baskets remained.
No human power could create so much food from so little, and no other one could do so mighty a miracle. The increase showed Jesus’ power and beneficence and care, revealed the Father’s works done through Christ, and showed His divinity and His connection with the Father. It gave evidence heaped upon evidence, sufficient to convince any mind open to evidence, and led thoughtful and candid witnesses to take exalted views of His character and office. His pure and simple doctrine had laid hold of minds and His tender benevolence had won hearts, for He had taught words never before heard, healed the sick and comforted sorrow rather than send the multitude away hungering. While eating the food He bounteously provided, those served decided He was indeed the Messiah, for teaching and healing had nearly convinced them of His divinity and this miracle crowned their growing conviction with entire belief.
The miracle reveals the same creative power God continually uses to provide the harvest and feed people, the same divine power at work in the multiplication of seed and the daily production of food. God gives life to the seed and provides food through the harvest, sustains living things by active power, and can in a moment create a supply sufficient for more than five thousand when need requires it. Men are thus dependent on God for life, for food, for health, and even for the very air breathed, and the grace of God on a small portion makes it all-sufficient, able to spread a table in the wilderness and multiply scanty provision a hundredfold. That provision is not to be squandered or used in an aimless, wasteful manner but is to be used with care, industry and frugality, with glory given to the Creator rather than to natural causes, human work, selfishness or unnatural appetite.
The fame of the wonderful miracle on the barren shore spread far and near. The multitude left Jesus there knowing no boat remained by which He could depart, and on the following morning returned to the spot where they had last seen Him, arriving in large numbers by land and water to seek Him. Strengthened in conviction that He was the Messiah, they planned to take Him by force and make Him king, a project set on foot by Judas which Christ rebuked with greater and unusual authority and refused. Judas was not satisfied with how affairs turned out there, was provoked by the rebuke, and became more separated from Jesus in feeling and love. The disciples remembered this feeding when Jesus later provided them with a miraculous catch of fish, which helped them recognize His power to provide and His care for them. That providing of bread for five thousand besides women and children was part of His mission and expressed His love for the children of men.
Bread of Life Taught
Supplying temporal food to the hungry opened the way to place Jesus in the chair of instruction to give the Word which is the bread of life. He took advantage of circumstances to become a field preacher to the multitude that followed Him, standing at times upon a hill and sitting as a teacher with authority to enlarge a small substance of temporal food by miracle. The account belongs to the feeding of the five thousand and shows He cared for the people's physical need for food as well as their need to hear words of life. Through the miracle He taught that the spiritual food He gives — Himself, the Bread of Life — is more important than perishable food, and the lessons of the chapter direct readers to Christ the living bread and to receive and obey His words, which are spirit and life leading to eternal life.
Eating the Son of God's flesh and drinking His blood explains how eternal life is gained. As bread gives the body strength, faith in Christ and obedience to His teaching give the soul spiritual strength and everlasting life. This means trusting His words and the power of His sacrifice, not literally consuming His human body, for His teaching, example, life and death are the spiritual food that gives life. The living bread is received by taking the Word into the life, and the language about Christ's flesh and blood points to Him as the substitute for sin and the only hope of ancient Israel.
The sixth chapter shows the Word of God is the bread of life representing the body and blood of the Son of God. The gospel does not address the understanding alone like mathematics for the intellect but aims at the heart, addresses the moral nature, and takes possession of the will, casting down imaginations and every high thing exalting itself against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Learning this requires being a submissive student in the school of Christ, disciplined to habits of obedience, with the soul emptied of all proud possessions so Christ may imprint His image on the soul and the soul-temple may be the abiding place of the Most High.
In this chapter Jesus spoke plain truths that many, including disciples, did not understand at the time though later events made them clearer. These truths brought people's real feelings to light and led them to decide for or against Him, testing those who claimed to follow Him. Many were offended because they resisted reproof and chose human praise over God's admonition, and many turned away when His words exposed their lives and when they heard the conditions of eternal life and entrance into God's kingdom, while the test established the faithfulness of those who remained. The miracle of the loaves became the occasion for the teaching that He was the bread of life, and together with walking on the water it stands as the setting in which some disciples turned from Him.
The people who later asked for a sign had witnessed the feeding and hoped He would repeat it, but He used the miracle to lead them to believe in Him as the Son of God and receive Him as the Bread of Life. Those who had followed Him for food and other temporal benefits rejected that lesson despite seeing His works, for they were not seeking evidence that would settle their faith. Those who sought Him for bread and resisted the cross turned away when they heard the conditions of eternal life.
Disciples as Channels
In the feeding the disciples stand as channels and appointed means of communication between Christ and the people, receiving from Him and passing His provision on to others. The food multiplied in His hands as they distributed it, for He is the source of strength and the Bread of Life, and His followers are to rely on Him for what they give. All who are united to Him receive the bread of life from Him and impart it to others, and they can impart spiritual nourishment only as they receive it from Him. They served as instruments through whom He provided food to the crowd, and the credit for the work belonged to Him, not to them.
He brings His disciples forward before large numbers to give them reputation, so that many will recognize in their workings that they work as He worked, and His deeds of mercy open a door for them. Supplying temporal food to the hungry opens the way to place Him in the chair of instruction to give the Word which is the bread of life, and the distribution of grace in words with the free-will offering of enlarged food with His blessing on it prepares the way in many places. The same blessing rests on disciples as they break the bread of life to hungry souls.
The lesson is that He supplies what His workers need to give, for their own resources are not enough but what they receive from Him is sufficient, and giving does not leave them without supply. He received from the Father and gave to the disciples to distribute to the people, and He relied on His heavenly Father for what was needed to feed the hungry multitude. His representatives are shown to give the bread of life to the people and to depend on Him when they feel helpless with nothing to give, for their work was to give the people the bread of life and when they would often face hungry souls they had to seek spiritual food from God so they could serve others rather than turn anyone away unfed.
The small supply increased as they gave it, and the gift increases in the giving. His followers receive grace from Him to give to the needy, they too share in the food provided, and the miracle shows the value of working together with God to care for people. His command to feed others carries the power to provide what is needed, and a small supply placed in His hands can sustain many when it is imparted, so that His servants relying on His power can give others the Bread of Life.
The account is applied as an example of how those who dedicate themselves to God may receive the Holy Spirit and serve people in need, as He attended to the needs of the crowd and provided abundantly from a small amount of food. It shows that God provides for His people and that people should not take God's place by restricting others.
His way of working in this event is an example for His followers to follow, for the event shows His power and that He is the source of all blessings. He can also give tact, skill, and understanding to those who follow Him, as He provided abundantly from five loaves and two fish.
Trust and Faithful Use
After all were satisfied Jesus directed the disciples to gather the remaining fragments so that nothing would be lost, and twelve baskets were left over. God's gifts and food are a good and necessary provision that are not to be wasted but are to be used with care, industry, frugality and thrift, especially in times of difficulty and when resources must be used economically. What is received is to benefit others rather than be lost. The food had multiplied as it passed from Christ to those who received it, and His actions in giving and then gathering leave lasting impressions.
As the loaves and fishes increased as they were received and passed on, so truth multiplies as it is shared, and for that reason even small fragments of literature containing truth should be preserved rather than lost. God can multiply what is given to meet the needs of a multitude, turning a meager supply into abundance. A small supply placed in Christ's hands can sustain many when it is imparted, for five loaves and two fishes fed five thousand men besides women and children with twelve baskets left over. Jesus blesses and multiplies scant resources until they meet great needs, working with those who give and serve with unselfish hearts so that the little offered can be made sufficient to carry forward His work, and He can make limited offerings sufficient for the needs of His work today. Therefore limited visible resources should be used faithfully and entrusted to God, and His servants relying on His power can give others the Bread of Life.
To be connected with Christ means to do one's best though it is not much, then to cast the helpless soul upon Jesus as Saviour and Redeemer with a faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Without fretting over what cannot be controlled, what seems insufficient can become enough for oneself and something to share with others. People should share what they have and care for those who lack the truth. Faith should lay hold upon God and expect success, and not stop work or measure advance in the work by the means at hand, for to do so shows very limited faith. Small and scattered means placed in missionary work will be multiplied by God as they are imparted to others so that all eat and are filled.
As God's human agents given the great work of diffusing the gospel over the whole earth, people are to plan and work in faith, practice economy, bind about wants, save something from a meager store to sustain the work and cause of God, do what the hands find to do, and go forward in sincerity and faith while character is formed after the divine pattern. That feeding is an example whose methods are to be studied in carrying forward food work, with simple, inexpensive preparations and without selfish private interests obstructing the work. Gifts sent with thanksgiving and prayer to advance medical missionary soul-saving work will be multiplied and blessed in the same way the food given to the disciples to give to the people was multiplied and blessed. Making the best use of the means available allows God to enable the feeding of multitudes who are starving for the bread of life. Christ has power to supply food miraculously and will supply the needs of His children today in the same way, giving knowledge to find food and continuing His benevolence in providing for bodily needs.
He promises wisdom and skill, talent and ingenuity to devise means to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and teach the ignorant, and to manufacture necessary, wholesome, inexpensive foods to be sold to the poor at as low a rate as possible, a work more needed in the Southern states than in any other part of America. Andrew's report of a boy's small supply set against the needs of a great crowd, followed by food for everyone with twelve baskets left over, shows that Christ can meet great needs and calls for faith and practical willingness to help. The miracle teaches His disciples to care for people seeking salvation by making practical efforts to provide for them when they are hungry or weary and removing obstacles that make coming to Christ difficult. The account of the disciples having only five loaves and a few small fish, far too little for the hungry crowd seated on a grassy place away from the cities, yet distributing until everyone had eaten and gathering what remained, shows Christ's provision and teaches that His works of help are to be valued.