Mark 6:35
And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
The day was far spent with the sun setting in a desert, lonely, secluded place far from settlements where food could not readily be obtained, when the disciples came to urge Him to send the people away. More than ten thousand people, five thousand men besides women and children, had remained all day to hear His teaching and receive healing without noticing hunger, and by evening were tired, hungry, and in danger of fainting by the way. Jesus Himself was weary from laboring all day without food or rest, yet in compassion He would not withdraw, and knowing already how He would provide, He tested the faith of the disciples by inquiring where bread could be obtained and commanding that they themselves give the people to eat. With five barley loaves and two small fishes He asked the blessing, broke and distributed the food until all were satisfied with twelve baskets full left, showing His care for physical needs as well as spiritual and revealing the same divine power that daily multiplies seed in the harvest to feed millions. His command backed by that power teaches workers for all time not to hold back from serving others for fear their means are insufficient, but to act in obedience and dependence upon God, trusting His blessing to make a scanty supply sufficient and to increase the gift as it is shared.
Time, Place, and Crowd
The day was far spent with the sun setting, and evening had come while Jesus and the crowd were still together in a desert, lonely, secluded place far from human settlements where food could not readily be obtained. The disciples recognized the lateness of the hour and the desolate setting and saw that the crowd needed food before setting out for home. The people had listened for hours without noticing how long they had gone without food, and Jesus was concerned that they not leave hungry or grow faint on the way home.
The place was a grassy eminence and grassy plot beyond the sea from Capernaum, a lonely place of retirement and retired spot away from the cities near the Sea of Galilee to which Jesus had withdrawn with His disciples. The shore where the miracle took place lay near the Sea of Galilee and within sight of the disciples as they gathered again in Galilee. There only five barley loaves and two small fishes could be found in the company, and with no more food to be obtained Jesus Himself was at no loss how to provide.
The crowd numbered five thousand men besides women and children, more than ten thousand people in all, including Passover pilgrims, who had come without invitation or command and followed Him wherever He went. Christ had made Himself one with the people in their need, traveling on foot from place to place teaching and healing so all might hear and follow Him, and large crowds followed Him. Those healed had joined those already following, and placed there by the providence of God He depended on His heavenly Father to relieve the necessity.
All day the people had remained to hear His teaching and receive healing, for Jesus had taught the multitude through the entire day and healed all the sick and afflicted brought to Him. By evening they were tired, hungry, weary and fainting, in danger of returning to their homes unrefreshed or fainting by the way, with some falling to the ground. As evening drew on Jesus told His disciples the people must be weary and should have rest and food, and instead of sending them away hungry He noticed their condition and would provide.
Jesus had labored all day without food or rest and was weary, yet in compassion He could not withdraw from the crowd pressing around Him when the disciples came to urge Him to stop. He responded to their need with compassion and taught them the way of salvation. The account belongs to the feeding of the multitude told in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, centered on His command that the disciples themselves give the people to eat.
The miracle that followed was performed three times in different localities so that people in different parts might learn the lessons He would teach thereby. The feeding took place at a barren, isolated shore where the crowd had been fed the preceding day, and news of the miracle spread widely so people returned in large numbers the following morning. He led about five thousand away to the retired place where they had been with Him three days, had used up the food they had, and had only five loaves and a few small fishes among so many.
Disciples Concern and Response
The disciples saw that the hour was late and the place remote, and that the crowd had nothing to eat, so they urged that the people be sent away into the surrounding country and villages to buy bread for themselves. Their question whether they should go and buy food showed they felt the need was beyond their means, a question of anxious unbelief in the face of hunger. Jesus Himself was at no loss how to provide, for He already knew how He would feed them, yet He inquired of Philip where bread could be obtained in order to test the faith of the disciples. He stood with the five thousand men besides women and children who had listened long without food and were in danger of going home unrefreshed or fainting by the way, placed there by providence and one with the people in their need, and He depended on His heavenly Father to relieve the necessity.
Instead of sending them away hungry He pitied them and said they were weary and must have rest and food. He commanded the multitude to sit down in companies on the grass on the grassy plot, and a hymn was sung. What could be found in the company was only five barley loaves and two small fishes, and when asked how much they had the disciples answered to that effect.
He took the five barley loaves and the two small fishes, asked the blessing so that the food increased, broke it into small pieces and placed the pieces in the disciples' hands to distribute through their hands to the multitude. As they put it into the hands of the hungry they came back for more and kept imparting what they received until all were filled and satisfied. The disciples themselves also ate from the abundance, and temporal and spiritual blessing accompanied such giving.
The food did not run out as it was distributed but increased as it was shared, so that the small supply satisfied the crowd. He then commanded that the fragments be gathered up that nothing be lost, leaving twelve baskets full in this feeding and seven baskets full in the other feeding. The twelve baskets of leftovers showed the abundance of His provision.
Divine Provision and Meaning
The disciples saw that the day was late and the place desolate, and brought to Jesus the practical need that the crowd must have food, and His answer that began the feeding of the five thousand shows His care for bodily hunger as well as spiritual hunger. The people had been without food all day, and He would not send them home unrefreshed lest they faint on the way from that place far from human habitations. What He did there was to provide simple food by divine power out of compassion, and that provision was part of His mission and an expression of His love for humanity. That goodness and continuing care teaches that the ordinary supply of food, like the miraculous loaves, depends on God's power to supply food for His people.
The same miracle reveals the divine power that is also at work in the harvest, for the multiplying of the loaves parallels the daily multiplying of seed and the feeding of millions from the earth's crops. Both are acts of God's creative care, even when men overlook His agency and credit only natural or human causes. As in the earlier wonder of multiplying food for one hundred men, it shows that God's power can take a very small and seemingly inadequate store and make it sufficient for many. The food did not run out as it was distributed from five barley loaves and two small fishes, everyone was satisfied, and abundance remained in twelve baskets of fragments in this feeding.
That abundance strengthened the people's belief that Jesus was the Messiah. They took Him to be the promised Deliverer and decided to make Him king of Israel to claim David's throne, mistaking His mission for a temporal kingship.
Lessons for Believers and Workers
The command to give the people food, backed by the power that fed the multitude, teaches workers not to hold back from serving others from fear that their means are insufficient, but to act in obedience and trust His blessing to make a scanty supply sufficient. What appears inadequate — five loaves and two fishes — can become more than enough in God's hands, so that He can accomplish great things for His people with resources that seem insufficient. Christ's followers receive from Him what they are to give to people in need, and the gift increases as it is shared. The disciples' question whether they should go and buy food in nearby villages reflected anxious unbelief at the late hour and hungry crowd beyond their means.
The desert place late in the day is a lesson for all time of dependence upon God. With five thousand men besides women and children who had come without invitation and listened long until hungry and faint, with no food at hand and apparently no means at command, placed there by providence and made one with the people in their need, Christ depended on His heavenly Father to relieve the necessity. Wisdom and judgment are to be exercised and trial not to be recklessly sought, yet when brought into strait places and compassed with difficulties after following the best knowledge, there is to be whole dependence upon God in fullest confidence without failing or discouragement. Wisdom is to be sought from Him who has infinite resources, and He will deliver and keep every soul brought into perplexity through trying to keep the way of the Lord.
Workers are to trust Christ rather than worry over apparent impossibilities or depend on outside help to revive and feed people. Christ supplies the bread of life through His servants, who are to receive the truth, pray over it, practice it, and pass on to the needy what they receive. When Jesus gave thanks late in the day in the secluded place and entrusted the small supply to the disciples to distribute, it increased as they shared it until the tired, hungry crowd was satisfied with food left over, and the disciples also ate from the abundance. Temporal and spiritual blessings accompany such giving. Those who serve as His body are to work on unselfish principles, share what they have, consider those who lack the truth, and work selflessly to carry it everywhere. God can bless and multiply a scanty provision and make small, cheerfully given offerings sufficient for the needs of a much larger work.
Followers must compassionately make practical provision for people seeking the way of salvation and must not let them leave faint, weary, or discouraged. Though by miracle He satisfied the hunger of the multitude in a desert place late in the day, He was careful that the food that remained should not be wasted. Gathering the leftovers teaches order, economy, thrift, self-denial and sacrifice, with special application to trying circumstances when close economy is required. What God gives is to be imparted to the needy and suffering and never wasted, gambled away, or gained by robbing another, and this applies to both material and spiritual gifts, with no opportunity or advantage that can benefit others to be wasted, but spiritual nourishment received from Christ to be shared.
Those in charge of institutions, especially medical institutions, are to apply this by acting wisely, refusing to spend money that can be saved by frugality and thrift, safeguarding the interests of the work entrusted to them, and putting Bible principles of economy and thrift into daily practice. Industry and economy are duties: believers must owe no man anything, live within their means, labor faithfully for small wages as well as large, and be faithful stewards of strength to place their families above want and dependence. The command to gather up the fragments and let nothing be lost means more than saving leftover food; it is a far-reaching lesson that every such action should make a lasting impression on human minds. It teaches no extravagance but plainness and simplicity in building sanitariums while still making room to care for and impress people, so that those healed keep the impression of truth in their minds.
Gifts of money for advancing medical missionary work, sent with thanksgiving and prayer and put to the best use, are multiplied and blessed like the food given to the disciples to give to the crowd. When the best use is made of the means available, God enables His workers to feed the multitudes who are starving for the bread of life through soul-saving work. The feeding is an example of His methods to be studied in practical work, including preparing simple, inexpensive food and keeping selfish private interests from hindering the work. God also gives tact, skill, and understanding when people work in harmony with Him.
When the scattered small supply is placed in missionary work, God will multiply it as it is imparted to others so that all may eat and be filled. Work must not stop to measure advance by the means at hand, for that shows very limited faith. As was said to Moses, the word is to go forward, to diffuse the gospel over the whole earth whether means are large or small, and to plan and work in faith as God's human agents given this great work. When people dedicate themselves to the Lord God of heaven He gives His Holy Spirit so they can communicate to those in necessity what Christ supplies, as He Himself was sanctuary and helper and great leading Physician with no earthly sanitarium but a grassy plot for the fainting crowd.
All the works of Christ manifested in our day by message or in any way of helpfulness are to be held as a credit, as taught by gathering the fragments and letting nothing be lost after the supply increased as it was given out until all had eaten. The miracle, leaving twelve baskets full in this feeding and seven baskets full in the other feeding, shows what Christ can do for His people. It calls for more faith in Him to minister, teach, and guide into truth.