Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand with Bread and FishBible World
14:20Matthew 14:20
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
All ate until they were satisfied from five small loaves and two small fishes, and twelve baskets full of fragments remained after the need was met. Jesus received the supply from His Father, blessed it, and multiplied it in His own hands and in the hands of the disciples as they gave it to the waiting multitude. The abundance was a work of divine creative power, the same power that provides daily food, showing His tender care for ordinary bodily needs and convincing the people He was the promised Messiah. His command to gather the fragments so nothing would be lost sets the standard of economy and thrift, forbidding waste while teaching that no gift, opportunity, or soul-hunger is to be left unvalued. What is brought to Him in simple trust, however meager, He blesses and multiplies through those who receive from Him and impart to others, so giving and receiving increase together.
Setting and Circumstances
The feeding belongs to evening in a desert, out-of-the-way place, on a grass plot where the hungry, weary multitude that had listened all day was made to sit down. He had them seated in companies of fifty and one hundred to keep order and let all witness the miracle. Moved with compassion He had already healed their sick, and He would not send them home hungry when some were faint for want of food.
About five thousand men besides women and children were present, more than ten thousand persons in all. Some were faint for want of food after a day with no food in a deserted place, and Jesus would not let them go home hungry. Much of His ministry was spent on the shores of Galilee, and this feeding on its shore and beach was among His most wonderful miracles there.
The only food at hand was five small barley loaves and two small fishes, the humble everyday fare of Galilean fisherfolk. Jesus tested the disciples' faith by asking how the people could be fed, though He already knew how He would provide for them. The disciples had only those loaves and fishes, and at His command the people sat on the ground.
He looked up to heaven, gave thanks, blessed, broke the bread and fish, and gave them through the disciples to the multitude. As the disciples distributed and returned to Him a fresh supply was given, so the food did not diminish in His hands or theirs but multiplied as it was passed from hand to hand until every appetite was satisfied. The feeding took place within sight of where He had walked on the water to rescue the disciples in the storm and hushed the storm with His voice.
Abundant Miraculous Supply
They all ate and were filled and satisfied, and the disciples took up twelve baskets full of leftover fragments and fish. The supply remained undiminished until all had eaten, an abundance exceeding the immediate need from only five small barley loaves and two small fishes. That food was the humble, everyday fare of Galilean fisherfolk, yet placed in His hands it sufficed to feed the multitude. After all were filled He directed that the remaining pieces be gathered so that none would be wasted.
The feeding was a wonderful miracle of divine, creative power. The same power that multiplied the loaves works continually in the growth of seed and the harvest that feeds millions, and in the ordinary provision of daily food. Human work in growing grain and preparing bread does not replace His agency, even when people fail to recognize it, and His gifts are meant as blessings, not for selfish use. People should give God the glory for sustaining life rather than crediting human effort or natural processes alone.
The food was not at hand and He had no apparent means to supply it in the wilderness. He knew the crowd would be hungry and faint, and depended on His Father to supply food for them, receiving provision from the Father. He acted by divine power granted Him by the Father as the Father's representative, supplying the need of a multitude faint with hunger from only a few loaves and fishes. Doing the works of the Father in this way gave reason to believe the Father was in Him.
The simple meal without luxury met their real, genuine, ordinary bodily necessities and showed both His power and His tender, compassionate, loving care in ordinary needs. It assures that needs will be supplied and gives the promised comfort of His presence, which is better than earthly goods. His followers are not promised worldly luxuries and may live in poverty with its inconveniences, as He Himself lived, yet a simple meal could meet the people's needs without catering to luxury or appetite for its own sake.
The abundance of food left over displayed His divine power and compassion. His care of the fragments proves His divinity as much as creating the food did. That abundance from five loaves and two fishes, with twelve baskets remaining after thousands had eaten their fill, convinced the people that He was the promised Messiah and strengthened belief in His divinity.
Gathering the Leftovers
Once all had eaten and were filled and satisfied, Jesus directed the disciples to gather up the fragments that remained so that nothing would be lost, and twelve baskets full of leftover fragments and fish were taken up. The food had multiplied as it was passed from hand to hand until five thousand men besides women and children had eaten and there was more than enough for all, and it did not diminish as Jesus handed it to the disciples who served the people, for as often as they returned to Him a fresh supply was given in quantity sufficient to satisfy every appetite. He had fed them in a desert place from five barley loaves and two small fishes after giving thanks and seating the people on the grass in companies of fifty and one hundred to keep order and let all witness the miracle.
That command forbids squandering and aimless, wasteful use of the bounties of Providence and sets God's standard of economy, thrift, order, industry, and frugality in saving food as well as money. Temporal resources that could help the needy are to be gathered and used rather than wasted, with self denied and sacrifice made to supply the wants and necessities of the needy and suffering. Those in right relation to God stand in right relation to principles of economy, and the lesson applies especially to those managing institutions, who should use resources wisely and save what can be saved, even amid great work and pressing needs and when circumstances require close economy. Dependence on God for life, means, health, food, and air requires industry, frugality, and careful use of all received from His hand.
His care of the fragments proves His divinity as much as creating the food did, and demonstrates the value He places on every gift and blessing, with use for it all. The lesson is twofold, in temporal and spiritual things: nothing is to be wasted, no temporal opportunity or spiritual advantage is to be let slip, and nothing that can benefit a human being or relieve the hungry is to be lost. God's gifts are to be freely imparted to the needy and not wasted or gotten by gambling and robbing others.
The command to gather up the fragments and let nothing be lost means more than saving little bits of food. Every action of that kind is to make an impression on human minds so they never lose it, teaching no extravagance in anything but plain and simple provision, yet with room to take care of and impress parties, so that those healed and seeing His miracles keep the impression of truth in their minds.
The baskets were shared with friends at home and carried into all the region round about. Those who were fed must give to others the bread that comes down from heaven to satisfy hunger of soul and repeat what they learned of the wonderful things of God, treasuring God's words as the bread that feeds the soul and neglecting none. The gathered fragments also teach that His works, when shown in later times through the message or acts of helpfulness, are to be kept as a credit.
Sharing Through Disciples
The food multiplied in the hands of Christ and in the hands of the disciples as they reached out to Him, so that their hands reaching out to Him, Himself the bread of life, were never empty and never unfilled. Christ Himself multiplied the small store of loaves so it was sufficient for all, and the disciples cooperated with Him by distributing it to the waiting people and to one another. The order of supply was from the Father to Christ, from Christ to the disciples, from the disciples to the multitude, and from the people to one another. In this the disciples stood as the channel of communication between Christ and the people, while Christ stood as the great Center and Source of all strength from whom His disciples still receive their supplies.
He did not invite the disciples to eat first but told them to serve the people when He said to give them to eat, though they had brought Him all they had. Only after the wants of the people were supplied were the fragments gathered up, and then Christ and His disciples ate together of the precious heaven-supplied, heaven-imparted food. That remaining store was enough for the disciples to eat with Him after the whole multitude had been fed.
All who are united with Christ receive from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food and word of life, and impart it to others who hunger for spiritual food. Even the most intelligent and spiritually minded can bestow only as they receive, and of themselves can supply nothing for the needs of the soul. Giving and receiving belong together, for we can impart only as we receive and can receive only as we impart; as we continue to impart we continue to receive, and the more we impart the more we receive. The gift and grace increase in distribution, as shown when those laboring with God distribute the grace received from Christ and when hands filled with food picture the provision God gives and remembers for those who labor in love to reach others.
The feeding showed the disciples that Christ called them to serve as His representatives to give the people the bread of life, for which they must receive spiritual food from God so they would have something to impart. His command to give others what they need carries with it the power to fulfill it, though the food at hand was small and the need was met through the power of God. The disciples’ small supply of five loaves and two fishes illustrates that what people have should be shared with those who lack, both temporal help and the truth, trusting Christ to supply what is lacking. Blessings both temporal and spiritual accompany such giving of what is received from Him to the needy, poor, ignorant, and afflicted.
Trust and Obedience Today
What seems a meager, insufficient supply becomes a rich feast with abundance to spare when brought to Jesus in honest, simple reliance. In the feeding in the wilderness He provided for a hungry multitude though no apparent means were at hand, feeding five thousand men besides women and children from only five small barley loaves and two fishes until all were satisfied and twelve baskets full of fragments remained. The disciples brought Him all they had, He did not invite them to eat first but told them to serve the people, the food multiplied in His hands and in theirs as they reached out to Him so their hands were never unfilled, and afterward they ate with Him of the precious heaven-supplied food. His dependence on His Father to supply food when means seemed inadequate teaches dependence on God in difficulty and in every emergency, trusting His abundant resources. Therefore His children are not to worry and fret over what they cannot help but to trust and go from strength to strength, using wisdom and the means He provides rather than recklessly creating problems.
Gifts, means, time and ability, though only enough to feed one and not thousands, when offered with thanksgiving and prayer and given to supply the poor, ignorant and afflicted, are blessed and multiplied by the Lord. When the best use is made of what is available and it is used well on unselfish principles, He can make scanty resources sufficient for a wide field of work. So dedicated gifts can help provide for multitudes starving for the Bread of Life, for missionary work and gospel work and sanitariums, and when a small supply is put into missionary work and shared with others all may be provided for. Aligned with Him, those who give in this way are also helped to provide tact, skill and understanding for the need.
The same Jesus who fed the crowd until everyone was satisfied and twelve baskets were left over can bless His people's work and provide abundantly for them today. What seems insufficient by human measure can become more than sufficient in His hands, for under His direction and blessing food can go a long way. He can satisfy people with less than they expect and multiply food when it is for His glory and when they obey Him and seek His glory. On a grassy place He knew the multitude was hungry, had them seated, broke a few loaves and fishes into small pieces and passed them through His disciples until all ate and had enough, then had the fragments gathered so nothing would be lost. This calls for more faith in Him as the mighty One who can minister and teach and guide into truth and help in wrestling and trials and give everlasting life to the overcomer.
Though He had divine power to provide food for others from five loaves and two small fishes until all ate their fill and twelve baskets remained, He did not use that power to satisfy His own hunger in the wilderness or to ease His own daily labor. He possessed that same power while earning a living by daily labor, yet His example shows that useful work is honorable and that people should be industrious. He could have acted for Himself, but doing so would not have followed the plan of salvation, for His mission was to bless and save others and not to relieve Himself of suffering. Having left the royal courts, laid off crown and royal robes, clothed divinity with humanity, and suffered the inconveniences of poverty so He could discern the needs of the poor, He wore no gorgeous priestly robes and held no earthly riches but came to minister to the suffering and needy for their help and uplifting. That obtaining the higher education does not mean gaining popularity, securing worldly advantages, having all temporal wants abundantly supplied, and being honored by the titled and wealthy of earth is revealed in this.
The miracle does not teach putting forth no effort to provide the necessities of life, nor does it abolish ordinary agencies for support. His power to furnish food miraculously does not abolish institutions for the suffering, just as His healing of the sick in answer to prayer does not abolish healing institutions, because God will not always work miracles to keep people alive and the sick are to have the benefit of hygienic living and treatment. Dependence on God for life, means, health, food and air requires industry, frugality and careful use of all received from His hand, with nothing wasted, no temporal opportunity or spiritual advantage let slip, and nothing that can benefit a human being or relieve the hungry lost. His command to gather all that was left forbids squandering and aimless, wasteful use of the bounties of Providence and sets His standard of economy in saving food as well as money.
The feeding teaches that the heavenly Provider supplies human need and gives guidance in preparing suitable food for different times and occasions. The Lord supplies necessary food and provides instruction about preparing it, so that provision fully meets the people's need. Under His direction and blessing food can go a long way, satisfying many and leaving more than enough, so that people can subsist on less than they expect when they obey Him and seek His glory.
He cared for the crowd's bodily needs as well as teaching them spiritual truth, knowing that hungry, tired, faint people could not readily receive spiritual benefit as they otherwise could. Feeding the hungry and healing the sick is the example of practical care His followers are to give to people in need, and His methods can be studied in carrying forward food work. His power and beneficence in leaving abundant food remaining teaches His followers compassion for seekers after salvation, ensuring that the weary and hungry can hear the word of life and are not sent away discouraged.
Dedication to the Lord God of heaven brings the gift of His Holy Spirit so His people can communicate supply to those in necessity. Softened and subdued and sanctified by His Spirit, they are to study and do the works He worked when, attentive as sanctuary and helper and great leading Physician, He had five thousand men besides women and children, some fainting, seated on a grassy plot, took five loaves and a few small fishes, divided them to His disciples to distribute, and there was enough for all.
Further points
At Bethsaida Jesus took the disciples' small supply of food, blessed it, and made it enough to feed a vast multitude until all were satisfied. That feeding left abundant leftovers gathered afterward. The disciples had already witnessed this provision before they later faced another hungry crowd needing food.
All ate until they were satisfied from five small loaves and two small fishes, and twelve baskets full of fragments remained after the need was met. Jesus received the supply from His Father, blessed it, and multiplied it in His own hands and in the hands of the disciples as they gave it to the waiting multitude. The abundance was a work of divine creative power, the same power that provides daily food, showing His tender care for ordinary bodily needs and convincing the people He was the promised Messiah. His command to gather the fragments so nothing would be lost sets the standard of economy and thrift, forbidding waste while teaching that no gift, opportunity, or soul-hunger is to be left unvalued. What is brought to Him in simple trust, however meager, He blesses and multiplies through those who receive from Him and impart to others, so giving and receiving increase together.
Setting and Circumstances
The feeding belongs to evening in a desert, out-of-the-way place, on a grass plot where the hungry, weary multitude that had listened all day was made to sit down. He had them seated in companies of fifty and one hundred to keep order and let all witness the miracle. Moved with compassion He had already healed their sick, and He would not send them home hungry when some were faint for want of food.
About five thousand men besides women and children were present, more than ten thousand persons in all. Some were faint for want of food after a day with no food in a deserted place, and Jesus would not let them go home hungry. Much of His ministry was spent on the shores of Galilee, and this feeding on its shore and beach was among His most wonderful miracles there.
The only food at hand was five small barley loaves and two small fishes, the humble everyday fare of Galilean fisherfolk. Jesus tested the disciples' faith by asking how the people could be fed, though He already knew how He would provide for them. The disciples had only those loaves and fishes, and at His command the people sat on the ground.
He looked up to heaven, gave thanks, blessed, broke the bread and fish, and gave them through the disciples to the multitude. As the disciples distributed and returned to Him a fresh supply was given, so the food did not diminish in His hands or theirs but multiplied as it was passed from hand to hand until every appetite was satisfied. The feeding took place within sight of where He had walked on the water to rescue the disciples in the storm and hushed the storm with His voice.
Abundant Miraculous Supply
They all ate and were filled and satisfied, and the disciples took up twelve baskets full of leftover fragments and fish. The supply remained undiminished until all had eaten, an abundance exceeding the immediate need from only five small barley loaves and two small fishes. That food was the humble, everyday fare of Galilean fisherfolk, yet placed in His hands it sufficed to feed the multitude. After all were filled He directed that the remaining pieces be gathered so that none would be wasted.
The feeding was a wonderful miracle of divine, creative power. The same power that multiplied the loaves works continually in the growth of seed and the harvest that feeds millions, and in the ordinary provision of daily food. Human work in growing grain and preparing bread does not replace His agency, even when people fail to recognize it, and His gifts are meant as blessings, not for selfish use. People should give God the glory for sustaining life rather than crediting human effort or natural processes alone.
The food was not at hand and He had no apparent means to supply it in the wilderness. He knew the crowd would be hungry and faint, and depended on His Father to supply food for them, receiving provision from the Father. He acted by divine power granted Him by the Father as the Father's representative, supplying the need of a multitude faint with hunger from only a few loaves and fishes. Doing the works of the Father in this way gave reason to believe the Father was in Him.
The simple meal without luxury met their real, genuine, ordinary bodily necessities and showed both His power and His tender, compassionate, loving care in ordinary needs. It assures that needs will be supplied and gives the promised comfort of His presence, which is better than earthly goods. His followers are not promised worldly luxuries and may live in poverty with its inconveniences, as He Himself lived, yet a simple meal could meet the people's needs without catering to luxury or appetite for its own sake.
The abundance of food left over displayed His divine power and compassion. His care of the fragments proves His divinity as much as creating the food did. That abundance from five loaves and two fishes, with twelve baskets remaining after thousands had eaten their fill, convinced the people that He was the promised Messiah and strengthened belief in His divinity.
Gathering the Leftovers
Once all had eaten and were filled and satisfied, Jesus directed the disciples to gather up the fragments that remained so that nothing would be lost, and twelve baskets full of leftover fragments and fish were taken up. The food had multiplied as it was passed from hand to hand until five thousand men besides women and children had eaten and there was more than enough for all, and it did not diminish as Jesus handed it to the disciples who served the people, for as often as they returned to Him a fresh supply was given in quantity sufficient to satisfy every appetite. He had fed them in a desert place from five barley loaves and two small fishes after giving thanks and seating the people on the grass in companies of fifty and one hundred to keep order and let all witness the miracle.
That command forbids squandering and aimless, wasteful use of the bounties of Providence and sets God's standard of economy, thrift, order, industry, and frugality in saving food as well as money. Temporal resources that could help the needy are to be gathered and used rather than wasted, with self denied and sacrifice made to supply the wants and necessities of the needy and suffering. Those in right relation to God stand in right relation to principles of economy, and the lesson applies especially to those managing institutions, who should use resources wisely and save what can be saved, even amid great work and pressing needs and when circumstances require close economy. Dependence on God for life, means, health, food, and air requires industry, frugality, and careful use of all received from His hand.
His care of the fragments proves His divinity as much as creating the food did, and demonstrates the value He places on every gift and blessing, with use for it all. The lesson is twofold, in temporal and spiritual things: nothing is to be wasted, no temporal opportunity or spiritual advantage is to be let slip, and nothing that can benefit a human being or relieve the hungry is to be lost. God's gifts are to be freely imparted to the needy and not wasted or gotten by gambling and robbing others.
The command to gather up the fragments and let nothing be lost means more than saving little bits of food. Every action of that kind is to make an impression on human minds so they never lose it, teaching no extravagance in anything but plain and simple provision, yet with room to take care of and impress parties, so that those healed and seeing His miracles keep the impression of truth in their minds.
The baskets were shared with friends at home and carried into all the region round about. Those who were fed must give to others the bread that comes down from heaven to satisfy hunger of soul and repeat what they learned of the wonderful things of God, treasuring God's words as the bread that feeds the soul and neglecting none. The gathered fragments also teach that His works, when shown in later times through the message or acts of helpfulness, are to be kept as a credit.
Sharing Through Disciples
The food multiplied in the hands of Christ and in the hands of the disciples as they reached out to Him, so that their hands reaching out to Him, Himself the bread of life, were never empty and never unfilled. Christ Himself multiplied the small store of loaves so it was sufficient for all, and the disciples cooperated with Him by distributing it to the waiting people and to one another. The order of supply was from the Father to Christ, from Christ to the disciples, from the disciples to the multitude, and from the people to one another. In this the disciples stood as the channel of communication between Christ and the people, while Christ stood as the great Center and Source of all strength from whom His disciples still receive their supplies.
He did not invite the disciples to eat first but told them to serve the people when He said to give them to eat, though they had brought Him all they had. Only after the wants of the people were supplied were the fragments gathered up, and then Christ and His disciples ate together of the precious heaven-supplied, heaven-imparted food. That remaining store was enough for the disciples to eat with Him after the whole multitude had been fed.
All who are united with Christ receive from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food and word of life, and impart it to others who hunger for spiritual food. Even the most intelligent and spiritually minded can bestow only as they receive, and of themselves can supply nothing for the needs of the soul. Giving and receiving belong together, for we can impart only as we receive and can receive only as we impart; as we continue to impart we continue to receive, and the more we impart the more we receive. The gift and grace increase in distribution, as shown when those laboring with God distribute the grace received from Christ and when hands filled with food picture the provision God gives and remembers for those who labor in love to reach others.
The feeding showed the disciples that Christ called them to serve as His representatives to give the people the bread of life, for which they must receive spiritual food from God so they would have something to impart. His command to give others what they need carries with it the power to fulfill it, though the food at hand was small and the need was met through the power of God. The disciples’ small supply of five loaves and two fishes illustrates that what people have should be shared with those who lack, both temporal help and the truth, trusting Christ to supply what is lacking. Blessings both temporal and spiritual accompany such giving of what is received from Him to the needy, poor, ignorant, and afflicted.
Trust and Obedience Today
What seems a meager, insufficient supply becomes a rich feast with abundance to spare when brought to Jesus in honest, simple reliance. In the feeding in the wilderness He provided for a hungry multitude though no apparent means were at hand, feeding five thousand men besides women and children from only five small barley loaves and two fishes until all were satisfied and twelve baskets full of fragments remained. The disciples brought Him all they had, He did not invite them to eat first but told them to serve the people, the food multiplied in His hands and in theirs as they reached out to Him so their hands were never unfilled, and afterward they ate with Him of the precious heaven-supplied food. His dependence on His Father to supply food when means seemed inadequate teaches dependence on God in difficulty and in every emergency, trusting His abundant resources. Therefore His children are not to worry and fret over what they cannot help but to trust and go from strength to strength, using wisdom and the means He provides rather than recklessly creating problems.
Gifts, means, time and ability, though only enough to feed one and not thousands, when offered with thanksgiving and prayer and given to supply the poor, ignorant and afflicted, are blessed and multiplied by the Lord. When the best use is made of what is available and it is used well on unselfish principles, He can make scanty resources sufficient for a wide field of work. So dedicated gifts can help provide for multitudes starving for the Bread of Life, for missionary work and gospel work and sanitariums, and when a small supply is put into missionary work and shared with others all may be provided for. Aligned with Him, those who give in this way are also helped to provide tact, skill and understanding for the need.
The same Jesus who fed the crowd until everyone was satisfied and twelve baskets were left over can bless His people's work and provide abundantly for them today. What seems insufficient by human measure can become more than sufficient in His hands, for under His direction and blessing food can go a long way. He can satisfy people with less than they expect and multiply food when it is for His glory and when they obey Him and seek His glory. On a grassy place He knew the multitude was hungry, had them seated, broke a few loaves and fishes into small pieces and passed them through His disciples until all ate and had enough, then had the fragments gathered so nothing would be lost. This calls for more faith in Him as the mighty One who can minister and teach and guide into truth and help in wrestling and trials and give everlasting life to the overcomer.
Though He had divine power to provide food for others from five loaves and two small fishes until all ate their fill and twelve baskets remained, He did not use that power to satisfy His own hunger in the wilderness or to ease His own daily labor. He possessed that same power while earning a living by daily labor, yet His example shows that useful work is honorable and that people should be industrious. He could have acted for Himself, but doing so would not have followed the plan of salvation, for His mission was to bless and save others and not to relieve Himself of suffering. Having left the royal courts, laid off crown and royal robes, clothed divinity with humanity, and suffered the inconveniences of poverty so He could discern the needs of the poor, He wore no gorgeous priestly robes and held no earthly riches but came to minister to the suffering and needy for their help and uplifting. That obtaining the higher education does not mean gaining popularity, securing worldly advantages, having all temporal wants abundantly supplied, and being honored by the titled and wealthy of earth is revealed in this.
The miracle does not teach putting forth no effort to provide the necessities of life, nor does it abolish ordinary agencies for support. His power to furnish food miraculously does not abolish institutions for the suffering, just as His healing of the sick in answer to prayer does not abolish healing institutions, because God will not always work miracles to keep people alive and the sick are to have the benefit of hygienic living and treatment. Dependence on God for life, means, health, food and air requires industry, frugality and careful use of all received from His hand, with nothing wasted, no temporal opportunity or spiritual advantage let slip, and nothing that can benefit a human being or relieve the hungry lost. His command to gather all that was left forbids squandering and aimless, wasteful use of the bounties of Providence and sets His standard of economy in saving food as well as money.
The feeding teaches that the heavenly Provider supplies human need and gives guidance in preparing suitable food for different times and occasions. The Lord supplies necessary food and provides instruction about preparing it, so that provision fully meets the people's need. Under His direction and blessing food can go a long way, satisfying many and leaving more than enough, so that people can subsist on less than they expect when they obey Him and seek His glory.
He cared for the crowd's bodily needs as well as teaching them spiritual truth, knowing that hungry, tired, faint people could not readily receive spiritual benefit as they otherwise could. Feeding the hungry and healing the sick is the example of practical care His followers are to give to people in need, and His methods can be studied in carrying forward food work. His power and beneficence in leaving abundant food remaining teaches His followers compassion for seekers after salvation, ensuring that the weary and hungry can hear the word of life and are not sent away discouraged.
Dedication to the Lord God of heaven brings the gift of His Holy Spirit so His people can communicate supply to those in necessity. Softened and subdued and sanctified by His Spirit, they are to study and do the works He worked when, attentive as sanctuary and helper and great leading Physician, He had five thousand men besides women and children, some fainting, seated on a grassy plot, took five loaves and a few small fishes, divided them to His disciples to distribute, and there was enough for all.
Further points
At Bethsaida Jesus took the disciples' small supply of food, blessed it, and made it enough to feed a vast multitude until all were satisfied. That feeding left abundant leftovers gathered afterward. The disciples had already witnessed this provision before they later faced another hungry crowd needing food.