Luke 9:10-17

Butler's Comments

SECTION 2

Teaching The Throngs (Luke 9:10-17)

10 On their return the apostles told him what they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida. 11When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of healing. 12Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place. 13But he said to them, You give them something to eat. They said, We have no more than five loaves and two fishunless we are to go and buy food for all these people. 14For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each. 15And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17And all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Luke 9:10-12 Desperation: This is one year before Jesus is to die the horrible death of crucifixion, accused of blasphemy and sedition. The disciples are definitely not prepared for this. Their hopes are centered in an earthly kingdom. So Jesus will spend the next six months (from Passover to Tabernacles) withdrawing from the hostility of His enemies and, at the same time, trying to isolate Himself from the fanatical multitudes. He wants to prepare the Twelve for the crucial climax of His earthly ministry. It is instructive that even Jesus recognized the need for His disciples to take a rest occasionally (see Mark 6:31; Greek anapausasthe, from which we get the English word, pause).

When we compare all four gospel accounts of this incident (Matthew 14:1-36; Mark 6:1-56; Luke 9:1-62; John 6:1-71) we understand that the main reason for Jesus-' withdrawal with the Twelve was the desperate, clamoring fanatical multitudes. Everywhere Jesus and the Twelve went the multitudes pressed upon them, crying out, demanding miracles be done for them. The poor, hungry, oppressed multitudes of Jesus-' day, for the most part, had lost all hope in the promises of the prophets. All they could anticipate was continued oppression under the hated Herods, plus theological bigotry and hypocrisy under the Pharisees. They did not know where to turn for truth, compassion and, their deepest need, righteousness. It was at this moment Jesus had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34). When these desperate, hopeless thousands found out where Jesus was taking His Twelve on a retreat (to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee), they ran there on foot (from the cities and villages of Galilee) ahead of Him (cf. Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:33). Jesus went across the northern tip of the sea in a boat (from Capernaum to Bethsaida, see Matthew 14:13) and the multitude, gathered in Capernaum (Jesus-' headquarters) from the recent preaching tour of Jesus and the Twelve, ran around the northern tip of the sea (some 2-3 miles) on foot. This great miracle-worker would not be allowed to get away. These poor down-trodden multitudes had at last been given a glimmer of hope. At last someone had come not to exploit them and oppress them, but to heal and excite them with the promise of the kingdom of God. They had their hearts set on making Him king (John 6:15).

Jesus had compassion on these throngs not only for their economic and political desperation but also because of their spiritual darkness. They were completely obsessed with the idea that the kingdom of God was some humanly-structured organization which would solve all their earthly distress. John's Gospel specifically states they followed him because they saw the signs which he did.. (John 6:2). Why, then, did Jesus welcome this clamoring multitude when He was trying to get away from this very kind of superficiality; and why did He eventually work one of His greatest miracles for the very people who were putting such emphasis upon miracles? The fundamental purpose behind the enigmatic action of Jesus here is plainly seen when one connects the miraculous feeding of these thousands with His great sermon on The Bread of Life a day later in a synagogue at Capernaum (John 6:22-71). The student must study this great sermon, recorded only by John, to understand the miracle of the loaves and fish. It is in this sermon that the compassion of Jesus for their spiritual darkness is really manifested. He pours out His heart in this discourse explaining that the real bread is His word (John 6:63) and unless men eat and drink His word they are not really alive.

Jesus also took this unwanted circumstance (the hungry thousands) to teach the Twelve an important lesson. This multitude (numbering about five thousand men plus thousands of women and children) had probably left Capernaum and other villages early that morning to walk around the shore of the Sea of Galilee to a hillside near Bethsaida Julius. It was now late in the evening, and few of them had foresight to bring enough food with them. Perhaps most of them did not have enough at home to bring any with them. Whatever the case there was nothing to feed this vast multitude out there on the hillside so the Twelve became anxious. Their's also was a desperation of doubt. They really did not ask Jesus what could be done, they came and gave Him an order to (Gr. apoluson, imperative, Dismiss) send the crowd away into the cities nearby to find food and lodging. They also missed the point that what this multitude needed more than anything else was to realize Who Jesus Is. The Twelve thought the most urgent need of the crowd was earthly bread, and they knew they could not supply it, or did not want to. Perhaps they were also betraying a selfish indifference when they directed Jesus to send the crowd away to find food for themselves. They had retreated to this area specifically to rest.

Luke 9:14-17 Demonstration: John tells us that Jesus knew what He was going to do about the situation but to test the faith and compassion of the Twelve, He said to them, How are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? (John 6:5). The apostles had no answer except to send the people away to fend for themselves. So Jesus said to the apostles, You give them something to eat! In the Greek His statement reads literally, Give (dote, imperative) to them to eat, you. This is an idiomatic way of putting the emphasis on you. They complained that 200 day's wages (denarii) would not buy enough bread for this multitude. Andrew reported that the only vestige of food they had found among this great throng was five loaves and two fish a little boy had with him. Jesus said, Bring them here to me (Matthew 14:18). Then Jesus directed the apostles to have the thousands sit down upon the green grass of the hillside (it was early Spring, around Passover time) in groups of about hundreds or fifties (cf. Mark 6:39-40). Mark uses the Greek words sumposia sumposia companies upon companies which literally refers to groups of party-goers or picnickers. Mark is describing the festive air about this great event.

Taking the five loaves and two fish Jesus looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and divided the fish, gave to the Twelve and they distributed among the thousands. All the thousands ate and were satisfied and the Twelve gathered up twelve baskets of left-over fragments. All four gospel writers record this astounding fact. Where did the miracle take place? Was it when Jesus broke and dividedor was it when the apostles went among the thousands making distribution? It really isn-'t indicated in the records, nor does it really matter. The point is it was an empirical demonstration of Jesus-' supernatural power to create. This miracle and the one immediately following (Jesus-' walking on the Sea) are two of the most indisputable miracles recorded of Jesus. The feeding of this vast multitude of people had so many witnesses there was no possibility of fraud. Foster points out, A magician can fool a great crowd because his hands can move faster than the eyes of the people who watch. But here was a miracle in which everyone of the thousands present had a part. They all shared the feast. No magician or hypnotist could fool that many thousands of people. When these four gospel writers published their accounts near the middle of the first century A.D. there would have been plenty of people still alive who had attended that great feast on the hillside. If the gospel writers were liars someone would have been quick to publish evidence to discredit them about such an astounding fraud.

Although this miracle did not have much impact on the multitudes in its relationship to Jesus-' spiritual mission (many of them followed Him no more, John 6:66) it did have tremendous impact on the Twelve. They acknowledged Him as the Holy One of God and the only One to whom they might cling (John 6:68-69). It is worthy of notice that even though Jesus had the power to create as much bread and fish as He wished, He would not tolerate waste. Twelve large (Gr. kophinoi, coffins) basketfuls were gathered up of the leftovers.

Applebury's Comments

Feeding the Five Thousand
Scripture

Luke 9:10-17 And the apostles, when they were returned, declared unto him what things they had done. And he took them, and withdrew apart to a city called Bethsaida. 11 But the multitudes perceiving it followed him: and he welcomed them, and spake to them of the kingdom of God, and them that had need of healing he cured. 12 And the day began to wear away; and the twelve came, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages and country round about, and lodge, and get provisions: for we are here in a desert place. 13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more than five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for all this people. 14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said unto his disciples, Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each. 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake; and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 And they ate, and were all filled: and there was taken up that which remained over to them of broken pieces, twelve baskets.

Comments

a city called Bethsaida.It is generally agreed that this is Bethsaida Julias, a city located on the east side of the Jordan near the point where it empties into the Sea of Galilee.

According to Mark 6:45; Mark 6:53, Jesus sent the disciples back across the lake after feeding the five thousand, and they landed at Genessaret, the west side of the lake. John says that it occurred on the other, that is, east side of the sea of Galilee and that after the miracle the disciples went down to the sea and got into the boat to go over the sea to Capernaum (John 6:1; John 6:17). It was at Capernaum on the next day that the multitudes came to Jesus and asked, Rabbi, when camest thou here? (John 6:24-25). These Scriptures seem to indicate that the miracle took place on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee and that after the miracle the disciples returned to Capernaum which was located on the northwest side of the sea.

But the multitudes perceiving it followed him.By this time the popularity of Jesus was reaching its climax; people were following Him everywhere He went. Even when He tried to get away for a little rest, they followed Him; and He welcomed them and spake to them of the kingdom of God and them that had need of healing he cured.

Send the multitude away.As evening drew on, these practical men realized that something had to be done for the welfare of the people. Send them away to the stores and places of lodging was all they could think to do. They knew that the two hundred shillingsall that they hadwouldn-'t buy enough to begin to feed them even if there had been a place where they could buy food.

But Jesus said, You give them something to eat. At His suggestion, they took stock and found that they had only five loaves and two fishjust a lunch that belonged to a boy in the crowd (Mark 6:38; John 6:9). What was that for so many? Were they to go and buy food for them? Apparently it didn-'t occur to them that Jesus could solve the problem, even though they had seen Him perform many wonders by this time.

Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each.Jesus knew what He would do. In that desert place where there was virtually no food, He was the only one who could supply the need. The crowd was to sit down in groups of about fifty so that no one would be overlooked. He would provide the food; but the apostles were to do the rest, for that was within their ability. Organization was necessary to the success of the task.

Jesus took the loaves and the fish and looking up to the heavenly Father He blessed them and broke them and gave them to the disciples to give to the people. Was anyone in the crowd aware that a miracle was taking place? They were slow to grasp the lesson about the Bread of Life which He taught them when they came to Him after the miracle that had fed them physically.

remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets.The miracle had demonstrated that He was the Creator, for all things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made (John 1:3). Gathering the broken pieces conserved the food, but more than that it demonstrated that a genuine miracle had taken place. The people said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world (John 6:15). But they didn-'t see that He was the Bread of Life (John 6:41). Their real selfishness is revealed in their reference to the manna which their fathers had eaten for the forty years in the wilderness; Jesus had fed them just once. And it was not Moses, but the Father who had sent the manna; Christ was the true bread that the Father had sent to those who believe on Him.