Chapter Four
Where Shall We Buy Bread, That These May Eat
The Setting
Now we leave the roadway that heads north along the shores of Galilee and follow the signpost to a remote meadow high above the Lake (read John 6:1-26) overlooking panoramic views of the lake and the towns along its shore. These steep hills to the western side of the upper Jordan River flatten out to grassy fields where crops grow and herds graze. Having seen Jesus and the Apostles leave Capernaum by boat, a crowd followed on foot, covering a distance of fewer than five miles; some arriving even before they landed. Watching them assemble in those grassy fields, Jesus thought of the people as sheep without a shepherd and began to teach them and care for their needs. Moved with compassion, he began healing all who were sick. But they were in a remote place without provisions or the ability to buy food, and the hour was growing late.
This is one event recorded by all four gospel writers. Each retells the story in their own way, but the basic elements are all the same. Jesus and the apostles sail to the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. They land on a quiet beach a distance away from Bethsaida and hike uphill to find a secluded place to rest. St. Matthew records 5,000 men, not including women and children, so those who were fed could well have been twice that number. At that time, a denarius was a coin that had a value equal to what an agricultural worker might receive as a day’s wage. Today, 200 denarii would be valued at around $14,500, and would not be enough to buy bread for such a large crowd. The people were instructed to sit in groups of 50s and 100s; suggesting that the crowd size was not an estimate, but rather more accurately counted. Jesus was given five loaves and two fish and gave thanks in prayer. Breaking the bread and fish, he distributed the food to the apostles, who then brought it to the groups of seated people.
The Background
For the Jewish people, no leader was celebrated or respected more than Moses.
He was their deliverer, bringing punishment to their oppressors, and delivering them from slavery.
He was their lawgiver, meeting with God on Mount Sinai and bringing them His commandments.
He was their prophet speaking God’s word and commanding food to come from heaven and water to come from a rock in the desert.
Many miracles were performed in the days of the Exodus. When they had journeyed for a month, the people complained they were starving to death in the wilderness. But the Lord told Moses He would rain down food from heaven and that each morning they would have all the bread they wanted. The next morning, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it and asked “Manna? (What is it?)” because they had no idea what it was. Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.” After this, the people gathered sufficient food every morning to meet their family needs.
The Jews of Jesus’ day conformed to the traditions of their elders, respecting the Law of Moses in every detail of their lives. They yearned for the fulfillment of the prophecies found in their scriptures. In Moses’ final statements, he gave this promise, “The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. This is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything that I command him.”
The Event
The other gospel writers record that the apostles came to Jesus and asked Him to send the crowds away to buy food for themselves. In all three cases, the recorded response from Jesus was that the people didn’t need to be sent away. He countered the apostle’s demand with another of His own, telling them, “You give them something to eat.” Shouldn’t they remember what He said to them beside the well in Samaria, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about?” My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.” Had the apostles forgotten His teaching so quickly?
Only in St. John’s gospel is the conversation initiated by Jesus. He turns to Philip and asks, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Jesus said this to test him, knowing what He was about to do.
Consider this; Jesus didn’t ask how much money it would take to feed the crowd. Jesus asked where so much provision could be obtained, not how they were to pay for it. Perhaps Jesus tested Philip because he came from Bethsaida a few miles away, sadly, Philip lamented that 200 days’ wages would not be enough to feed so many.
When Andrew offered the lunch of a small boy, he may have been thinking that Jesus himself was hungry after the long day of ministry. If this was all they believed they had to feed the multitude, obviously, their minds were still bound by what their natural eyes could see.
Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, then “He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples…” Just as He had taught His disciples, His prayer acknowledged that it is Our Father in Heaven, … who … gives us, this day, our daily bread. The twelve apostles brought baskets to the groups and then collected the scraps left when all had eaten their fill. After such a brief rehearsal of this famous story St. John tells us, “Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
The Sign
When John begins this chapter, we are already with Jesus upon the hillside and crowds were gathering. We have pieced together the remainder of the backstory by comparing the other gospel accounts. But for St. John, the story has a more important connection with the end of his previous chapter. Jesus had been arguing with some Jewish leaders who were outraged, insulted, and intent on killing him. Why? Because He not only broke the Sabbath laws but also said that God was His Father. Jesus had answered them by saying, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. But if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. If you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Remembering St. John’s special purpose, we understand he is not simply recounting events. He intends for us to connect the words and the miracles together. That’s how we read the signs! When this became evident to the people who were fed, those men remembered Jesus’ arguments, saw the sign that Jesus performed, and came to the right conclusion. “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” They believed what they saw to be a direct fulfillment of the cherished word of prophecy spoken by Moses long ago, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me… You must listen to him.”
The Conclusion
News of the miracle traveled quickly through Galilee as the people returned to their homes satisfied. They had eaten and were filled, they had received Jesus’ teachings and they knew in their hearts that God was fulfilling His promises. As the chapter continues, St. John tells us that early the next day crowds went searching for Jesus again. They explored near the place where the crowd was fed. They inquired around His home in Capernaum. Setting off in their boats again, they must have hunted for him all day. Finally, they discovered Him on the other side of the lake. Why were they looking so eagerly; was it because of Moses’ command to “listen to him"?
St. John tells us that when the people realized what the sign meant, and concluded that Jesus was the promised Messiah, they thought to take Him by force to make Him king. But Jesus, perceiving what they wanted to do, climbed higher up the mountain to be alone. When the people apprehended Him on the other side of the lake, they asked, “Teacher, when did You come here?” I wonder if they really meant ‘why did you leave us over there?’
Jesus confronted them, saying, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son can give you. For God, the Father has given me the seal of His approval.”