Mark 6:30–44 (NKJV)

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.”

But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”

Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

Mark 8:1–21 (NKJV)

In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”

Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”

He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

And they said, “Seven.”

So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

They said to Him, “Twelve.”

“Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?”

And they said, “Seven.”

So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”

Poetry

“Loaves and Fishes”
by David Whyte
Reprinted with permission from Many Rivers Press, Langley, WA.

This is not
the age of information.

This is not
the age of information.

Forget the news,
and the radio,
and the blurred screen.

This is the time of loaves
and fishes.

People are hungry,
and one good word is bread
for a thousand.

Physical Hunger & Spiritual Nourishment 

The story of the feeding of the five thousand is one of the first Bible stories we learn, and it is an important one: It shows up in all four gospels. Think of the little kids you’ve seen running around with their Sunday School papers with five loaves stuck in a “basket” on the page and two fish hanging on by a string. John’s gospel is the one that tells us that the fish and the loaves came from a little boy’s lunch. We learn early on that Jesus lets us help in His work of feeding and that even the little kids have a place.

The story exudes the sweetness of domesticity—the mom or dad or older sibling preparing the dried fish, baking the bread, packing the lunch, never dreaming that God Almighty would feed His children from a meal prepared for their own child. We never know what the Creator will choose to use! And note also the practical “housekeeping” nature of the event: “Have them sit down in groups.” (For those of us who plan church events: Jesus gets it!)

Jesus lets us help. He gives thanks (and so we say grace at meals, too!), and in His hands the bread is multiplied. He lets the disciples’ hands pass it out—He always lets us help. In ministry, we supply others with the bread we’ve been given.

It tickles me to no end that there are twelve baskets left over for the disciples, emphasizing the abundance of God’s supply for tired Christian workers who’d had no time to eat! This passage starts with the invitation to the disciples to “come away” for rest and replenishment. Then the crowds intervene with that and shut it down, but the story still ends with individualized leftovers for the twelve disciples.

Think of the change in the people’s energy in this story—the spiritual hunger that pushed them to rush to Him in the desert and keep them captivated until their hearts were filled and satiated with the words of life. And then the debilitating physical hunger that would have had them fainting on the way back to town. “People are hungry,” our poet reminds us. Jesus the Good Shepherd sees His hungry sheep. And does something about it. So now, twice fed, the crowd would be full of merriment and hope. 

Here we see Jesus moved with compassion; we’re told that the Shepherd’s gut turns over with compassion for His flock. He loves and cares for us so!

So first He feeds their souls, then He feeds their bellies—the practical sweetness of this comes from our Savior, our human Savior, who knows the overwhelming, attention-grabbing demand of physical hunger. The godly sweetness of this comes from our Savior, our divine Savior, who knows the paramount urgency of feeding our souls.

Here the Shepherd feeds the sheep in green pastures, and it is enough. The sheep are satisfied with bread that is sustenance for both soul and body. This is what we are instructed to ask for after all: “Give us this day our daily bread.” He is our daily bread.

The Shepherd feeds the sheep; the Word passes out the Word. The Bread of Life gives them bread. Notice the meta-instruction here: Jesus’ physical miracles are supposed to teach us about spiritual reality. There is little to no distinction made between the physical and spiritual as they march along in unity. The point is, He is the source of all nurture and He is sufficient.

We cannot on our own escape the concerns and experiences of this physical world. We are taken up with it, we are bound to these aging bodies, and we are compelled to concentrate on them and their appetites. But Jesus’ point here is to show us that the physical world is not all there is. Used properly, the material world points us to a bigger, lasting reality—the spiritual world that we squint to see.

Here Jesus is foreshadowing the coming crucifixion of His body, His body broken and given as the bread of life, enough to feed the whole world.

When we have Him, we have enough.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we are so glad to be yours and we trust you. Please give us today our daily bread. Give us the supply we need so that your kingdom may come and your will be done—in us and through us. And may we share your provision with others. We ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr. Betsy Barber
Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Formation and Psychology
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab near the top of the page.