I have a lot of fellow feeling for the disciples in today’s story. I expect all of us who have put so much time and effort into VBS do, too. It’s done! We can put our feet up and have something to eat, talk about how everything went, see how well we did, maybe get a stroke or two for the old ego. And that’s how I imagine the disciples that day, coming back to report to Jesus on how their mission trip had gone, full of stories to tell and longing for that quiet evening time together to regroup and get some perspective on what had happened to them. But no. With all the people vying for Jesus’ attention, they couldn’t even stop for a bite to eat. Their reports were probably models of brevity, and deeply unsatisfying. I’d be pretty frustrated, maybe even a bit resentful.
And Jesus understood. He recognized their need to be alone with him, and so they all got in the boat to get away from the crowds, to get the food and rest and attention they needed. But it didn’t happen.
The swarm of excited fans raced around the lake and beat the boat to its destination. Who gets this kind of superstar popularity these days? Prince Harry? Taylor Swift? Elon Musk? I wonder how they’d handle having their privacy invaded as Jesus’ was? Though of course they probably have security details to make sure that it doesn’t happen in the first place. Anyway the disciples show just the kind of irritation you or I would feel in similar circumstances. But Jesus isn't annoyed at the crowds for chasing him down. Instead, he has compassion on them because they are “like sheep without a shepherd.” His first response to their need is to teach them - even though his disciples have needs as well, and a legitimate claim on his time. Why do you suppose he makes that choice? Could it be because the disciples are no longer “sheep without a shepherd?”
If I were the one writing this story, I’d have given you Jesus’ lesson plan. But Mark doesn’t do that. Instead, he describes a miraculous feeding in the desert. And in a way the disciples function as straight men; he uses their alarm at the lateness of the hour and the shortage of food to accentuate the greatness of the miracle.
I can hear them, can’t you? “Teacher, it’s late, make them go away, tell them to go get something to eat, it’s our turn to talk to you, and we haven’t eaten yet, we’ve been waiting for you, tell them to come back tomorrow.” And then Jesus says in response, “No, I’m not going to send them away hungry, you feed them!”
Mark tells us it would cost more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for a crowd that size, let alone a little something extra to go with it. And anyway, they didn’t have any money! Jesus had told them not to take any money on the mission trip they’ve just returned from, so how are they suddenly going to come up with the cash to feed all these people? They probably have barely enough food for themselves. Their squawking reveals that they still have no inkling that Jesus can supply whatever they need.
Their outcry is a familiar one in Scripture. Moses objected when God told him to feed the people (600,000 soldiers) for a month. “Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” [Num 11:22] When Elisha asks his servant to feed a company of prophets, he balked, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” [2 Ki 4:43a]
The theme of hunger and feeding occurs over and over again in Scripture; this story echoes a number of Biblical themes. First is the lavishness of God’s provision.
The disciples begin with hardly anything and end up with enough to satisfy 5,000 and on top of that enough leftovers to fill twelve baskets. The miracle recalls God’s answer to Moses: “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” [Num 11:23] And Elisha’s response to his servant, “The LORD says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” [2 Ki 4:43b]
This miracle also recalls the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Like Moses' followers, the people are in a wilderness, a place where food is not easily come by. And also like Moses, Jesus feeds the people both with new teaching and miraculous food. The image of sheep without a shepherd is one that Moses had also used: “May the LORD... appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them... so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” [Num 27:15-17]
But Jesus is able to provide the people in the desert what Moses could not. Moses’ people were discontented with what he provided, and grumbled, whereas those Jesus fed were satisfied. This suggests that Jesus is a new and greater Moses, leading a new and greater exodus.
This miracle should also have reminded the people of Elijah and Elisha. Like them, Jesus works in northern Israel, speaks with authority, gathers disciples, and performs wonders. Some observers have already guessed that Jesus might be Elijah, or one of the other prophets.
Finally, this account foreshadows both the Messianic Banquet and Last Supper. Those who come to hear the teaching of Jesus and share in the broken bread will receive the same abundant blessing.
At the same time, Jesus’ banquet for the rabble of Galilee contrasts sharply with the drunken debauchery of Herod’s feast in the previous chapter. Herod’s feast with his wealthy guests, exotic fare, and dancing girls serves up death, not life. On the other hand, Jesus’ simple meal in the desert satisfies real human needs. Jesus brings life-giving bread in abundance. Unlike Herod’s lackeys, who bind and behead John the Baptist, Jesus’ disciples feed and serve the hungry.
Mark says nothing about the crowd’s reaction. And of course they wouldn’t pick up on the Last Supper, it hadn’t happened yet, but wouldn’t you think one or two of them would make the connection with Moses or Elijah? Do they even realize that a miracle has occurred? Could it be that they cannot recognize the miracle hidden in this deceptively simple meal? Do they just accept this bounty without reflecting on the gracious gift offered to them, or are they like dumb sheep who eat the grass without a thought for the one who made the grass? Or who led them to it? Maybe the crowd's response is not the point of the story.
The disciples at least must realize that a miracle is occurring; after all,they distributed the bread from their own meager supplies. But it is clear that they haven’t yet really grasped its significance. Why do you suppose that is? I have a sneaking suspicion that their resentment of Jesus’ ignoring their needs for the sake of the crowd may have gotten in the way of their being able to see what Jesus was really up to.
It’s easy for me to identify with the disciples in this story. When I’m tired, my patience, my optimism, my generosity, and my capacity for spiritual discernment all suffer. But what are we supposed to do with this data? What does this mean for us? Does this story mean we don’t get to rest - even though we might need it - until EVERYONE else has been taken care of? I don’t think so. Does it mean that we can expect God to miraculously provide the refreshments for special events? That’s not it, either. Am I saying that miracles don’t happen - at least not any more? No, although many modern scholars have tried to rationalize the feeding miracles away.
Some have resorted to almost desperate measures. The one that takes the prize for sheer ludicrousness in my opinion is the claim that Jesus had a secret stash of food hidden in the desert. He would stand at the secret entrance to a cave where the bread was hidden, and the crowd would be fooled into thinking that something miraculous was happening. Another ingenious hypothesis is that “rich and pious ladies used to inquire of Him where he thought of preaching to the people on a given day, and sent baskets of bread and dried fish to the spot which He indicated, that the multitude might not suffer hunger."
The commonest argument is that Jesus got his disciples to share their own provisions which they had selfishly tucked away for themselves. The crowd, observing their generosity, followed suit and shared what they had with others. Barclay claimed, “This is a miracle of the birth of love in men’s souls; it is a miracle of the awakening of fellowship in men’s souls; it is the eternal miracle of Christianity, whereby a miscellaneous crowd of men and women becomes a family in Christ.” And of course this can and does happen, and is probably the most frequent result of putting the lessons from this event into practice. And do any of you remember German the folk tale Stone Soup?
The one thing all of these explanations have in common is an a priori dismissal of the miraculous. It may satisfy our scientific scepticism to ask, “Can something like this really happen?” But even if we accept, as I do, that the feeding was in fact miraculous, focusing on that aspect causes us to miss the Christological point that Mark is making. Here is one who is like Moses, but greater than Moses; one who is like Elijah and Elisha, but greater than these prophets. When the Israelites complained to Moses and Aaron about the lousy provisions in the desert, the two leaders responded, “Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.” [Ex 16:8] This statement underscrores that only God can bring food in the desert. In feeding the 5,000, Mark shows that Jesus exercises God’s power and uses it for the good of his flock. He is the true shepherd of his people, who provides the necessities for their spiritual and physical lives.
So what IS the point for us? How are we to respond in obedience to the lesson of this passage?
The primary purpose of the miracle is, I believe, to be a sign attesting to the identity of Christ. We are not expected to perform this kind of miracle in Jesus' stead. We are called insteead to copy the obedient, if uncomprehending, action of the disciples. Because the passage teachies us as much about the nature of humanity as it does about the divinity of Christ.
One of the most important lessons of this story is the need to combine teaching with compassion. This is not new to us. Jesus offers the people bread that feeds the soul and bread that satisfies the body. On the one hand, giving Bible lessons to large crowds and sending them away hungry does too little. Starving people rarely make good religious followers because they are intent on physical survival. On the other hand, simply filling people's bellies without also challenging their hearts does too little. The hunger returns, and nothing has changed. The Salvation Army feeds the hungry before sharing the Gospel.
The image of Jesus as the good shepherd of the flock is prominent in this feeding episode. Bonhoeffer eloquently describes the plight of the people without a shepherd. “There were questions but no answers, distress but no relief, anguish of conscience but no deliverance, tears but no consolation, sin but no forgiveness.” They were waiting for good news, but all they got was good advice. Bonhoeffer asks, “What is the use of scribes, devotees of the law, preachers and the rest, when there are no shepherds for the flock?”
To say that the people were like sheep without a shepherd seriously challenged Israel’s leadership. It wasn't that they didn't have enough priests to go around. They had so many that they had to use a platoon system to keep the shifts straight. The problem was that the religious leaders weren’t doing what they were supposed to do. What Jesus saw and criticized was the result of this one-sided religiosity. He saw were people who were starving both spiritually and physically, imprisoned by religious red tape and ignored by the spiritual superstars. What he would find today is similar: spiritual malnutrition combined with a vast array of material needs. And he would call us - he does call us - to join with him in meeting those needs.
But this incident does not teach that the shepherd is not allowed to rest. On the contrary: it affirms that Jesus is aware of his disciples’ need for rest. One cannot serve others twenty-four hours a day. Ministers - whether lay or clergy - need to take time for themselves, and Jesus’ word, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” is an important one for weary laborers.
What this incident tells us is that when we do try to get away, we often find more hungry people - both spiritually and physically. The need can be overwhelming, and when we are already tired from ministry we are often tempted to send the suffering and needy away empty-handed. We may have heard or even voiced the same protest the disciples made: It will cost more than we have to do anything about their need. Let them take care of themselves. They are not our responsibility. What we may really be saying is that we will not have enough - whether time or money or energy - for ourselves, if we have to take care of “them” as well.
Disciples of Jesus need to do more than comment on the crowd’s need and send them away to fend for themselves. We have not done our duty if all we have done is point out the problems in society, although of course society has more than enough ills for us to make a career out of listing them! In fact, everywhere we turn, we find more crowds, more needs, more hunger of every kind and little or no real nourishment. But Jesus does not ask us to give what we don’t have. Instead, he asks, “How much do you have? Go and see.”
Jesus works the miracle when his disciples share what they have with others. The disciples are blocked when they assume that the task is impossible, or the cost too great. Only when they have faith in the divine provision do they accomplish the job and provide everyone with enough.
We too, may be exhausted and in need of a well-deserved rest when Jesus says to us, “You give them something.” We frequently cannot see that even when we are drained physically and financially, we still have resources to help others. We are challenged to tackle impossible problems with limited resources and by doing so discover the possibilities of God. Before we say, “There is nothing we can do; send them away,” we should first “go and see” how many loaves we have.
