A Study of John 6:10–15

“Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

John 6:10–15 (ESV)

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Jesus: “Ἰησοῦς”, “Iēsous”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | proper name — Jesus, Jehoshua; Jesus = “Yahweh is salvation”; Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate.

-Sit Down: “ἀναπεσεῖν”, “anapesein”; verb, aorist, active, infinitive | substantival infinitive — sit down, recline at table, sit back.

-When He Had Given Thanks: “εὐχαριστήσας”, “eucharistēsas”; verb, aorist, active, participle, singular, nominative, masculine | antecedent participle — give thanks (to God); especially the giving of thanks customary at the beginning of a feast, or in general before eating.

-He Distributed Them: “διέδωκεν”, “diedōken”; verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb — distribute, give.

-They Had Eaten Their Fill: “ἐνεπλήσθησαν”, ‘eneplēsthēsan”; verb, aorist, passive, indicative, third person, plural | finite verb — to fill up, to take one’s fill, satisfy, satiate.

-Gather Up: “Συναγάγετε”, “Synagagete”; verb, aorist, active, imperative, second person, plural | finite verb — gather together, assemble, collect.

-Filled: “ἐγέμισαν”, “egemisan”; verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, plural | finite verb — to fill, fill full.

-Baskets: “κοφίνους”, “kophinous”; noun, accusative, plural, masculine | direct object — a basket, wicker basket.

-The Sign: “σημεῖον”, “sēmeion”; noun, accusative, singular, neuter | direct object of the dependent clause — sign miracle; of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s.

-The Prophet: “ὁ προφήτης”,“ho prophētēs “; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | predicate nominative — prophet; In The New Testament: one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence, his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation. The title is applied to: a. the O. T. prophets, b. John the Baptist, c. That illustrious prophet whom the Jews (apparently on the ground of Deuteronomy 18:15) expected to arise just before the Messiah’s advent, d. the Messiah Himself, and other groups as well (See Thayer’s Greek Lexicon for more).

-Perceiving: “γνοὺς”, “gnous” (derivative of ginōskō); verb, aorist, active, participle, singular, nominative, masculine | adverbial participle — know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of.

-Take [Him] By Force: “ἁρπάζειν”, “harpazein”; verb, present, active, infinitive | complementary infinitive — snatch away, take away, seize, carry off by force.

-Withdrew: “ἀνεχώρησεν”, “anechōrēsen”; verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb — withdraw, go away.

-Mountain: “ὄρος”, “oros”; noun, accusative, singular, neuter | prepositional object — a mountain, rise, hill, high ground.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

Jesus tells his disciples to instruct the crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, to sit down in the grassy area they had gathered in. Next, Jesus took the 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, and gave thanks to God the Father for providing. Then He and His disciples distributed barley bread and fish to everyone, and everyone was able to have as much food as they wanted. When everyone had eaten until they were full, Jesus told the disciples to collect all the leftover food, and there was enough leftover to fill 12 baskets. When the people saw the miracle Jesus had done, they identified Him as, “the Prophet who is to come into the world,”. Then, because Jesus knew they would try to make Him king by force, He left and went back up “the mountain” alone.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

At the beginning of this chapter, after teaching the people and performing many miraculous healings in Galilee, Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee by boat. They went into the nearby hill country, most likely to the area known today as the “Golan Heights,” for a time of rest. However, as they crossed the sea by boat, the people followed them around the sea on foot. But instead of responding with exasperation, Jesus had compassion on them and taught them many things. And after this day of teaching and travel, Jesus knew they would be in need of food. So, after establishing the fact that there was neither enough money or food to buy in the area they were in, Jesus took the 5 barley loaves and 2 fish offered by a young boy who was there, and prepared to feed the crowd of well over 5,000 people somehow.

In verse 10 we are told that Jesus told the people to sit down in the grassy area where they had gathered. Even though there were many people present, Jesus ordered everyone to organize and sit in an orderly fashion, and according to Mark 6:39–40, they sat in groups of hundreds and fifties on the green grass. This detail from Mark’s gospel account about the grass being green provides further confirmation of John’s claim that this event took place close to the time of Passover, because Passover took place near March and April when the grass would still be green.

There was also a very large crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children. Some commentators say the women and children may have added an additional 1,000–3000 people; and others say this crowd of people could even have been 20,000 in total. The higher number may be more likely given the fact that these men likely would have been traveling with their families because it was near the time of passover. Whatever the case though, the fact that there were 5,000 men is significant because this detail is mentioned in all 4 gospel accounts of this event. And, because verse 15 tells us that Jesus withdrew from the crowd because He knew they would try to make Him king by force, this amount of men represents a potential military force to set Jesus up as an earthly king. So, in addition to many other things, this story shows us one of many opportunities Jesus had to set up an earthly kingdom and overthrow the Romans, just like the people wanted. But of course, Jesus came to establish a far greater and an eternal kingdom: the Kingdom of God.

Next, Jesus took the bread and gave thanks for it. This means He gave thanks to God the Father for providing. Jesus did not look at the massive crowd, and the meager supply of 5 barley loaves and two fish with distress. He calmly gave thanks for what the Father had provided, and then He and the disciples began to distribute the bread and fish to the massive crowd. And miraculously, in this same verse we read that with only 5 loaves and 2 fish, everyone ate as much as they wanted. As this happened it does not seem like most of the crowd realized a miracle was taking place. It seems the fact that it was a miracle became clear as the meal finished and they gathered everything up. So, Jesus did what could not have been done even with 200 denarii. As Philip said in verse 7, even 200 denarii worth of food would not have been enough for everyone to have even a little. Jesus provided exceedingly more than should have been possible, and as we will read later in this chapter, in verses 30–33, He is also the “manna from heaven” who gives the bread of life to all; and His provision as the bread of life is infinitely greater than even the manna provided to Israel in the wilderness after they left Egypt centuries earlier.

It is also worth noting some particular details about how Jesus performed this miracle. He could have miraculously made food appear in everyone’s hands. But instead He took the 5 loaves and 2 fish offered to him by a young boy who was present, and then He used His disciples to distribute the food. Jesus delights in taking our meager supply that we give willingly and joyfully, and then multiplying it to do something greater than we could have imagined. And He also delights in using us, like the disciples, to do the work of distributing His provision. In this case it was food, in our cases it may be that as well, or it may be one of any other numerous ways He calls us to show His love and grace to others in both word and deed. Also, everyone ate as much as they wanted. Jesus provided an extravagant amount of food to the people, and He has extravagantly provided for us who follow Him. He has risen from the dead, and set us free from slavery to sin, and more than that, He has also caused us who believe in Him as Lord and Savior to be born again to new, eternal life in God’s kingdom. He is the Bread of Life; the One who comes down from heaven to give life to all (John 6:33–35).

Next, in verses 12–13, we read that after everyone had eaten their fill, Jesus commanded the disciples to gather up all the leftover fragments of barley loaves and they gathered 12 baskets full. Again, the point is reiterated that everyone ate their fill. Jesus provided more than was needed. He is a generous host to say the least. This picture of Jesus having the people sit down on the grass and eat until full might cause us to think of Psalm 23 where Yahweh (Jesus is Yahweh) is spoken of as our Shepherd who “makes us lie down in green pastures” and who “prepares a table before [us] in the present of [our] enemies,” liberally supplying us even until our cup overflows. While the allusions to Old Testament passages abound here, the main point John is making is that this was a miracle performed by Jesus, the Son of God. Only Yahweh, the God of the universe, could have done this. And Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh; fully human and fully Divine.

Although Jesus supplies the people so lavishly, staying true to His revealed character in Old Testament passages such as Jeremiah 31:14 which say, ““I will saturate the appetite of the priests with fatness, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” declares Yahweh”, He does not waste anything. While He is the God of the universe who can call matter of any form into existence with a word, He is not wasteful. It was a Jewish custom at this time to always collect the leftover food at the end of a meal and Jesus made sure that was done. And the result was twelve baskets full of leftover barley bread when they had only started out with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. And make no mistake, these were not small, insignificant storage containers; they were not the size of a typical lunch box we have today. The word John used in the ancient Greek for “basket” is “kophinos”, which describes a large container used to store fish or large objects. The point is there was a lot more food leftover at the end of the meal compared to what they started with.

And there were 12 baskets. Most commentators believe this number is significant because all 4 gospel accounts are careful to mention this number. It seems to communicate the idea that there are 12 tribes of Israel, and Yahweh is willing and able to supply them with more than they could need or even imagine possible.

After the meal the people understood Jesus had performed another miracle and they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”. In addition to other OT passages, this miracle of Jesus would have reminded the people of the days of Moses when Yahweh sent Moses to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt, and of how He provided them with manna to eat each morning in the wilderness. And this reaction of theirs is another example in John’s gospel of the mindset of the people of Israel at this time. They knew Yahweh had promised to send a Messiah one day, and they believed this Prophetic Messiah would come and lead the nation out of bondage to the Roman empire; similar to how Moses led them out of Egypt centuries before. For it was Moses who said “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your countrymen, and to him you shall listen.” (Deuteronomy 18:15 LEB). While there were likely differences of opinion, as there always are, this belief is supported by sources such as the 3rd century AD Rabbi Isaac who said, “‘as the former redeemer caused manna to descend … so will the latter Redeemer cause manna to descend” (cited in Ecclesiastes Rabbah on Ec. 1:9).

So, as they witnessed the miracles of Jesus, which confirmed He was sent by God the Father, the people started to get excited because they thought the promised Prophetic Messiah had come to establish an earthly kingdom, and that the end of Roman oppression was near, and they were partially correct. The promised Prophetic Messiah had come, but he had not come to be the sort of Messiah they thought He would be. Jesus will make a new heaven and earth one day, and establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, but that has not happened yet. It has begun, but it has not yet been fully realized. Jesus came in this first coming to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.

Now we live in a time of grace where He is graciously waiting to return in full measure to give time for many people to repent of their sin and be born again into His kingdom. Because when He does return, sin, crying, suffering and death will be no more. But all those who have rejected Jesus’ free offer of salvation will get exactly what they want; an eternity separated from Him and His goodness, where they will only know His perfectly righteous and just wrath for all of eternity. He will not allow sin in His coming kingdom, because He loves us too much to allow all of the brokenness, suffering and death that sin brings to continue. He is far too loving for that. So, He has provided an opportunity for all who wish to do so, to be cleansed of sin, freed from slavery to the kingdom of this world, and to be born again into the kingdom of God.

For this reason, in verse 15, Jesus “withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Jesus knew they intended to make Him king by force, so he withdrew farther up into the hill country we know today as the “Golan Heights.” And we know because of the amount of able bodied men present (5,000), they had a force capable of at least attempting a rebellion. But Jesus was not interested in pleasing this crowd of people. He cared infinitely more about pleasing His Father in heaven. To establish Him as an earthly political force was not the plan at this time. And Jesus did of course love these people, but He knew to give them what they wanted would not be good for them. If Jesus did not fulfill His purpose in coming to die for the sin of the whole world and rise again, then an earthly Jewish kingdom would do them and us no eternal good.

Jesus withdrew from them because of His devotion to doing the Father’s will, and in so doing He also demonstrated His love for them. As 1 John 5:2 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” Obedience to God is foundational to loving each other, and Jesus’ obedience to God the Father is further evidence of His love for us. Jesus did come to establish a kingdom. John has quoted Jesus Himself saying so many times already in this gospel. But the people wanted a different kind of kingdom, even though Jesus was trying to tell them about an infinitely greater kingdom they could all be a part of. But they couldn’t see it. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, they were like children who refused to give up playing in the mud of a slum to accept an invitation for a holiday by the sea because they cannot comprehend what is even meant by a “holiday by the sea.”

The question for us then is, where are we clinging to old ideas or habits that contradict what Jesus says because we don’t trust or believe that what He has to offer us is infinitely better than what we had previously imagined? Where in our lives are we not trusting that Jesus’ way is the best way possible? Do we, like the crowd, hear His words of God’s Kingdom, and eternal life beyond the grave, but then chafe at the hardships and difficulties of our short life in a fallen world? We are right to lament and request deliverance from our trouble, but we must not think that hardship and suffering means Jesus has abandoned us. He has told us we will have trouble in this world, but also to take heart, because He has overcome the world and He will never leave us or forsake us. As we see political powers rise and fall around us, we can rest confidently in the knowledge that God’s kingdom will never fall. And one day Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on earth, just as it is in heaven.

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to think of the absolute power and authority of Jesus as the God of the universe. Nothing is impossible for Him. Just as He fed thousands of people with only 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, He could also have led a successful rebellion with only 5,000 men; but He chose not to. Nothing is impossible for our God, so when He does not respond to our requests in the way we want Him to, it is never because He is unable to or because He doesn’t love us. He loves us so much that He died for us and He can do all things; so when His plan is different from ours, even and especially when that means pain for us, we must trust that His plan is the best plan possible. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, infinitely loving and perfectly just. We must ask for everything with faith that He is able to do all things, and when He doesn’t do what we want, then we can rest in the knowledge that He is doing what He has determined to be far better than our short sighted plan.

This passage should also cause us to take action in showing the love and grace of Jesus to those around us. We should never hold back what we have to give in word and deed because we think we don’t have enough to make a difference. The boy with the loaves and fish did not hold back what he had, and Jesus was able to do the impossible with what the boy offered. We must be faithful to serve the Lord Jesus with the gifts and resources He has given to us, and trust that He will accomplish His good and perfect purposes as He displays His power and love through our faithfulness.

And lastly, as Jesus is our very source of life itself, we must continue to develop reliance on Him through the regular habit of prayer. We must make all of our requests known to Him as we also praise and thank Him for His goodness and love for us. He is the Vine and we are the branches. Apart from Him we can do nothing. But with Him all things are possible.

Self Reflection:

1. What am I facing in my life that I feel just as powerless to deal with as the boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish was powerless to feed a crowd of over 5,000 people?
2. How does the limitless power and love of Jesus give me confidence to be faithful and trust in Him to always accomplish His good and perfect will?
3. Are there areas in my life where Jesus is not responding or acting the way I want Him to? Are there certain ideas I have about Him or life in general that contradict His Word? Where am I thinking or acting like the crowd, who heard Him speak of the kingdom of heaven, but only wanted Him to establish a far lesser earthly kingdom? Where do I need to trust Him that His ways are infinitely better than mine?