Get Ready
What is the largest group meal you have been part of? What was served? How was the food? Was it served at the proper temperature? Did you wonder how the meal was prepared and who cooked it? Did you think about the logistics of organizing and serving a meal for a very large crowd?
The Word
630 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.
41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And all ate and were filled; 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.
48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by.
49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded,
52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.
54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. NRSV
Get into the Word
1. What is Jesus’s plan after the mission trip? Why does he want to do this? How successful is this plan? What happens? How does Jesus respond to the crowds? Why does he do this?
2. What problem comes up in the afternoon? What plan do the disciples suggest? What is Jesus’s plan? How do the disciples react to this idea? How might you have reacted if you had been there?
3. What do the disciples discover? How does Jesus start the meal? What is the result? How did the crowd feel about this (see Notes on John)?
4. What does Jesus tell the disciples to do after the meal? What does he do? What happens to the disciples? What does Jesus do in response to their situation? How do they react to this? Why do you think they reacted as they did?
5. What happens when they reach the other side of the lake? What is the difference between the people in this town and the people of Nazareth (check 6:6)?
Get Personal
Have you been in a situation in which you had to trust God for “enough” of something? How did it work out?
Notes . . .
(cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)
6:30-44. Feeding the 5,000 — both Matthew and Luke, as well as John, include this incident very close to Mark’s version, but with some differences.
Matthew links directly to the story of John’s death and says Jesus went away by himself. According to Matthew, Jesus had compassion on the crowd and healed their sick. Matthew does not mention the potential cost or having the crowd sit in groups, but he is the only one to refer to the women and children, [Matt 14:13-21].
Luke starts his narrative the same way Mark does, but he says Jesus welcomed the crowd and taught them about the Kingdom of God in addition to healing them. Luke also omits the potential cost of feeding the crowd, but the other details closely follow Mark’s version, [Luke 9:10-17].
John includes this incident in his Gospel [John 6:1-15]. According to John, Jesus initiates the feeding by asking Philip “where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” . . . to test him. Andrew then tells Jesus about a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus has the crowd sit down and blesses the bread and fish and gives it to the disciples to distribute. At the end the people proclaim Jesus a prophet and he went higher on the mountain alone.
6:37. Two hundred denarii — at least six month’s wages.
6:41. This is not the only example of God miraculously feeding his people. Check Exodus 16 (manna in the desert); 1 Kings
17:7-16 (Elijah at Zarephath); and 2 Kings 4:1-7 (Elisha). Isaiah describes the ultimate feast that God will provide his people in 25:6.
6:45-52. Jesus walks on the water — Matthew includes this story but Luke does not.
Matthew follows Mark’s version at the beginning up to the point where Jesus tells the disciples “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” According to Matthew, Peter then says to Jesus “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus tells him to come: So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “You truly are the Son of God!” Matthew closes the story with healings in Gennesaret, like Mark, [Mt 14:22-36].
John also includes this incident, [John 6:16-21]. He says the disciples went to the shore and started across. John says the disciples had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus and were terrified. John does not say the storm abated when Jesus got in, but immediately the boat arrived at their destination!
6:56. All . . . were healed — there is a clear difference between the attitude in Gennesaret and Nazareth (6:6), and in the results of Jesus’ presence and work.
Memory Verse
Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while, [Mark 6:31]
Next Lesson
The tradition of the elders — Mark 7
