The 5,000
John 6:1-15
“The 5,000”
Poor Explanations
• Jesus had a secret “stash” hidden in a cave
• Jesus arranged ahead of time for women to serve a prepared meal
• Everyone secretly had food, but were unwilling to share until a boy’s generosity shamed them into giving
• It’s an exaggerated oral tradition
• It was only a sacramental meal where each received only a fragment
Poor Explanations
• “This is a miracle of the birth of love in men’s souls; it is a miracle of the awakening of
fellowship … it is the eternal miracle of
Christianity, whereby a miscellaneous crowd of men and women becomes a family in Christ”
—William Barclay
“The 5,000”
Recorded in All Four Gospels
• Matthew 14:13-20
• Mark 6:30-44
• Luke 9:10-17
• John 6:1-15
John 6:1-6
• “After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the
feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He …”
“The 5,000”
John 6:6-11
• “said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred
denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?’ 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 …”
John 6:11-14
• “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 come …”
“The 5,000”
John 6:14-15
• “‘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.” (ESV)
A Time Stamp
• “After this …” (6:1)
• “Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews was at
hand” (6:4)
The Problem
“Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” (6:5)
John 6:6
• “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what
he would do.” (ESV)
“The 5,000”
Philip’s Response
• “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”
(6:7, ESV)
Andrew’s Response
• “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
(Jn 5:9, ESV)
– A very little boy – A poor man’s loaf
– A small piece of a small fish
“The 5,000”
Had they forgotten?
• “Six stone water jars … holding twenty or thirty
gallons … filled to the brim.” (Jn 2:6)
• “Everyone serve the good wine first, and when people had drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” (Jn 2:10)
Had they forgotten their O.T. Stories?
• Manna from heaven (Ex 16:4)
• Quail (Num 11:31)
• Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9-16)
• Elisha and the Widow’s oil (2 Kings 4:1-7)
• Elisha and the 20 barley loaves (2 Kings 4:42-44)
The Solution
“Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he
distributed them to those who were seated” (6:11)
Standard Jewish Prayer
• “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the world, who bringest forth bread from the earth.
Amen!”
“The 5,000”
John 6:35, 50-51
• “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me shall not hunger and
whoever believes in me shall never thirst … This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living
bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the
bread that I will give for the life of the world is my
flesh.’” (ESV)
The Reaction
“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” (6:15)
“The 5,000”
Prophetic Significance
• The mountain experience has parallels to the children of Israel, manna, and Moses in the wilderness (Ex 16)
• The groupings of 50’s and 100’s allude to Moses’
own organization of Israel (Ex 18:21)
• The story alludes to Moses praying for God to supply a leader after him (Num 27:17)
• It brings to mind God’s promise to feed his sheep by sending one like David as a shepherd (Ez 34:23)
• There are striking parallels between Jn 6 & Num 11
• They recognize Jesus as The Prophet (Deut 18:15)
John 6:66-67
• “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the
Twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’” (ESV)
The 5,000
“I am the bread that came down from heaven” (6:41)
