We saw in the previous post that people dropped everything and joined the throng rapidly moving along the shore of the Sea of Galilee to meet Jesus when He and the disciples landed on the northeastern shore. The crowd didn’t have time to gather provisions. As the evening approached, the disciples urged Jesus to send the crowds away that they might go buy food for themselves while they still could. Jesus responds “You give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:15-16)

Earlier (when Jesus had seen the crown coming), he asked Phillip, “Where can we buy food for these people.” Phillip, along with Simon and Andrew were from Bethsaida, the largest nearby village and would know the local diner, drive-ins, and dives. Phillip responded that they didn’t have enough money to begin to feed this crowd (two hundred silver coins would be about eight month’s wages for the average laborer). Nor was there likely that amount of food readily available nearby. Jesus was a pragmatic host, but more importantly he was planning to use the occasion as a teaching moment, for John adds that Jesus already knew what he was going to do before he inquired of Phillip (John 6:5-7). Jesus would use the miracle He was about to perform as the backdrop for a very important dialog about His identity.

Of the five thousand (and some commentators suggest that the number excluded the women and children), only one had any food – a young boy had brought with him five barley loaves and two fish. Miracle of miracles, the boy had not eaten them himself! Barley was considered the poor man’s bread. The loaves would have been more what we could consider rolls in size. Barley was certainly less desirable than wheat, primarily being used as food for the cattle and horses. Lest two fish sound really significant, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) states that there were three types of fish in the Sea of Galilee – tilapia, members of the carp family (ranging in size from the Barbel species which could be as large as 20 pounds to the small lake sardine), and catfish (which having no scales would be considered unclean according to the Law). While Matthew, Mark and Luke use the general term for fish in the Greek, ἰχθύς (ichthús),
John uses the more descriptive ὀψάριον
(opsárion) indicating a diminutive fish used as a relish for bread. The two fish were more like sardines! Whereas we might think of the fish as the main meal and the bread as secondary, the opposite was true here. The loaves were the main course, and they were barley loaves at that.

Aside from the obvious miracle of Jesus feeding the masses with this meager individual lunch, and that fact that twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered, is the less-discussed fact that this non-inviting lunch really hit the spot with everyone. The crowd ate their fill and were “satisfied” (Luke 9:17). In fact, the lunch of poverty was so good that the next day the crowd wanted Jesus to give them more! And this my friends is what Jesus intended. The miracle would lead into the all-important discussion referred to as the “Bread of Life Discourse” (Stay tuned!)

What’s the application of this miraculous event? Jesus can take the diminutive and unimpressive and use it for His purposes and glory. More so than loaves and fishes, that includes you and me. God used Moses who self proclaimed that he was not well-spoken. He used the Rahab the harlot, the shepherd boy David, Isaiah (a man of unclean lips), and some fishermen and despised tax-collectors to accomplish His divine plans. He uses whoever will yield to Him. (Romans 6:13)