Food for 5,000 Hungry Souls – Or Waste Not, Want Not

The Fish and the Loaves
Mosaic at the presumed site of the 
Feeding of the 5,000 
Near the Sea of Galilee, Israel

Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!" Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted." So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. John 6:5-13 

Meditate. Consider your hunger—for spiritual and physical food.

 

Consider again Psalm 23 and how that shepherd cares for his sheep.

The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:1-6 NLT (Underlined for emphasis.)

The shepherd makes his sheep to rest in green meadows, just like Jesus as He requested that everyone sit down. They sat down on grassy slopes. Then Jesus took the fish and bread that some kid had left over from his lunch the previous day. Jesus gave thanks to our Heavenly Father, and everyone ate their fill. Can you imagine feeding 5,000 men along with their wives and children with just five barley loaves and a couple of fish? Well, that is just what happened. They were hungry and He definitely renewed the strength of those thousands of people as they had their fill of food. Now they were ready to go back home.

            Meanwhile, Jesus directed the disciples to gather up the leftovers. Nothing was to be wasted. There were twelve baskets of bread scraps uneaten. Twelve disciple. Twelve baskets. Their blessings were overflowing. Have you ever had blessing such as this? Maybe you’ve had a bottle of oil seem to keep on giving when you thought it was almost empty, like the widow at Zerephath who served Elijah during a drought.

For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the LORD sends rain and the crops grow again!" So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:14-16

Trust in the Lord. He will provide. Can you do that? The Lord provided for the 5,000 men and their families. Thank the Lord for each morsal of food that He provides for you, for everything comes from Him.

            What do you see about the character of Jesus in this account of this feeding of the crowd?

Leave your comments in the comment section below.

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You provided healing, both physical and spiritual, for this crowd of people that came to You. And then You gave them a free meal. Will they be back? People always want something for free. Do they realize that they can have eternal life for free, too? You chose Your disciples for their obedience—but what about this crowd? Do You see them as obedient? Help me—as well as my family and friends—to trust You…and be obedient to Your word and Your ways.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." Acts 4:11-12

 

© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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