Feeding The Multitudes

Jesus had chosen twelve men from the many who gathered around Him, wanting to be His disciples. These twelve were called apostles. He sent them out to preach the good news, giving them power to drive out evil spirits and to heal diseases. Before they left, He gave them instructions about what to do and warned them that people would persecute them. He also told them to be strong and not to fear those who could only kill the body, because the soul is much more precious. So the apostles went out into the cities and towns, preaching God's word and bringing blessings with them.

When they returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them across the Sea of Galilee to a quiet place where they could rest and talk about their work. But the people followed them around the lake, and when Jesus saw the large crowd, He felt sorry for them. He began teaching them and healing their sick, just as He had done many times before.

As evening came, the disciples urged Jesus to send the people away so they could buy food in the nearby villages. But Jesus said, "You give them something to eat." The disciples thought this was impossible. "We only have five loaves of bread and two fish," they told Him. Jesus said, "Bring them here to Me." They obeyed, wondering what He would do.

Jesus told the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. Then He broke the loaves into pieces and handed them to His disciples to give to the people. He did the same with the fish. The disciples went around to all the groups, giving each person a share, and everyone had enough to eat. There were about five thousand men there, plus women and children. After everyone had eaten, the disciples gathered up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces.

When the people saw this wonderful miracle, they wanted to make Jesus their king right away. They thought He was the Promised One they had been waiting for. But Jesus did not want to be an earthly king, so He left them and went up on a mountain to be alone.

Another time, a great crowd had gathered to hear Jesus, and they had been with Him for three days without food. Jesus called His disciples and said, "I feel sorry for these people. They have been fasting for three days, and I don't want to send them away hungry, or they might faint on the way home." The disciples said, "Where can we get enough food for so many people out here in the wilderness?" Jesus asked how many loaves they had. They said seven, plus a few small fish.

Jesus told the people to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks to God, and broke the loaves into pieces. He gave them to His disciples, who distributed them among the people. As they gave out the food, it kept increasing, so that everyone ate. Afterward, they picked up seven baskets full of leftovers, even though about four thousand men, plus women and children, had eaten.

These miracles show not only Jesus' power but also His care for people's everyday needs. He cared about their souls and their bodies too, because His heart was always open to human need.

One of the first ways Jesus showed His power to the men who would become His disciples was by helping them. He saw two boats by the Lake of Gennesaret, with fishermen nearby washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon Peter, and asked him to push out a little from the shore. Then He taught the people from the boat. When He finished, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because You say so, I will let down the nets." When they did, they caught so many fish that their nets began to break. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. Soon both boats were so full of fish that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" He and his partners, James and John, were amazed at the catch.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on you will catch people." So they brought their boats to shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.