It was late in the day. They had followed Jesus into a remote location and He had taken compassion upon them. He saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd, so He, the Great Shepherd began to teach them about the things of God. Now it was getting dark and everyone was hungry and probably a bit tired, so He told His disciples to feed them.
They balked at the task. They didn’t have enough money. They were too far away to go buy something even if they did have the money. The only thing they could scrounge up was a few loaves and a couple fish when they commandeered a young boy’s lunch.
The story is told in all four Gospels. And all four Gospel writers tell us the same thing. Jesus took those few loaves and fish and “gave thanks to God.” Then He broke them apart and fed the 5000 men plus women and children.
Later Jesus would send the disciples in their boats to the other side of the lake. He joined them by walking on the water out to them. You can read about it in John 6. John also makes an interesting comment about the next day. He reports, “Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.” [John 6:22-23 NIV]
John connects the miracle of feeding 5000+ people from a few loaves of bread and a couple fish with “after the Lord had given thanks.” John must have seen a great significance in the offering of thanksgiving. This was more than someone just saying “grace.” This was miracle-producing thanksgiving! No wonder Paul urges us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” [1 Thess 5:16-18]
