John 6:10-13

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

“So That Nothing is Lost”

“Have everyone sit down.” says Jesus to His disciples. Jesus knew the people needed to sit down, rest, and take nourishment. It says there is “much grass in that place”. From what I have read, the general area where this took place was a barren hilly area. Barren means lacking in vegetation or life. However, this multitude just happened to be in an area with grass, which makes it more comfortable and clean for them to sit down and eat. Isn’t that convenient? Where Jesus is…..there is life.  

In verse 11, we see Jesus preparing to feed the people. What is the first thing He does? He gives thanks to the Father for the food. Jesus was setting an example before His disciples and the people to always thank God for what we have. Then the disciples began to pass out the food. I wonder how long it took to pass out food to 5000 men plus women and children! Can you imagine what they were thinking when they kept going back to Jesus expecting the food to be gone only to find more and more food? The disciples went back to Jesus over and over, and Jesus continued to provide “bread” and fish. This is the abundance of blessings that we find in Jesus. We can keep going back for more “bread” only to find even more “bread”. Jesus is overflowing with blessings. We find those blessings in The Word. The more that you are in God’s Word, the more you desire to be in it. Every day that I dive into these scriptures, I find more “bread” of life to sustain me. The more “Bread of Life” that I eat, the more that I want. The blessings found in God’s Word are endless, and last a lifetime. Jesus provided the food, but it was up the people to actually feed themselves, right? In the same way, He gives us an unending supply of spiritual food through His Word, but it is up to us to feed ourselves. Also, we see that this is not just a snack for the people. It is a meal. Everyone ate as much as they wanted until they “were filled”. This is also symbolic. Only Jesus can fill us. Nothing in this world can fill us. We walk away empty every time we try to use worldly things to fill the void within us. 

In verse 11, we see Jesus telling the disciples to gather up all the leftover pieces, “so that nothing is lost”. The other three gospel writers don’t record these words of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t only telling them to gather up the leftover pieces simply to not be wasteful. We obviously don’t need to be wasteful, and we do need to be good stewards of what God provides for us, but there is a deeper meaning here that I had not noticed before. It is symbolic. Jesus had fed the people with physical bread to sustain them. Jesus is the spiritual ‘bread” of life that sustains us for eternity. He doesn’t want any soul to be lost, hence the statement “so that nothing is lost”. Every person is important to Jesus. He wants His disciples to feel this way about every soul as they preach His word in the future. They will be the ones who will carry the gospel to the world after He goes back to the Father. Jesus symbolically means, gather every soul “so that none is lost.” This applies to us today as well. We are to gather souls in order to save as many as possible. Our mindset should be……”so that no one is lost”.

Another interesting symbolism in this verse is the number of baskets of pieces that are left over. Why twelve? Why the specificity in telling the number of baskets left? The twelve baskets could stand for the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus came to save all human beings from their sins, but He went to the nation of Israel first. Remember in Acts 1:4, Jesus told the apostles to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the “Promise of the Father”. Then in Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” All Jewish people would be gathered in Jerusalem on Pentecost as was required of them. This is why the ministry in Jerusalem was to come first…..and then they were to spread out from there. Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” John’s account of this miracle is so rich in symbolism and is much deeper spiritually than I realized. It goes much deeper than providing bread and fish to 5000 plus people. It reaches forward to us as His disciples today. Gather up all of the fragments, so that none are lost. Jesus wants us to gather as many as we can. A reflection for myself…..am I living my life with this purpose…..to gather as many as I can? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)