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 At the height of Jesus' popularity, thousands came from all the surrounding regions to hear him teach and see his miracles. The disciples were also busy, sent out two by two to heal, cast out demons, and proclaim a message of repentance (Mark 6:7-13). After one of these missions Jesus, seeing that they were tired, invited them to come away with him to a place in the wilderness (6:31). What a welcome word of encouragement! He understood their need to rest, to get away from the busy activity of life, and invited them to be refreshed with him.
The place they went to is identified as (1) an isolated place (Matt. 14:13,15; Mark 6:32,35; Luke 9:12), that (2) they reached by boat (Matt. 14:13, Mark 6:32), and that was (3) located near Bethsaida (Luke 9:10), (4) up on a mountain (John 6:3), and (5) where there was much green grass (Mark 6:39, John 6:10). This describes the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee, on one of the hills (center right in the photo above) that rise up toward the Golan Heights.* From here there is a beautiful view over the whole Sea of Galilee.
* In the Byzantine period (4th-7th cent.), the site of the feeding of the 5,000 was identified in the northwest corner of the lake, at the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes discovered in the 19th century and rebuilt in 1982. But this does not match the Bible's description of an isolated place. The site lay along a major, well-traveled road in the time of Jesus (the Via Maris; or Way of the Sea), less than a kilometer from the village of Gennesaret, in the territory of Capernaum, not Bethsaida (as required by Luke 9:10). This would have brought the disciples, after crossing the lake, right back where they started (at Gennesaret; Matt. 14:34, Mark 6:53). This inaccurate identification is surprising, since pilgrim records testify that the site of Bethsaida (in the northeast corner of the lake) was still remembered correctly as late as the 6th century.
The mention of abundant green grass (#5) tells us it was springtime, after the winter rains, when the hills turn a beautiful green. Later, in the summertime, the grass dries and the hills turn brown again. This agrees with John's note that it was the time of Passover, which is in the spring (John 6:4).
 Jesus wasn't alone with the disciples for long. The crowds could tell from the direction of their boat where they were going, and ran there ahead of them to meet them on the shore (Mark 6:33-34). But instead of sending them away, Jesus ministered to them and took care of them, teaching them and healing them.
Because this is an isolated area, even today, the disciples became concerned, when it got late, how the people would get something to eat and where they would spend the night (6:35,36). This is when Jesus shocked the disciples by instructing them to feed the crowd themselves (6:37). But where would they get that much food? Even if there were shops nearby it would cost at least 200 denarii, nearly a year's wage (6:38).
John relates that the only food available came from a young boy. The five "loaves" were small, rounded pieces of bread, pita bread, made from barley (John 6:9). Barley is a grain like wheat, but less expensive and usually eaten by the poor. The two fish were opsarion, which probably means small fish, like the abundant freshwater sardines of the Sea of Galilee. Not much food for so many people.
But Jesus is not limited by our lack of resources. He had them recline in the grass symposia symposia ("group by group"; Mark 6:39). This Greek word, the root of the English word "symposium," refers to a group of people gathered to eat a meal. This picture of people reclining in groups for a meal is another image of Passover. Mark adds the colorful description prasieh prasieh ("garden plot by garden plot"), which compares these groups, reclining on the ground in their colorful garments, to little garden plots of vegetables--another image of springtime and the harvest that took place at Passover time (Mark 6:40).*
* This description is lifelessly translated "in groups" (NAB, NIV) or "in ranks" (KJV, Amplified), although the Amplified does mention the meaning of the word in a note.
 After blessing God for the food, Jesus distributed it.* Miraculously, that little bit of food fed the whole crowd of more than 5,000 people, with food left over (6:41-43). How did this happen? God has resources that we know nothing about. He is able to meet all of our needs, even when the resources available to us seem woefully inadequate.
* Although many translations imply that Jesus blessed the food, the Greek simply says "he blessed." This refers to the typical Jewish blessing at the beginning of every meal, a blessing not of the food, but of God who has provided the food: "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe..."
What was the reaction of the people to this fantastic miracle? "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world!" (John 6:14) Who is "the Prophet"? This is the prophet like Moses mentioned in Deut. 18:18--a prophet that some identified with the Messiah, and many were eagerly expecting. Their reasoning is easy to follow: it was Passover time, they were in a wilderness (desert-like) place with Jesus, and he provided bread "from heaven" for them, as Moses did in the Sinai. This was obviously the prophet like Moses they were waiting for! So what did they do? They planned to crown Jesus as their Messianic king! (John 6:15) This is hardly a rejection of Jesus as Messiah, as many teach the Jews were guilty of. Rather, he is the one who rejected their ideas of who the Messiah was and what he should do: he went back up into the hills alone to get away from the crowd.
The people wanted a Messianic king that would lead them to victory over the Romans. The village of Gamla just a few miles away was home to the Zealot resistance movement that wanted to fight a war against Rome. But Jesus didn't want to lead an attack against the Romans. And so he sent his disciples away in a boat, and withdrew by himself into the hills. But if Jesus didn't come as the kind of Messiah they were expecting, then who was he, and what was his mission?
 According to John, the disciples began to cross toward the west, back across the Sea of Galilee (toward Capernaum; 6:17). The wind that opposed them, stirring up the sea, was therefore coming from the west, the direction from which most strong weather comes in Israel (6:18). Mark says that Jesus saw them straining at the oars (Mark 6:48), a hint to the beautiful view over the Sea of Galilee from the Golan Heights, toward which Jesus had ascended. Since Passover is always at the time of a full moon, he could just make out the dark spot of a boat in the reflected moonlight on the water.
Matthew records that in the fourth watch (about 3-6 am), the disciples suddenly saw someone coming toward them, walking on the water (Matt. 14:25). Their first reaction was that it was a ghost, and they screamed out in fright (14:26). In response, Jesus said to them, "Take courage, I am: don't be afraid" (14:27). Although many Bibles translate Jesus' words, "It is I," the Greek clearly says, "I am" (ego eimi). This is no accident: the same words appear in all the gospels that mention this event (Matthew, Mark, and John).
Mark explains the reason for their astonishment to be their misunderstanding of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (Mark 6:51,52). They, like the crowd, had seen it to confirm that Jesus was an earthly Messiah, a prophet. But they hadn't correctly understood the kind of Messiah Jesus really is. So he had to show them something more. Jesus' words ("I am"), while walking on the sea, are an intentional hint to Exodus 3:14, where God revealed himself to Moses as the "I am that I am." By identifying himself as the "I am," Jesus identifies himself as the living God.
 In Matthew, Peter cries out saying, "If you are, command me to come to you on the water" (Matt. 14:28).* In other words, if you really are the "I am," if you really are God, then you can make me walk on the water, too. And he did! (14:29). Peter, too, walked on the water, because Jesus is the great "I am."
* This is the literal meaning of the Greek words ei su ei ("if you are"), not "if it is you" as in most translations.
But this is not simply a demonstration that Jesus is God. By enabling Peter to walk on the water, he gave us a picture of his true mission: that he came to share his power and his glory with us, to give us victory over the dangers and difficulties of this life! This is what Paul is talking about in Ephesians when he says that the power of God in us who believe is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and carried him into heaven (Eph. 1:19,20). It's what Peter is talking about when he says that we as human beings can share in God's divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4).
This incredible relationship, this sharing of God's power with us, operates through faith. If you trust God, you will receive from him. If you don't trust him, how will you receive? When Peter began to doubt, he started to sink beneath the waves (14:30). But even then, in Peter's moment of fear, Jesus did not abandon him. He grabbed hold of Peter and helped him into the boat (14:31-32).
What was the reaction of the disciples? They prostrated themselves in worship, as the Jews did in the Temple before God, saying "Surely you are the son of God!" (14:33). They were finally getting the message that Jesus was not just an earthly Messiah, but God's Son, the divine "I am," and is worthy of worship. And so they did what religiously observant Jews would never do to anyone but God--they worshipped him.
What about you? Who is Jesus to you? A prophet, a healer, a Messiah? Or is he the great "I am"? If he is, then he can help you, as he did Peter, to have victory over the difficulties of life. You need only ask.
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