Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

When Jesus heard that his cousin John the Baptist had been killed, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place to grieve. But the crowds heard where he had gone and followed him on foot from the surrounding towns. When Jesus stepped ashore and saw the large crowd waiting, he felt compassion for them and spent the day healing the sick among them.

As evening approached, the disciples came to Jesus and suggested he send the crowds away to buy food in the nearby villages before it got too late. Jesus told them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." The disciples were puzzled -- all they had on hand was five loaves of bread and two small fish, brought by a boy in the crowd, nowhere near enough for thousands of people.

Jesus told everyone to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and broke the bread, handing it to the disciples to distribute to the crowd. Somehow, the food kept coming, and everyone -- about five thousand men, plus women and children -- ate until they were satisfied.

When it was all over, the disciples gathered up the leftovers and filled twelve baskets full of broken pieces. What began as an impossibly small offering became more than enough, a sign of how far God's provision can stretch when placed in his hands.