¹⁰ When the apostles returned, they explained to him what they had done. He took them and withdrew in private to a town called Bethsaida. ¹¹ The crowds, meanwhile, learned of this and followed him. He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured.

As part of the instruction for his disciples, it seems likely that Jesus wants to affirm their experience of mission and healing, as well as extend and continue the instructions as a means to prepare them for the soon-coming work of the nascent church. And the passage makes clear it was meant to form a respite and break from the missionary endeavors and make space in their life for quiet communal time with Jesus. Having participated successfully as his fellow workers in ministry, do they understand fully who Jesus is? Has their faith matured? We will see.

As for a private moment (v.10), alas, it was not to be. At one level the crowd’s relentless pursuit is intrusive, but nonetheless, hospitality is extended, and Jesus engages in a ministry of healing and of proclamation about the kingdom. This summary of his ministry is indistinguishable from the ministry in which the twelve had participated (vv.1–2, 6)—a reality that serves at least initially to blur even further any possible lines of distinction between their activity on God’s behalf and his own.

¹² As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, ‘Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.’ ¹³ He said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’ They replied, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.’ ¹⁴ Now the men there numbered about five thousand.

There is some question as to how much of a “deserted place” they were actually in. The Greek eremos used by Luke definitely means “deserted or lonely place – even wilderness” but there is no transition from the geographical marker of Bethsaida. As Joel Green (363) points out:

Only when viewed against the backdrop of Jesus’ prior instructions to the twelve does their request to him seem odd. Their location in the rural environs of Bethsaida places them in close proximity to the possibility of food and lodging; why not take advantage of it? Jesus, however, had earlier instructed his disciples to take no bread on the journey (v.3); thus, they were counseled to carry on the divine mission while trusting in divine benefaction and resources. Had they not trusted and been successful earlier? If one reaches further back into the Lukan narrative, one remembers Jesus’ instructions on Simon’s boat that had led to a miraculous catch of fish (5:1–11). If he was able to provide then, why not now? Even further back in the memory is Elisha’s instructions to feed a hundred people with five barley loaves and fresh ears of grain (2 Kgs 4:42–44), the potential relevance of which is underscored by Luke’s earlier use of Elisha-material to portray Jesus (e.g., 4:27). In light of their present location in the “wilderness,” memories of God’s provision of manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16; Numbers 11) might also be activated. In light of these narrative realities, could the twelve not continue to trust now, even if these fresh circumstances presented obstacles more severe than those they had yet faced? Against such a backdrop, the extraordinary nature of their request to send the crowd away is seen in their lack of any vocalized expectation that Jesus might be able to provide for their needs.

¹³ He said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’ They replied, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.’

The disciples’ response cannot have been pleasing to Jesus’ ears. True, their resources are few unless they either (a) buy food for the multitudes or (b) await upon a miracle from Jesus. Their long experience of life before Jesus becomes operative enforced by the fact they have taken no money (v.3). It seems as though Luke is describing the continuous test that awaits all who would minister in the name of Jesus. The presence of the crowds and their needs is unveiled as a test to their faith, a test in the face of which the disciples struggle. If the disciples’ faith is not adequate on this occasion, this is surely due to the enormity of the problem with which they are confronted. The narrator seems to underscore this in a narrative aside at the beginning of v.14: “Now the men there numbered about five thousand.” Against the meager resources represented by five loaves and two fish, the need is great indeed. The stage is thus set for a manifestation of miraculous benevolence of immense proportions.

Then he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of (about) fifty.’ ¹⁵ They did so and made them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

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