Jesus Feeds Thousands of People
He is the Bread of Life
Jesus found out that John the Baptist had been killed. He went to a place far away from the towns so He could have some time alone.
When people heard where Jesus had gone, they followed Him. Jesus saw them, and He felt love for them. He spent all day blessing and healing them.
Near the end of the day, the people were getting hungry. The Apostles thought Jesus should send the people back to the towns to get food. But Jesus wanted them to stay. He asked the Apostles to give the people something to eat.
The Apostle Andrew found a boy who had five loaves of bread and two small fish to give to the people. But there were 5,000 men, plus women and children, who needed to eat. How could they feed so many people with such a little bit of food?
Matthew 14:17, 21; John 6:8–10
Jesus asked the Apostles to bring the food to Him. He told the people to sit down on the grass. Then Jesus said a prayer to thank Heavenly Father for the bread and fish and to bless it. Then He broke the bread and fish into pieces.
Matthew 14:18–19; John 6:10–11
Jesus asked His Apostles to give the bread and fish to the people. Everyone ate, and everyone was full. After they had eaten, there were still 12 baskets full of leftover food!
The next day, the people came back and found Jesus again. But Jesus knew that many of them were only following Him because He had given them food. Jesus reminded them that food lasts only a short time. He had something better to give them.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Bread gives us life on earth. But Jesus Christ can give us eternal life with Heavenly Father.
Many people didn’t like what Jesus was trying to teach. They left and decided not to follow Jesus anymore.
Then Jesus said to His Apostles, “Will ye also go away?” Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” The Apostles did not go away. They knew that Jesus Christ was the Savior and the Son of God.