Bible Passage: Matthew 14:13-21 ; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13
Main Point: Jesus miraculously fed a crowd with five loaves and two fish.
Big Picture Question
Why did Jesus perform miracles?
Jesus performed miracles to glorify God, to show He is the Son of God, and to care for people.
Key Passage:
Psalm 40:5
Lord my God, you have done many things — your wondrous works and our plans for us; none can compare with you. If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told.
Jesus’ disciples had been working hard, teaching people and healing them. Jesus called them to go away with Him to a desolate place so they could rest. By now, Jesus’ popularity was so great that finding a place to be alone was difficult. When Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, the crowd of people were already waiting for them on the other side.
Jesus saw the crowds, but He wasn’t frustrated or angry. He didn’t tell them to go away. Instead, He had compassion on them because they were lost—like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks and saves the lost. (See Luke 19:10; John 10:14.)
The miracle Jesus performed that evening—feeding 5,000 men plus women and children—is the only miracle during Jesus’ earthly ministry that is recorded in all four Gospels. The same God who provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness multiplied loaves and fish to satisfy the crowd.
But Jesus’ didn’t intend to only meet people’s physical needs. He came to satisfy their spiritual needs as well. In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” He said that no one who comes to Him will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Him will ever be thirsty again.
Jesus is the bread that came down from heaven. (See John 6:41.) God provided His Son as the perfect sacrifice to take away our sins. At the first Lord’s Supper, Jesus broke bread—a symbol of His death on the cross. (See Matt. 26:26.)
By feeding the five thousand, Jesus provided for the physical needs of the crowd. The next day, Jesus called Himself the bread of life. (John 6:35) Only Jesus is able to satisfy our souls forever by providing forgiveness, peace with God, and eternal life.
As you share with your kids, help them know that God can and will provide for our needs. Kids can trust Him for their “daily bread.” (See Matt. 6:11.) God met our greatest need in giving us salvation through Jesus.
Bible Story, Lesson, & Questions from Kids Video (18:23)
Click here for the activity pages and to customize your KidzChurch at home experience, or (Preschool lesson is here)
Use the Gospel Project for Kids Family App for ways to interact with the Bible content this week and to watch the Bible Story video “on the go”. (This lesson is from Volume 8, Unit 24, Session 2)
