12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
6:12
So when they were filled,
The phrase “they were filled” indicates that the miracle had taken place and that the crowd satisfied their hunger. God does not withhold His grace in measure.
He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost [ruined].”
Jesus is not in the business of wasting even natural resources. His desire was that no food be ruined.
6:13
Therefore they gathered them up,
The disciples gathered the fragments of food to preserve for later use.
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
The “twelve baskets” indicate that Jesus is more than sufficient to meet the needs of people. These were wicker baskets for leftovers.
PRINCIPLE:
God does not withhold His grace in measure.
APPLICATION:
The miracle of feeding the 5,000 adult males plus women and children is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels (except for the resurrection). The nature of this miracle was to show Jesus’ creative power and abundant grace. This miracle affected more people than any other that Jesus performed.
We tend to limit how we view God’s grace toward us. His grace, however, is unconditional and totally free.
