At the end of our last story, Jesus had just been told about the death of John the Baptist and at around the same time frame, the Apostles were just returning from their first healing and teaching missions. They gathered together and told Jesus all they had done and what they had taught.

Jesus took them by ship across the sea of Galilee into a private desert place in the city of Bethsaida and told them to rest because they had been so busy and they hadn't had any leisure time, even so much as to eat.

The people saw them leave, and many of them knew who Jesus was. This is the part where you put yourself into the story. People from all different cities ran on foot after them until they caught up to them. When Jesus saw the people, He felt compassion for them. He felt just like He felt before, like they were sheep without a shepherd, so He began to teach them and heal the sick people among them.

Jesus went up into a mountain and sat with His disciples there while it was getting close to evening. The crowd grew larger and Jesus said to Philip, Where will we buy bread, so the people can eat? Jesus already knew what He was gonna do, He was just testing Philip. Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread wouldn't even be enough for each of them to have just a little bit.

The other disciples asked Jesus to send the crowds away to get food in the villages and find places to lodge. But Jesus said, They don't need to leave, How many loaves do you have? Go and see. Give them to eat.

Andrew (Peter's brother) said to Jesus, there's a lad here, that has five barley loaves, and two small fish, but that's nothing for so many. Jesus said, Bring them here to me. He told the disciples to make the people sit down in groups on the grass. There were about five thousand men, beside women and children there! They all sat down in groups of 100's and 50's.

Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, and He looked up to Heaven, and blessed them and broke them and gave thanks to God. Then He gave them to the disciples and the disciples distributed them to all the people. And the people ate, each one of them, as much as they wanted. Can you just imagine that? You've probably never seen such an encore as this before.

When the people were filled, Jesus told the disciples to gather up the food that remained so nothing would be wasted, and the fragments that they gathered, filled twelve baskets! When the people saw this miracle that Jesus did, they said, This truly is that prophet that they said would come into the world.

Just a couple of points before we close this story. Jesus was just informed about the death of His dear friend John the Baptist of whom He said, of all human beings, there hasn't been a greater one born than John the Baptist. Now Jesus wasn't all teary eyed about it, He saw sheep that needed Shepherding and so He went about His Father's business and took care of them. Jesus knew that John had fulfilled his life's purpose and surely He was sorrowful to hear of the pain that John suffered in his death, but Jesus knew that he was already healed and was in Paradise.