Luke 9:13

My Notes

What Does Luke 9:13 Mean?

"But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people." Jesus' command is impossible: GIVE THEM TO EAT. The disciples' response is practical: we have FIVE LOAVES and TWO FISH. The gap between the command and the resources is the space where the miracle happens. The command exceeds the capacity. The capacity becomes the raw material for the supernatural.

The phrase "give ye them to eat" (dote autois hymeis phagein — YOU GIVE them to eat) puts the RESPONSIBILITY on the disciples: Jesus doesn't say 'I will feed them.' He says 'YOU feed them.' The 'you' is emphatic (hymeis — you yourselves). The responsibility is placed squarely on the disciples. The command is impossible AND it's directed at them. The miracle will use THEIR hands. The food will pass through THEIR distribution. The impossibility is their assignment.

The "we have no more but five loaves and two fishes" (ouk eisin hēmin pleion ē artoi pente kai ichthyes duo — there are not to us more than five loaves and two fish) is the INVENTORY of inadequacy: the resources are counted. The math is done. Five loaves. Two fish. Five thousand men (verse 14). The ratio is absurd. The calculation is hopeless. The inventory is complete AND completely insufficient.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What totally inadequate resources do you have — and is Jesus asking you to use them anyway?
• 2.What does 'YOU give them to eat' (emphasis on you) teach about miracles requiring human hands?
• 3.How does the honest inventory of inadequacy become the raw material for the supernatural?
• 4.What human solution (buying food) are you proposing when Jesus is asking for your five loaves?

Devotional

YOU feed them. We have five loaves and two fish. That's IT. The command is impossible. The inventory is absurd. The ratio is hopeless. And the gap between the command and the resources is EXACTLY where the miracle lives.

The 'give YE them to eat' — emphasis on YOU — makes the impossible the disciples' ASSIGNMENT: Jesus doesn't promise to do it FOR them. He tells them to do it THEMSELVES. The feeding of five thousand will happen through the DISCIPLES' hands. Their hands will break the bread. Their feet will distribute the food. The miracle uses THEM as the delivery mechanism. The impossibility is their job description.

The 'five loaves and two fishes' is the HONEST INVENTORY of total inadequacy: the disciples count what they have. Five loaves. Two fish. That's the TOTAL — 'no more.' The counting is accurate. The insufficiency is mathematical. The resources are weighed against the need and found ABSURDLY short. Five thousand men (plus women and children) versus five loaves. The ratio doesn't just fall short. It's laughable.

The 'except we should go and buy meat for all this people' is the HUMAN SOLUTION the disciples propose: spend money. Buy food. Handle the impossible through COMMERCE. The suggestion is practical, rational, and completely inadequate — they don't have enough money (Mark 6:37 — 'shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread?'). The human solution doesn't work. The inventory doesn't cover. And THAT is where the miracle begins — at the point where the human solution fails and the divine command still stands.

What 'five loaves and two fish' do you have — and is Jesus saying 'give them to eat' anyway?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture