Again the Evangelist tells of the great, amazing miracle of feeding several thousand people with a few loaves of bread. An incident almost analogous to that narrated in the sixth chapter of the same Gospel. The only slight difference is in the figures: there were five thousand eaters, here four; there they are fed with five loaves of bread, here with seven. But the essence of the miracle is the same: in both cases we see the manifestation of the amazing Divine almighty power of the Lord.

As in the first case, so now the Lord draws His disciples to participate in the miracle: again they have to take upon themselves the task of distributing the blessed bread to the people, again they are intermediaries between Christ: both His listeners, and again through them His grace-filled power works a great miracle.

This is no coincidence. If in general all the words and actions of the Lord have never been an accidental play of moods, but have always had an inner deep meaning, then all the more so the same technique, repeated twice, indicates that there is some definite purpose here. Repetition under the same conditions is almost a system.

What is this goal?

In the period to which the described event belongs, the Lord more and more passes from public preaching to the more private task of educating only a select few in the spirit of His teaching. He is more and more confined to the narrow circle of His disciples and entrusts to them mainly the words of eternal life. They must be continuers of His work, and in order to be reliable followers and worthy disciples of His Great Teacher, they still have much to learn. That is why He gives them so much attention, lovingly and patiently nurturing them for future service.

Twice calling His disciples to practical participation in the work of love performed by Him in the form of a miracle, the Lord undoubtedly has in mind all the same educational tasks. The distribution of bread to hungry people is an episode in the history of the education of the apostles, it is a pedagogical device used by the Lord in order to evoke in them certain feelings, thoughts and moods.

The nature of these feelings, which the Savior wants to instill in the hearts of His disciples, is partly clarified later, in verses 17-21 of the same chapter.

When the disciples understand the words about leaven as a reproach for forgetfulness and negligence (for they forgot to take bread for the journey)

And when seven is four thousand, how many baskets have you taken of the remaining pieces? They said: seven. And he said to them, How then do you not understand?

Смысл слов Господа совершенно ясен, и вполне пбнятно то, что Он хочет сказать ссылкой на Свои два чуда насыщения народа. Понятно также, к какому выводу из этих чудес Он хочет направить мысль Своих учеников.

Внутренний смысл Его упреков сводится к следующему:

"О, маловерные!.. Люди с окамененным сердцем! Как мало на вас влияют уроки Божественного всемогущества, которые Я вам дал, и как в самых ясных и поразительных событиях вы не видите той заботы, которой Я вас окружил! Что рассуждаете вы о том, что нет у вас хлебов? Разве Я, ваш Учитель, напитавший тысячи несколькими хлебцами, — не могу сделать для вас то же и накормить вас, если б даже вы совсем не взяли с собой хлеба? Как мало в вас доверия ко Мне, к Моему могуществу, и как слабо сердце ваше в своей суетной заботливости и в постоянных мыслях о житейском!"

Больше доверия к Богу, больше упования на Его Отеческий Промысл и попечение и меньше привязанности к житейскому, меньше беспокойства из-за насущного куска хлеба, из-за средств поддержания жизни — вот что требует Господь от Своих учеников и последователей.

Два разительных факта чудесных насыщений должны были послужить реальной основой таких чувств и убеждений. Для зрителей и участников это был урок веры и надежды на Бога; урок без страха и смущения относиться к угрожающим опасностям и теснотам жизни и во всем полагаться на Господа, пекущегося о чадах Своих.