Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The disciples' immediate thought is practical: send the crowds away to buy food because the place is "desert" and the time is late. But what's easy to miss is that this very "desert" place, devoid of supplies, is precisely where Jesus intends to reveal His abundant provision, turning a need into a demonstration of divine power.
Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus and his disciples had retreated to a secluded, non-populated area after hearing about John the Baptist's execution, but a large crowd followed him anyway, and Jesus, moved with compassion, began to teach them. As the day drew to a close, the disciples, concerned by the late hour and lack of provisions, urged Jesus to send the people away to find food in nearby villages.
The disciples saw a problem: hungry people in a deserted place. Jesus saw something more. What was it that moved Him so deeply?
Beyond the Obvious Need
When the disciples looked at the crowd, they saw a logistical problem: it was evening, they were in a desolate area, and the people needed to buy food. Their solution was practical: send them away. But Jesus saw beyond the immediate physical hunger. The commentaries point out that He saw them as "sheep not having a shepherd." This means Jesus perceived their spiritual emptiness and their deep need for guidance, truth, and salvation. His compassion wasn't just for their stomachs; it was for their souls.
The disciples offered a practical, logical solution. Jesus proposed something impossible. How did this shift reveal the disciples' limitations and Jesus' power?
The Disciples' Practicality vs. Jesus' Power
The disciples’ plea, "send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals," was reasonable from a human standpoint. They recognized the remote location and the late hour, assessing the situation with logic and a concern for the people's basic needs. As one commentary notes, they were concerned for the people's "temporal as well as spiritual welfare."
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Jesus’ response, "You give them something to eat," completely bypassed their logical framework. He deliberately presented them with a task that was impossible for them to accomplish on their own. This wasn't to shame them, but to:
The disciples' practical concern for the crowd's hunger, expressed as evening approached, sets the stage for Jesus' miraculous feeding. This event highlights the disciples' limited perspective contrasted with Jesus' boundless provision, even in desolate circumstances.
c. AD 28-30
Jesus' Galilean Ministry Intensifies
Jesus' fame spreads rapidly throughout Galilee as he teaches, heals, and calls disciples. Crowds begin to follow him, sometimes in vast numbers.
c. AD 28-30
John the Baptist's Imprisonment
John the Baptist is imprisoned by Herod Antipas. This event prompts Jesus to withdraw temporarily to avoid similar conflict, but crowds still seek him out.
c. AD 28-30
Disciples Return from Mission
Jesus' twelve apostles return from their first missionary journey, eager to share their experiences and report to him. Jesus seeks a private place for them to rest.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus Withdraws to a Desert Place
Jesus takes his disciples by boat to a remote, desolate area, seeking a time of rest and private instruction. However, crowds learn of his location and follow him on foot.
c. AD 28-30
Jesus Teaches and Heals
Upon seeing the vast crowd, Jesus is moved with compassion and spends time teaching them about the Kingdom of God and healing the sick.
c. AD 28-30
Disciples' Practical Concern
As evening approaches and the day wears on, the disciples express concern about the crowd's hunger, suggesting Jesus send them away to buy food.
This passage immediately precedes the feeding of the 5,000 in John's Gospel, where Jesus directly asks Philip where they will buy bread, setting the stage for the disciples' concern about the desolate location and lack of provisions.
Mark 6:35Mark's account highlights the disciples' practical concern for the people's physical needs, mirroring Matthew's portrayal and emphasizing Jesus' compassion in response to their plea.
Luke 9:12Luke's Gospel also records this event, focusing on Jesus' initiative to provide for the crowd, even when the disciples suggested sending them away due to the lateness of the hour and the remote location.
Matthew 15:32This verse describes Jesus showing compassion for another large crowd in a desolate place, asking his disciples about their food supply, demonstrating a recurring theme of His care for physical needs amidst spiritual teaching.
1 Kings 17:15This Old Testament account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath shows a similar scarcity of food in a desolate place, where a small amount of provision was miraculously multiplied to sustain a group, echoing the divine provision seen in Jesus' miracle.
calvinMatthew 14:13-21: "When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities."
- When Jesus heard this, he departed thence to a ship to a desert place apart; and when the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14. And Jesus, when leaving (the ship,) saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion towards them, and healed of such of them as were diseased. 15. A…
clarkeMatthew 14:15: "And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals."
Send the multitude away, that they may go - and buy - The disciples of Christ are solicitous for the people's temporal as well a spiritual welfare: and he is not worthy to be called a minister of Christ, who dues not endeavor to promote both to the uttermost of his power. The preac…
The disciples' immediate thought is practical: send the crowds away to buy food because the place is "desert" and the time is late. But what's easy to miss is that this very "desert" place, devoid of supplies, is precisely where Jesus intends to reveal His abundant provision, turning a need into a demonstration of divine power.
Jesus and his disciples had retreated to a secluded, non-populated area after hearing about John the Baptist's execution, but a large crowd followed him anyway, and Jesus, moved with compassion, began to teach them. As the day drew to a close, the disciples, concerned by the late hour and lack of provisions, urged Jesus to send the people away to find food in nearby villages.
Jesus and his disciples had retreated to a secluded, non-populated area after hearing about John the Baptist's execution, but a large crowd followed him anyway, and Jesus, moved with compassion, began to teach them. As the day drew to a close, the disciples, concerned by the late hour and lack of provisions, urged Jesus to send the people away to find food in nearby villages.
"Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”" — The disciples' immediate thought is practical: send the crowds away to buy food because the place is "desert" and the time is late. But what's easy to miss is that this very "desert" place, devoid of…
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Last reviewed October 2026