Recently, I set out to make a small pot of chili. Yet as it cooked, I decided it needed more beans. Then it needed more tomatoes. Now the meat was skimpy. I started out with a small batch and ended up with enough chili to feed the neighborhood! For the next week, I invited friends over for lunch or dinner – trying to finish all the leftovers.
More often than not, we don’t plan leftovers; they just happen.
So I found it curious when I read the story in John’s Gospel chapter 6 where Jesus feeds over 5,000 people. Why the leftovers? Surely Jesus knew exactly how many people were there and how much they would eat. How many baskets were left after the feeding of the 5000? It took twelve large baskets to collect all the leftovers.
What is the significance of the leftovers in the Bible?
What do The Leftovers represent?
Some suggest that it was to demonstrate that Jesus is willing to provide for our needs – and more. Simply put, He is a generous God.
Others suggest the twelve baskets relate to the twelve disciples or the twelve tribes of Israel. But as I read the story, something else occurred to me. Perhaps the reason there were leftovers was because Jesus was prepared to feed every person in the region – whether they cared to come and sit with Him or not.
Jesus Himself said, “The kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.” Matthew 22:1-3 (NIV)
How tragic! But there is hope. The Bible also teaches,
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
How about you? Miss the boat? Late for dinner? There is still hope! There is always room at the Cross.Â
Shadia is a passionate Bible teacher, author, and speaker who has a heart for seeing lives transformed by the power of God’s Word. She holds a master’s in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is the author of several books and Bible studies, including HAGAR, LEGION, Worthy of Love and her newest study, RAHAB: Rediscovering the God Who Saves Me!Â
Question is:
the leftover food, is it from the baskets or from the plates of people. I am confused with the word “gather all the fragments and let there not be the waste”.
If it is from the baskets, then there is no need for Jesus to use the word ” gather.”
so, with this assumption it looks like Jesus asked his disciples to collect the leftover food from the plates from where people were fed.
Hi Solomon. Thank you for your excellent question. Since the disciples collected 12 baskets, you are correct in reasoning that the leftovers were collected from among the people. It may have been that the food was distributed in quantities to feed each group of 50 or 100 people. After all the people ate and were satisfied, the food left over among each group was collected by the disciples and placed in the baskets. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Please be sure to join my email community to receive lots of great free resources to bless you in your walk with God.
Left over food is very important for others to give. While others were absent.
after gathering leftovers what happened to them fed animals or other needy families ….your input please to enrich my capacity
Thank you for your interest in the article. Although the Bible does not specifically tell us what happens next, I would encourage you to continue reading the story and invite God to reveal the wonderful truths and life lessons He offers through His Word. May you be blessed in your journey!