John 6:5-10 - Where shall we buy bread?

6:5-7

Jesus saw the large crowd. Matt 15:32 tells us that Jesus had compassion on the crowds. He asks Philip “where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?” This is a test question. Jesus already knows that He is going to do, He is seeking to bring out of Philip what he is thinking. Not unreasonably, Philip thinks immediately in practical terms, estimating how much it would cost to feed the crowd. 200 denarii was a typical amount that a family would need to spend to feed themselves for a year. Even this amount would be nowhere near enough to feed the people.

6:8-10

Andrew now introduces the famous boy with his five loaves and two fish. The loaves are specified as barley loaves, which were the sort that the poorer people ate. While it was nice that the boy offered these, on their own they did little to help the situation. In order for anything to happen it needed Jesus to get involved, and this He did. He doesn’t tell the disciples what is going to happen, and the synoptic accounts make it clear that they thought the situation was hopeless. Jesus adopts an orderly approach to things.