John 6

¹⁰Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.

This chapter is a pretty long one. And its also a while ago since i read it. But I always had in mind to write something and remebered this one verse. It was when Susan was leading the biblestudy on one saturday. There she also talked about this incident but referring to the notation in Mark. After reading the same story there this verse was even more interesting.
It were the words "plenty of grass" which attracted my attention. Why would the bible mention this tiny unimportant detail? Was it to stress that the people at least had a nice soft ground to sit? (but thinking about sitting on the grass i always connect this with having green trousers afterwards). This could be or maybe it was very special to have such a nice piece of grass in that particular reagion. But because of the lack of my knowledge in this i can not say anything about that.
But what i want to say is about the verse in
Mark 6:34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Here it says that the large crowd was just like sheeps without a sheperd. And Jesus as the chief sheperd (1.Petr. 5:4) made them sit down, settle down on the grass. And the grass happen to be plenty just as the food Jesus provided to them. I think these both verses in John and Mark are giving a nice picture. Of Jesus who at first found lost and strayed sheeps but then afterwards he made them sit down on the grass which was plenty and began to teach them many things and in the end gave them enough to eat.
What is also interesting is this verse in mark where the disciples discribe that place:
Mk. 6:35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late.
They said that this is a remote place. In german it is the word öd which also means bleak. It seems that the disciples could not see that plenty of grass for these lost sheeps or in other words the teachings and word of life Jesus could give this crowd and not only that but he also provided them with the daily needs.

So maybe we could also return to this place full of grass which is maybe considered remoted and bleak by others. And let us lead by the chief sheperd.