I've usually heard this passage explained as a sweet, bubble gum reflection on how Jesus values children. But this story is reporting on the intense energy of a nearly violent mob. Passover reminded the Jews, who were harshly dominated by the occupying Romans, of when their God delivered his people from the oppression of Egypt into a land of their own. So the roads were filled with revolutionary hope, and these pilgrims were eager to find a Messiah to lead them into battle. And now, they've met a prophet who can feed his troops in the wilderness. To their eyes, Jesus looks like a new Moses. Every time there's a forecast of ice or snow, the city of Atlanta gets into a frenzy—grocery stores are emptied of milk, bread, and eggs. If we lost power for a week, sometimes I wonder if we wouldn't rally behind anyone who promised to get us food. Jesus and his small group of disciples are surrounded by a crowd of fifteen thousand men, women, and children, hungry for food and even hungrier for hope. They're feeling the hot breath, armpit stink, and shoulders pressing against them. It's the claustrophobic energy of a crowd that has decided Jesus will lead them to freedom. They were willing to die to put Jesus on the throne. But Jesus knew his coronation would take place on a cross. They wanted a king who conquers. But he came to be a king who dies. Jesus fed the crowd because he loved them. But even more so, his love is why he had to withdraw when they asked him to lead a violent revolution.