Mark's Gospel recounts a familiar miracle of Jesus, the multiplication of loaves and fish to feed a multitude. Yet, the familiar leads us to something new, something yet to come, beyond our imagination.

Based on the context of this pericope and the other previous accounts of Jesus' ministry in Mark, there is a suggestion that this crowd of people are Gentiles. They have been with Jesus for three days - literally a "retreat" from the life they had led previously had - in both significant senses of the word. Jesus' mission initially focused on the Jewish people. Now, it seems like his mission and message have expanded to include the Gentiles.

If Jesus did not have a compelling message, the Gentiles - or Jews, for that matter - would not have gathered in such numbers for so long, hungry or otherwise.

Did the people gather there expecting a miraculous meal? Did Jesus' fame galvanise their expectations? Perhaps. They risked their lives to travel far and stay with Jesus for some time without the resources to take the journey back.

In other words, they crossed a threshold in their lives; they made a commitment and did not look back on it, a sacrifice that Jesus recognised, but not his Apostles.