Perhaps the most remarkable thing that occured in the miracle of  Jesus feeding the 5000, is that Jesus saw the real need of the people - They were like sheep without a shepherd.  They needed a shepherd.  This great compassion motivated Christ to tell his disciples something very interesting when the crowd became hungry.  Jesus told his disciples "You give them something to eat".  Christ intended his disciples and the crowd following him to learn something about the Great Shepherd that day,  not simply eat a miraculously provided meal.