The five loaves and two fishes seemed to be absurd for such a multitude. But what was it not in the hands of Jesus?

  But He does another thing. He commands that they should sit down by companies upon the green grass, and they sat down in ranks by hundreds and fifties. The Lord is not unmindful of outward order and decorum in His arrangements. He was about to work a stupendous miracle, and He arranges the people carefully, bringing before their eyes the conviction of what here was in Him for the need of man. He was really there, the promised One, that was to feed His poor with bread. Where were they that they had never thought of Him, that they did not count upon such love as this for a still greater want than the bread that perishes for the body? But it was the Lord acting from His own goodness, and in no respect even according to the mind of a disciple. The multitude was unprepared for the work; but the disciples were just as blind. They no more expected what was coming than the multitude. Our being believers is no proof at all we shall have faith for any particular exigency before us. Present dependence upon God is necessary to give us a just thought of the Lord’s ways; otherwise we may be as foolish as if we had no faith at all; and we shall be sure to be so, if we do not measure the difficulties by Jesus. Bring Him in and the difficulty is at an end. 

An Exposition of the Gospel of Mark - William Kelly