228
T
he feeding of the 5,000—
also known as the Miracle
of the Five Loaves and Two
Fish—is one of the most celebrated
moments in the Bible. In fact, it
is the only miracle, other than the
resurrection, to appear in all four of
the Gospels, which underlines its
significance. God’s compassion
and limitless ability to satisfy both
physical and spiritual hunger are
shown here at their greatest.
Although this miracle is most
often referred to as “the feeding of
the 5,000,” the number of people
present could have been far greater.
Matthew 14:21 estimates the
number of men alone at “about five
thousand,” and goes on to say thatIN BRIEF
PA S SAGE
Matthew 14:13–21
Mark 6:31– 44
Luke 9:12–17
John 6:1–14THEME
God satisfies material
and spiritual hungerSETTING
c. 27–29 ce Bethsaida.KEY FIGURES
Jesus The Messiah and Son
of God during the height of
His ministry in Galilee.The 12 disciples Jesus’s
chosen followers, who help
Him to heal the sick and
feed the multitude.The crowd Mainly Jewish
residents of the settlements
near the town of Bethsaida.AND TAKING
THE FIVE LOAVES,
AND THE TWO
FISH, HE LOOKED
UP TO HEAVEN
LUKE 9:16, FEEDING THE 5,000
US_228-231_Feeding_the_5000.indd 228 25/09/17 11:20 am
229
See also: The Origin of Prayer 38–39 ■ The Lord’s Prayer 212–13 ■ The Last Supper 236–41 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71women and children were there,
too. Some Bible scholars believe
there may have been as many as
20,000 people fed in total.Jesus seeks solitude
According to Luke’s Gospel, upon
hearing that John the Baptist has
been killed, Jesus withdraws to aremote place near the town of
Bethsaida, likely located on the
River Jordan just north of the Sea
of Galilee. However, the crowds
find out where He is, and they leave
their towns and villages to follow
Him there. Despite His desire for
solitude, when Jesus sees the large
crowd of people gathering around
Him, He feels compassion for
them. He speaks to them about
the kingdom of God and begins
to heal those who are sick.Feeding the multitude
Late in the afternoon, all 12 of the
disciples approach Him, and remind
Him of their remote location. They
suggest that He send the people
away to the surrounding settlements
so they can find food and lodging
for the night. Jesus instead tells His
disciples to give the hungry people
something to eat where they stand.THE GOSPELS
The Feeding of the Five Thousand is
depicted by Flemish Renaissance artist
Joachim Patinir. The painting, from the
Monasterio de El Escorial, Spain, has
the Sea of Galilee in the background.The disciples explain that this is
impossible, as they only have five
loaves of bread and two fish with
which to feed the thousands.
Jesus instructs the disciples to
make the crowd sit down in groups
of about 50 people. He takes the
loaves and fish, looks up to heaven,
and gives thanks. He then breaks
the loaves and fish into pieces and
hands them to the disciples, who
then feed everyone at the gathering
until they are all satisfied. There are
even 12 basketfuls of broken bread
left over at the end of the meal.
The miracle that Jesus has just
performed is symbolic of God’s
endless love and compassion for ❯❯They do not need to
go away. You give them
something to eat.
Matthew 14:16US_228-231_Feeding_the_5000.indd 229 12/10/2017 17:33