The Bible Book

229

See also: The Origin of Prayer 38–39 ■ The Lord’s Prayer 212–13 ■ The Last Supper 236–41 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–71

women 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 a

remote 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 14:16

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