The Bible Book

230 FEEDING THE 5,000

His people. From an impossibly

small amount of food, an enormous

crowd is fed. The fact that they

are in such a remote setting shows

the wide reach of God’s love,

suggesting that no matter where

one is, God’s love can still be felt.

Giving thanks to heaven

The sustenance that God provides

can be thought of as both physical

and spiritual. Although the story

focuses on the necessary physical

nourishment the bread provides,

this is also a symbolic gesture of

compassion. Many Christians

interpret this miracle as proof

that if they remain faithful and

grateful to God, He will provide

them with everything they need,

both physically and spiritually.

The 12 baskets of leftover bread

exemplify the endless nature of

God’s love for His people, and

serve as an illustration of why

He deserves their worship.

It is also noteworthy that in

three of the Gospels—Matthew,

Mark, and Luke—Jesus does not

hand the food out Himself; instead,

He gives the bread and fish to the

disciples to distribute to the crowd.

This not only suggests that anybody

can deliver the message of God’s

love, but also teaches the importance

of faith in God. It is implied that

unless the disciples have faith in

Jesus and God, the bread and fish

will run out. It is not simply enough

to ask for something and to be

grateful in receiving it: one must

have total faith that God wants to

and will provide for His people.

Five loaves of bread

Numbers often carry a symbolic

significance in the Bible, and this

miracle is no exception. Not only

are there 12 baskets of leftover food,

recalling the 12 tribes of Israel in

the Old Testament and the 12

disciples in the New Testament.

The five pieces of bread that Jesus

is handed could represent the

Pentateuch of the Torah: Genesis,

Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and

Deuteronomy. Jesus takes these

five loaves and multiplies them into

something more, in the same way

that He takes the Mosaic Law from

the Torah and builds upon it.

This is not the only way in which

the feeding of the 5,000 refers back

to the Old Testament. In John 6,

Jesus explains the miracle of the

multiplication of the loaves with

a sermon that draws direct

parallels between God providing

for the multitudes at Bethsaida

and His provisions for the Israelites

during their time in the wilderness.

Jesus closes this sermon with a

difficult teaching that foreshadows

the Last Supper: “I am the living

bread that came down from heaven.

Whoever eats this bread will live

forever” (6:51).

Feeding the Gentiles

This is not the only miracle recorded

in which Jesus and His disciples

feed the multitudes. Both Matthew

and Mark describe two versions of

what is seemingly the same miracle.

While Matthew 14 tells the story

of the feeding of the 5,000, which

occurs after the death of John the

Bread as a symbol

of life

Bread is mentioned throughout

the Bible. While this was

one of the most important

foods of ancient times, it

also has a symbolic status as

a manifestation of human life

itself. Nowhere is this idea

underlined more thematically

than in the Miracle of the

Five Loaves and Two Fish.

Shortly after performing His

miracle, Jesus states, “I am

the bread of life. Whoever

comes to me will never go

hungry” (John 6:35).

The breaking of loaves of

bread to feed the multitudes

also foreshadows Jesus’s same

action during the last meal He

shares with His disciples. It is

during this event that Jesus

establishes that the bread

and His flesh are one and the

same, at least symbolically.

As well as providing the

people with sustenance, bread

also represents a connection

to Jesus. Its multiplication and

distribution in this miracle

shows Jesus’s desire to satisfy

the people’s hunger, and also

to spread the word of God.

Bakers check the quality of the

matza bread at a handmade matza

factory in Kfar Chabad, Israel.

The Lord Almighty will

prepare a feast of rich

food for all peoples.

Isaiah 25:6

US_228-231_Feeding_the_5000.indd 230 25/09/17 11:20 am

THE GOSPELS 231

Feeding of

the 4,000

Feeding of

the 5,000

Featured in

Matthew/Mark

Five loaves and

two fish

Featured in

Luke/John

Location

The people

being fed

Number of loaves/

fish before miracle

Remaining food

after miracle

Twelve baskets’ worth

Jews

Bethsaida

Yes

Yes

Seven loaves and

several fish

Seven baskets’ worth

Gentiles

Near the Decapolis,

in the Gerasenes

No

Yes

Jesus as the king

of the Jews

Since the prophet Isaiah, the

Jewish people had waited for

a king from the line of David

to deliver them from their

enemies and preside over an

era of economic prosperity

and international influence.

Throughout His ministry,

Jesus, a descendant of David,

proves Himself to be this very

savior. He preaches the word

of God to the multitudes, heals

the sick, and provides them

with food. Not concerned

with earthly kingdoms, Jesus

performs acts that show Him

to be divine, leading many

who hear Him to accept Him

as the promised Messiah. The

crowds that gather to listen to

Him speak are testament to

His growing support among

both Jews and Gentiles.

Jesus’s following, of course,

eventually becomes so great

that enemies of His decide

that He poses too much of a

threat. As Jesus undergoes

questioning at His trial, it is

no wonder that Pilate refers to

Him as the “king of the Jews,”

a title that also appears on the

cross on which He is crucified.

Baptist, Matthew 15 goes on to

describe Jesus and the disciples

feeding a crowd in a region of the

Gerasenes, near the Decapolis, a

cluster of ten allied cities east of

the Sea of Galilee. The narrative is

similar to that in Matthew 14, except

for two key details: the numbers and

the type of people who were fed.

Some Bible scholars have

questioned why the Gospel writers

would include two such similar

miracles so close together in their

accounts of Jesus’s life. However,

both the numbers cited and the

audiences are important. While

the crowd at Bethsaida was

predominantly Jewish, scholars

suggest that those gathered in the

“feeding of the 4,000” were more

likely to be Gentiles. This feeding

of the multitudes, therefore, was

proof that God would provide for

all people, Jews and Gentiles.

Doubting disciples

It is notable that when Jesus tells

His disciples in the Gerasenes that

He plans to feed the multitude, they

express doubts. They ask Him

“where could we get enough bread

in this remote place to feed such

a crowd?” (Matthew 15:33). They

either do not quite believe He will

work in this “remote place” or they

have forgotten how Jesus recently

performed this very miracle for the

5,000 gathered at Bethsaida. Some

scholars have taken this skepticism

to show that the disciples are, at

this point, still learning: they do not

yet possess an unwavering faith

in the power of God to do what,

to humans, seems impossible. ■

I [the Lord] will bless

[Israel] with abundant

provisions; her poor I

will satisfy with food.

Psalms 132:13–15

US_228-231_Feeding_the_5000.indd 231 13/10/2017 12:22