PER169

The multiplication of the loaves for the 5,000 people

The feeding of the 5,000 is a miracle attested to by all four evangelists, which took place near Bethsaida in April of the year 32. With only five loaves and two fish, Jesus fed a vast crowd, demonstrating his divine power and his shepherd’s compassion, and foreshadowing the Eucharist. The twelve remaining baskets symbolize the abundance of the Kingdom of God.

12 min multiplication of the loaves miracle of Jesus 5,000 people Bethsaida synopsis 12 verses 4 books

See also

See also:

Bible texts

Matthew
Matthew 14.15-21 (King James Version)

And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

He said, Bring them hither to me.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
Mark
Mark 6.33-44 (King James Version)

And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:

Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.

He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.

And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

And they did all eat, and were filled.

And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.

And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
Luke
Luke 9.12-17 (King James Version)

And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.

But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.

And they did so, and made them all sit down.

Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
John
John 6.5-13 (King James Version)

When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Technical details

Year 32 AD

Location: Near

Date: April 32. Passover will be on Monday, April 12, 32

Procedure: We follow Jean

Note on the procedure: The four authors recall this event

Map of Bethsaida

John, as well as Matthew, Mark, and Luke, will describe an extraordinary event that clearly left a lasting impression on their lives.

The multiplication of the loaves for the 5,000 people

The multiplication of the loaves

Matthew 14.13-21

After a period of rest (PER167), the crowd begins to arrive and gather in large numbers. The Messiah Jesus then teaches the crowd, and time passes until the day begins to draw to a close. The apostles suggest sending the crowd away so that everyone can go home to eat. It is noted that there are about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.

According to Mark, the disciples estimate that it would take 200 pieces of silver to buy enough bread to feed the entire crowd. This situation highlights a major challenge that exceeds their financial resources, thus illustrating the inherent limitations of the human condition.

However, Jesus the Messiah said to his apostles, “Give them something to eat yourselves.” Andrew then pointed out a detail to let the Master know that a solution was far from being found: they had only five loaves of bread and two fish.

The four texts are consistent and present no difficulties.

Jesus, the Messiah, knew that he was about to perform a great miracle. Let's now compare the four passages:

Matthew 14.13-21

Background:

  • Jesus withdrew by boat to a deserted place after learning of John the Baptist's death.
  • A large crowd is following him on foot.

Action:

  • Jesus heals the sick among the crowd.
  • His disciples told him it was late and asked him to send the crowd away so they could go buy something to eat.
  • Jesus asks them to feed the crowd themselves.
  • They have five loaves of bread and two fish.
  • Jesus blessed and broke the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men, not counting women and children, are being fed.
  • There are twelve baskets full of pieces left.

Mark 6.30-44

Background:

  • The disciples told Jesus everything they had done and taught.
  • Jesus invites them to rest in a deserted place.
  • A large crowd is following them.

Action:

  • Jesus had compassion on the crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
  • He's starting to teach them a lot of things.
  • It was late, and the disciples suggested sending the crowd away so they could buy something to eat.
  • Jesus asks them to feed the crowd themselves.
  • They have five loaves of bread and two fish.
  • Jesus blessed and broke the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men are being fed.
  • There are twelve baskets full of pieces left.

Luke 9.10-17

Background:

  • The disciples told Jesus what they had done.
  • Jesus took them aside and went to a deserted place near .
  • The crowd follows him.

Action:

  • Jesus welcomes the crowd, speaks to them about the kingdom of God, and heals the sick.
  • As evening began to fall, the disciples asked Jesus to send the crowd away so they could find food and lodging.
  • Jesus asks them to feed the crowd themselves.
  • They have five loaves of bread and two fish.
  • Jesus blessed and broke the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men are being fed.
  • There are twelve baskets full of pieces left.

John 6.1-14

Background:

  • Jesus withdrew to the other side of the (or Sea of Tiberias).
  • A large crowd followed him because of the miracles he had performed on the sick.

Action:

  • Jesus went up the mountain and sat down with his disciples.
  • Passover, the Jewish holiday, is coming up.
  • Jesus tests Philip by asking him where to buy bread to feed the crowd.
  • Philippe replies that it would take a lot of money to buy enough bread.
  • André points out a boy with five barley loaves and two fish.
  • Jesus blessed and broke the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men are being fed.
  • There are twelve baskets full of pieces left.
  • The crowd, impressed, wants to make Jesus their king.

Similarities:

Background on the Withdrawal :

Jesus, the Messiah, withdrew with his disciples to a deserted place after performing miracles or upon learning of the death of John the Baptist.

Large Crowd :

A large crowd follows Jesus and his disciples on foot.

The Compassion of Jesus the Messiah:

Jesus, the Messiah, shows compassion by healing the sick and teaching the crowd.

Miracle Meal :

The disciples suggest sending the crowd away so they can buy something to eat.

Jesus, the Messiah, asks them to feed the crowd themselves.

There are five loaves of bread and two fish available.

Jesus, the Messiah, blesses the loaves and the fish, breaks them, and distributes them.

About 5,000 men have been fed, and there are still twelve baskets full of leftovers.

Points of Disagreement:

Gospel of John :

    • Philip's Test: Jesus tests Philip by asking him where to buy bread.
    • Identifying the Boy: André points out a boy with the five loaves and two fish.
    • The Ascension to the Mountain: Jesus goes up the mountain and sits down with his disciples.
    • Reaction of the Crowd: After the miracle, the crowd wants to make Jesus their king.

The Gospels of Mark and Luke:

    • Teaching: Marc mentions that Jesus teaches the crowd before feeding them.
    • Location: Luc notes that the event is taking place near .

Although these accounts vary somewhat in their details, they all agree on the fundamental elements of the event and convey a message of abundance and divine compassion. They demonstrate the power of Jesus the Messiah to feed a large crowd with limited resources and reveal his deep compassion for the crowd’s physical and spiritual needs.

We can also consider another message, addressed to the apostles, which would be as follows: Keep the faith in all circumstances, for I have the power to meet all your needs. There is a second account of this by the Messiah Jesus, recorded in and Matthew 15.32-39 Mark 8.1-10. These two events should not be confused, for Jesus explicitly refers to them in and Matthew 16.9-10 Mark 8.19-20.

We note that everyone remembered the number of food baskets left over after the crowd had been fed. In other words, the organizer more than met the needs, leaving a surplus of food that was not wasted. It is likely that this surplus was distributed to families in need.