PER169

The multiplication of the loaves for the 5,000 people

The multiplication of the loaves for 5,000 men is a miracle attested by all four evangelists, set near Bethsaida in April AD 32. With only five loaves and two fish, Jesus feeds an immense crowd, illustrating his divine power and his shepherd's compassion, and foreshadowing the Eucharist. The twelve baskets left over 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

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Biblical 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 AD 32

Location: Near

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

Method: We follow John

Note on the method: The four authors recall this event

Bethsaida map

John, but also Matthew, Mark and Luke, are going to describe an extraordinary event that clearly left its mark 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 great numbers. The Messiah Jesus then teaches the crowd, and time passes until the day begins to decline. The apostles suggest sending the crowd away so that everyone can go home to find food. It is stated that there are about 5,000 men, not counting women and children.

According to Mark, the disciples reckon that 200 silver coins would be needed to buy enough bread to feed the whole crowd. This situation highlights a major difficulty that exceeds their financial resources, thus illustrating the limitations inherent in the human condition.

However, the Messiah Jesus said to his apostles: “You give them something to eat.” Andrew then points out a detail to inform the Master that the solution is far from found: they have only five loaves and two fish.

The four texts are consistent and present no difficulty.

The Messiah Jesus knew that he was about to perform a great miracle. Let us now compare the four texts:

Matthew 14.13-21

Context:

  • Jesus withdraws by boat to a desolate place after learning of the death of John the Baptist.
  • A great crowd follows him on foot.

Action:

  • Jesus heals the sick among the crowd.
  • His disciples tell him that it is late and ask him to send the crowd away so that they can go and buy food.
  • Jesus asks them to give the crowd something to eat themselves.
  • They have five loaves and two fish.
  • Jesus blesses and breaks the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men, not counting women and children, are fed.
  • Twelve baskets full of pieces are left over.

Mark 6.30-44

Context:

  • The disciples tell Jesus everything they had done and taught.
  • Jesus invites them to rest in a desolate place.
  • A great crowd follows them.

Action:

  • Jesus has compassion on the crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
  • He begins to teach them many things.
  • It is late and the disciples suggest sending the crowd away so that they can buy food.
  • Jesus asks them to give the crowd something to eat themselves.
  • They have five loaves and two fish.
  • Jesus blesses and breaks the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men are fed.
  • Twelve baskets full of pieces are left over.

Luke 9.10-17

Context:

  • The disciples report to Jesus what they had done.
  • Jesus takes them aside and withdraws to a desolate place near .
  • The crowd follows him.

Action:

  • Jesus welcomes the crowd, speaks to them about the kingdom of God and heals the sick.
  • The day begins to wane and the disciples ask Jesus to send the crowd away so that they can find food and lodging.
  • Jesus asks them to give the crowd something to eat themselves.
  • They have five loaves and two fish.
  • Jesus blesses and breaks the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men are fed.
  • Twelve baskets full of pieces are left over.

John 6.1-14

Context:

  • Jesus withdraws to the other side of the (or Sea of Tiberias).
  • A great crowd follows him because of the miracles he had performed on the sick.

Action:

  • Jesus goes up on the mountain and sits down with his disciples.
  • The Passover, the feast of the Jews, is near.
  • Jesus tests Philip by asking him where to buy bread to feed the crowd.
  • Philip answers that a great deal of money would be needed to buy enough bread.
  • Andrew points out a boy with five barley loaves and two fish.
  • Jesus blesses and breaks the loaves and the fish.
  • About 5,000 men are fed.
  • Twelve baskets full of pieces are left over.
  • The crowd, impressed, wants to make Jesus their king.

Common Points:

Context of the Withdrawal :

The Messiah Jesus withdraws with his disciples to a desolate place after performing miracles or after being informed of the death of John the Baptist.

Great Crowd :

A great crowd follows Jesus and his disciples on foot.

Compassion of the Messiah Jesus:

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

Miraculous Meal :

The disciples suggest sending the crowd away to buy food.

The Messiah Jesus asks them to feed the crowd themselves.

There are five loaves and two fish available.

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

About 5,000 men are fed, and twelve baskets full of pieces are left over.

Differing Points:

Gospel of John :

    • Testing of Philip: Jesus tests Philip by asking him where to buy bread.
    • Identification of the Boy: Andrew points out a boy with the five loaves and the two fish.
    • Going Up the Mountain: Jesus goes up on the mountain and sits down with his disciples.
    • Reaction of the Crowd: The crowd wants to make Jesus their king after the miracle.

Gospel of Mark and of Luke:

    • Teaching: Mark mentions that Jesus teaches the crowd before feeding them.
    • Location: Luke specifies that the event takes place near .

These accounts, while presenting some variations in the details, all converge on the fundamental elements of the event and convey a message of abundance and divine compassion. They show the power of the Messiah Jesus to feed a great crowd with limited resources and reveal his deep compassion for the physical and spiritual needs of the crowd.

We can also consider another message, to the apostles, which would be the following: keep faith in every circumstance, for I have the power to meet all your needs. There is a second account of the by the Messiah Jesus, reported in Matthew 15.32-39 and Mark 8.1-10. These two events must not be confused, because Jesus explicitly refers to them in Matthew 16.9-10 and Mark 8.19-20.

We note that everyone remembered the number of baskets of food left over after the crowd had been fed. In other words, the Organizer abundantly met the needs, leaving surpluses of food that were not wasted. It is likely that these surpluses were distributed to needy families.