Jesus Feeds 5000 Men
(Mt 14:15-23, Mk 6:35-46, Lk 9:12-17, and Jn 6:5-16)
And the day began to decline, and the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place." But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" And they said to Him, "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?" Jesus therefore lifting up His eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?" And this He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little." And He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" And He said, "Bring them here to Me." And He said to His disciples, "Have them recline to eat in groups of about fifty each." And they did so, and had them all recline. Now there was much grass in the place. And they reclined in companies of hundreds and of fifties. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost." And they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. And there were about five thousand men who ate, aside from women and children. When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, immediately made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away. And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.A. Five thousand men. The total number of people that Jesus fed that day could easily have been in excess of 20,000.
B. Bethsaida. A town near Capernaum which was the home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.
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