Jesus feeds two crowds
Of the well over thirty scriptural records of Christ Jesus’ healings, his feeding of a crowd of five thousand is the sole “miracle” story (apart from the resurrection) that appears in all four Gospels. All of the Gospels agree on the quantities involved: five thousand men, five loaves, two fish, and 12 baskets of leftover food. (Matthew also indicates an unknown number of women and children, increasing the company fed substantially; see 14:14–21.)
A second account, of feeding more than four thousand (see 15:32–38), is so similar that the two have sometimes been considered versions of the same event. In Mark 8:19–21, however, the Master refers to the records as separate. And the two stories differ in such small details as the number of loaves and baskets—as well as in the major distinction between their settings. While the first takes place in Jewish territory, the second happens in the Gentile area of the Decapolis (see 7:31). Some sources believe the second narrative—including the Eucharistic breaking and sharing of bread—to represent Jesus’ Gentile outreach.
Whatever the details and setting, Jesus decisively illustrates divine abundance, available to supply even the most acute human need. God’s nurturing nature is described this way by Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of The Church of Christ, Scientist: “Spirit duly feeds and clothes every object, as it appears in the line of spiritual creation, thus tenderly expressing the fatherhood and motherhood of God” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 507).
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
