Jesus Traditions: Feeding of a Large Crowd [Robert Kraft: RSV text] The Situation/Setting: Mk 6:30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him Mk 6:31 all that they had done and taught. And he said to Mk 6:31 them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, Mk 6:31 and rest a while." For many were coming and going, Mk 6:32 and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went Mk 6:33 away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Mk 6:33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they Mk 6:33 ran there on foot from all the towns, and got Mk 6:34 there ahead of them. As he went ashore he saw a Mk 6:34 great throng, and he had compassion on them, Mk 6:34 because they were like sheep without a shepherd; Mk 6:35 and he began to teach them many things. And when Mk 6:35 it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, Mk 6:35 "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; Mk 6:36 send them away, to go into the country and Mk 6:36 villages round about and buy themselves something Mk 6:37 to eat." But he answered them, "You give them Mk 6:37 something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we Mk 6:37 go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and Mk 6:38 give it to them to eat?" Mt 14:13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a Mt 14:13 lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on Mt 14:13 foot from the towns. Mt 14:14 As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, Mt 14:14 and healed their sick. Mt 14:15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a Mt 14:15 lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into Mt 14:15 the villages and buy food for themselves." Mt 14:16 Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." Lk 9:10 On their return the apostles told him what they had done. And he took Lk 9:10 them and withdrew apart to a city called Beth-sa'ida. Lk 9:11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him; and he welcomed them and Lk 9:11 spoke to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those who had need of Lk 9:11 healing. Lk 9:12 Now the day began to wear away; and the twelve came and said to him, Lk 9:12 "Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, Lk 9:12 to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a lonely place." Lk 9:13 But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." [[Next, Peter's Confession]] Jn 6: 1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which Jn 6: 1 is the Sea of Tiber'i-as. Jn 6: 2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did Jn 6: 2 on those who were diseased. Jn 6: 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Jn 6: 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Jn 6: 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to Jn 6: 5 him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these Jn 6: 5 people may eat?" Jn 6: 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Jn 6: 7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread Jn 6: 7 for each of them to get a little." Mk 8: 1 In those days, when again a great crowd had Mk 8: 1 gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called Mk 8: 2 his disciples to him, and said to them, "I have Mk 8: 2 compassion on the crowd, because they have been Mk 8: 3 with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; Mk 8: 3 and if I send them away hungry to their homes, Mk 8: 3 they will faint on the way; and some of them have Mk 8: 4 come a long way." And his disciples answered him, Mk 8: 4 "How can one feed these men with bread here in the Mk 8: 5 desert?" Mt 15:29 And Jesus went on from there and passed along the Sea of Galilee. And Mt 15:29 he went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Mt 15:30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, Mt 15:30 the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his feet, Mt 15:30 and he healed them, Mt 15:31 so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the Mt 15:31 maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they Mt 15:31 glorified the God of Israel. Mt 15:32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion Mt 15:32 on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have Mt 15:32 nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they Mt 15:32 faint on the way." Mt 15:33 And the disciples said to him, "Where are we to get bread enough in the Mt 15:33 desert to feed so great a crowd?" The Multiplication of Food: Mk 6:38 And he said to them, "How Mk 6:38 many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they Mk 6:39 had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." Mk 6:39 Then he commanded them all to sit down by Mk 6:40 companies upon the green grass. So they sat down Mk 6:41 in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking Mk 6:41 the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to Mk 6:41 heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and Mk 6:41 gave them to the disciples to set before the Mk 6:41 people; and he divided the two fish among them Mk 6:43 all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they Mk 6:43 took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and Mk 6:44 of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were Mk 6:45 five thousand men. Mt 14:17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." Mt 14:18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." Mt 14:19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the Mt 14:19 five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and Mt 14:19 broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them Mt 14:19 to the crowds. Mt 14:20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets Mt 14:20 full of the broken pieces left over. Mt 14:21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and Mt 14:21 children. Lk 9:13 They said, "We Lk 9:13 have no more than five loaves and two fish -- unless we are to go and buy Lk 9:13 food for all these people." Lk 9:14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Lk 9:14 "Make them sit down in companies, about fifty each." Lk 9:15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. Lk 9:16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and Lk 9:16 blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before Lk 9:16 the crowd. Lk 9:17 And all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over, Lk 9:17 twelve baskets of broken pieces. Jn 6: 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, Jn 6: 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what Jn 6: 9 are they among so many?" Jn 6:10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the Jn 6:10 place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jn 6:11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he Jn 6:11 distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as Jn 6:11 they wanted. Jn 6:12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up Jn 6:12 the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." Jn 6:13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from Jn 6:13 the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. Jn 6:14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is Jn 6:14 indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!" Mk 8: 6 And he asked them, "How many loaves have Mk 8: 6 you?" They said, "Seven." And he commanded the Mk 8: 6 crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the Mk 8: 6 seven loaves, and having given thanks he broke Mk 8: 6 them and gave them to his disciples to set before Mk 8: 7 the people; and they set them before the crowd. Mk 8: 7 And they had a few small fish; and having blessed Mk 8: 7 them, he commanded that these also should be set Mk 8: 8 before them. And they ate, and were satisfied; and Mk 8: 8 they took up the broken pieces left over, seven Mk 8: 9 baskets full. And there were about four thousand Mk 8:10 people. And he sent them away; and immediately he Mk 8:10 got into the boat with his disciples, and went to Mk 8:11 the district of Dalmanu'tha. Mt 15:34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, Mt 15:34 and a few small fish." Mt 15:35 And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, Mt 15:36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke Mt 15:36 them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the Mt 15:36 crowds. Mt 15:37 And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets Mt 15:37 full of the broken pieces left over. Mt 15:38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. Mt 15:39 And sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the Mt 15:39 region of Mag'adan. The Aftermath (Walking on Water): Mk 6:45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the Mk 6:45 boat and go before him to the other side, to Mk 6:46 Beth-sa'ida, while he dismissed the crowd. And Mk 6:46 after he had taken leave of them, he went up on Mk 6:47 the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the Mk 6:47 boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the Mk 6:48 land. And he saw that they were making headway Mk 6:48 painfully, for the wind was against them. And Mk 6:48 about the fourth watch of the night he came to Mk 6:48 them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by Mk 6:49 them, but when they saw him walking on the sea Mk 6:50 they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; for Mk 6:50 they all saw him, and were terrified. But Mk 6:50 immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take Mk 6:51 heart, it is I; have no fear." And he got into the Mk 6:51 boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were Mk 6:52 utterly astounded, for they did not understand Mk 6:53 about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Mk 6:53 And when they had crossed over, they came to Mk 6:54 land at Gennes'aret, and moored to the shore. And Mk 6:54 when they got out of the boat, immediately the Mk 6:55 people recognized him, and ran about the whole Mk 6:55 neighborhood and began to bring sick people on Mk 6:55 their pallets to any place where they heard he Mk 6:56 was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or Mk 6:56 country, they laid the sick in the market places, Mk 6:56 and besought him that they might touch even the Mk 6:56 fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it Mk 7: 1 were made well. Mt 14:22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the Mt 14:22 other side, while he dismissed the crowds. Mt 14:23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by Mt 14:23 himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, Mt 14:24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, Mt 14:24 beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. Mt 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the Mt 14:25 sea. Mt 14:26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, Mt 14:26 saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. Mt 14:27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no Mt 14:27 fear." Mt 14:28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on Mt 14:28 the water." Mt 14:29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water Mt 14:29 and came to Jesus; Mt 14:30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried Mt 14:30 out, "Lord, save me." Mt 14:31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, Mt 14:31 "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" Mt 14:32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Mt 14:33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of Mt 14:33 God." Mt 14:34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. Mt 14:35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all Mt 14:35 that region and brought to him all that were sick, Mt 14:36 and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; Mt 14:36 and as many as touched it were made well. Jn 6:15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to Jn 6:15 make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. Jn 6:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, Jn 6:17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Caper'na-um. It was now Jn 6:17 dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. Jn 6:18 The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. Jn 6:19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking Jn 6:19 on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, Jn 6:20 but he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Jn 6:21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat Jn 6:21 was at the land to which they were going. Jn 6:22 On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea Jn 6:22 saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not Jn 6:22 entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone Jn 6:22 away alone. Jn 6:23 However, boats from Tiber'i-as came near the place where they ate the Jn 6:23 bread after the Lord had given thanks. Jn 6:24 So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, Jn 6:24 they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper'na-um, seeking Jn 6:24 Jesus. Significance of the Bread: Jn 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Jn 6:25 "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jn 6:26 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not Jn 6:26 because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Jn 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which Jn 6:27 endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on Jn 6:27 him has God the Father set his seal." Jn 6:28 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jn 6:29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him Jn 6:29 whom he has sent." Jn 6:30 So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and Jn 6:30 believe you? What work do you perform? Jn 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave Jn 6:31 them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jn 6:32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses Jn 6:32 who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread Jn 6:32 from heaven. Jn 6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives Jn 6:33 life to the world." Jn 6:34 They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always." Jn 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall Jn 6:35 not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. Jn 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Jn 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I Jn 6:37 will not cast out. Jn 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will Jn 6:38 of him who sent me; Jn 6:39 and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of Jn 6:39 all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. Jn 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and Jn 6:40 believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at Jn 6:40 the last day." Jn 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which Jn 6:41 came down from heaven." Jn 6:42 They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and Jn 6:42 mother we know? How does he now say, `I have come down from heaven'?" Jn 6:43 Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. Jn 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I Jn 6:44 will raise him up at the last day. Jn 6:45 It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Jn 6:45 Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Jn 6:46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has Jn 6:46 seen the Father. Jn 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. Jn 6:48 I am the bread of life. Jn 6:49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Jn 6:50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of Jn 6:50 it and not die. Jn 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of Jn 6:51 this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for Jn 6:51 the life of the world is my flesh." Jn 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man Jn 6:52 give us his flesh to eat?" Jn 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Jn 6:53 flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; Jn 6:54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will Jn 6:54 raise him up at the last day. Jn 6:55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Jn 6:56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. Jn 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he Jn 6:57 who eats me will live because of me. Jn 6:58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers Jn 6:58 ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." Jn 6:59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um. Reaction of Disciples: Mk 8:11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with Mk 8:11 him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test Mk 8:12 him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, Mk 8:12 "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I Mk 8:12 say to you, no sign shall be given to this Mk 8:13 generation." And he left them, and getting into Mk 8:14 the boat again he departed to the other side. Mk 8:14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and Mk 8:15 they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And Mk 8:15 he cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of Mk 8:15 the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Mk 8:16 Herod." And they discussed it with one another, Mk 8:17 saying, "We have no bread." And being aware of it, Mk 8:17 Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact Mk 8:17 that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or Mk 8:18 understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes Mk 8:18 do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? Mk 8:19 And do you not remember? When I broke the five Mk 8:19 loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets Mk 8:19 full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said Mk 8:20 to him, "Twelve." "And the seven for the four Mk 8:20 thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces Mk 8:21 did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." Mk 8:22 And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" Mk 8:22 And they came to Beth-sa'ida. And some people Mk 8:22 brought to him a blind man, and begged him to Mk 8:23 touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, Mk 8:23 and led him out of the village; and when he had Mk 8:23 spit on his eyes and laid his hands upon him, he Mk 8:24 asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up Mk 8:24 and said, "I see men; but they look like trees, Mk 8:25 walking." Then again he laid his hands upon his Mk 8:25 eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and Mk 8:26 saw everything clearly. And he sent him away to Mk 8:26 his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village." Mk 8:27 And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the Mk 8:27 villages of Caesare'a Philip'pi; and on the way he Mk 8:28 asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" Mk 8:28 And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others Mk 8:29 say, Eli'jah; and others one of the prophets." And Mk 8:29 he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Mk 8:30 Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he Mk 8:31 charged them to tell no one about him. Mt 16: 1 And the Pharisees and Sad'ducees came, and to test him they asked him Mt 16: 1 to show them a sign from heaven. Mt 16: 2 He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, `It will be fair Mt 16: 2 weather; for the sky is red.' Mt 16: 3 And in the morning, `It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and Mt 16: 3 threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but Mt 16: 3 you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Mt 16: 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall Mt 16: 4 be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed. Mt 16: 5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to Mt 16: 5 bring any bread. Mt 16: 6 Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Mt 16: 6 Pharisees and Sad'ducees." Mt 16: 7 And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." Mt 16: 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O men of little faith, why do you Mt 16: 8 discuss among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Mt 16: 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves of the Mt 16: 9 five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Mt 16:10 Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you Mt 16:10 gathered? Mt 16:11 How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread? Mt 16:11 Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees." Mt 16:12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven Mt 16:12 of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees. Mt 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he Mt 16:13 asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" Mt 16:14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and Mt 16:14 others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Mt 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Mt 16:16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Mt 16:17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and Mt 16:17 blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Mt 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, Mt 16:18 and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. Mt 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you Mt 16:19 bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth Mt 16:19 shall be loosed in heaven." Mt 16:20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Mt 16:20 Christ. Lk 9:18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with Lk 9:18 him; and he asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?" Lk 9:19 And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Eli'jah; and Lk 9:19 others, that one of the old prophets has risen." Lk 9:20 And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter Lk 9:20 answered, "The Christ of God." Lk 9:21 But he charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, Lk 9:22 saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the Lk 9:22 elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third Lk 9:22 day be raised." Jn 6:60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard Jn 6:60 saying; who can listen to it?" Jn 6:61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said Jn 6:61 to them, "Do you take offense at this? Jn 6:62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was Jn 6:62 before? Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words Jn 6:63 that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Jn 6:64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the Jn 6:64 first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would Jn 6:64 betray him. Jn 6:65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless Jn 6:65 it is granted him by the Father." Jn 6:66 After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about Jn 6:66 with him. Jn 6:67 Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Jn 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Jn 6:68 words of eternal life; Jn 6:69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One Jn 6:69 of God." Jn 6:70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you Jn 6:70 is a devil?" Jn 6:71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, Jn 6:71 was to betray him. Jn 7: 1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Jn 7: 1 Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. //end//