Feeding the five thousand

 

St Mark Chapter VI : Verses 30-44

[30] And the apostles coming together unto Jesus, related to him all things that they had done and taught.

[31] And he said to them: Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little. For there were many coming and going: and they had not so much as time to eat. 

[32] And going up into a ship, they went into a desert place apart. 

[33] And they saw them going away, and many knew: and they ran flocking thither on foot from all the cities, and were there before them. 

[34] And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. 

[35] And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him, saying: This is a desert place, and the hour is now past:

[36] Send them away, that going into the next villages and towns, they may buy themselves meat to eat.

[37] And he answering said to them: Give you them to eat. And they said to him: Let us go and buy bread for two hundred pence, and we will give them to eat. 

[38] And he saith to them: How many loaves have you? go and see. And when they knew, they say: Five, and two fishes.

[39] And he commanded them that they should make them all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

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

And they all did eat, and had their fill. J-J Tissot

[41] And when he had taken the five loaves, and the two fishes: looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave to his disciples to set before them: and the two fishes he divided among them all. 

[42] And they all did eat, and had their fill. 

[43] And they took up the leavings, twelve full baskets of fragments, and of the fishes. 

[44] And they that did eat, were five thousand men.

[30] Et convenientes Apostoli ad Jesum, renuntiaverunt ei omnia quae egerant, et docuerant. [31] Et ait illis : Venite seorsum in desertum locum, et requiescite pusillum. Erant enim qui veniebant et redibant multi : et nec spatium manducandi habebant. [32] Et ascendentes in navim, abierunt in desertum locum seorsum. [33] Et viderunt eos abeuntes, et cognoverunt multi : et pedestres de omnibus civitatibus concurrerunt illuc, et praevenerunt eos. [34] Et exiens vidit turbam multam Jesus : et misertus est super eos, quia erant sicut oves non habentes pastorem, et coepit docere multa. [35] Et cum jam hora multa fieret, accesserunt discipuli ejus, dicentes : Desertus est locus hic, et jam hora praeteriit : [36] dimitte illos, ut euntes in proximas villas et vicos, emant sibi cibos, quos manducent. [37] Et respondens ait illis : Date illis vos manducare. Et dixerunt ei : Euntes emamus ducentis denariis panes, et dabimus illis manducare. [38] Et dicit eis : Quot panes habetis? ite, et videte. Et cum cognovissent, dicunt : Quinque, et duos pisces. [39] Et praecepit illis ut accumbere facerent omnes secundum contubernia super viride foenum. [40] Et discubuerunt in partes per centenos et quinquagenos. [41] Et acceptis quinque panibus et duobus pisces, intuens in caelum, benedixit, et fregit panes, et dedit discipulis suis, ut ponerent ante eos : et duos pisces divisit omnibus. [42] Et manducaverunt omnes, et saturati sunt. [43] Et sustulerunt reliquias, fragmentorum duodecim cophinos plenos, et de piscibus. [44] Erant autem qui manducaverunt quinque millia virorum.

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Notes

N.B. — This is the only miracle which is recorded by all the four Evangelists.

30. the apostles. This is the first time St Mark uses the word apostles, and he employs it fittingly since they had just returned from their first mission. They were now truly “ messengers” of Christ. The Twelve, or the disciples, is his usual expression.

    related to him all things, etc. Observe their confidence in their Divine Master. It is good to tell Jesus all things, to carry our joys and sorrows to Him.

    done. The miracles they had worked.

    taught. They gave an account of their preaching.

31. Come apart. Several reasons might be assigned for this retirement.

(1) The Apostles needed rest after their mission.

(2) The murder of St John the Baptist might cause a tumult, for the people esteemed John a great prophet, and Jesus did not wish His disciples to be connected with any rising of the people.

(3) The Pasch was at hand, and our Lord preferred to avoid the pilgrim bands, for there were many coming and going.

(4) Jesus Himself needed rest, since they had not so much as time to eat.

 

Bethsaida (Julias)

32. a desert place apart. Consulting the map of the Sea of Galilee, we see that the distance from Capharnaum to the spot where the Jordan enters the lake is about three miles, and about four miles due north on the opposite side of the river we find Bethsaida (Julias). Hence, while Jesus and His apostles crossed the north-eastern corner, the multitude could easily go round the coast and arrive just before our Lord landed. Bethsaida (Julias), a mere village in a.d. 2, had been enlarged to a city by Herod Philip the Tetrarch. To the south of this city there was a narrow grassy plain, large enough to accommodate the multitude (see Geog. Notes, p. 81).

Bethsaida — (house of fishing). — Two towns in Galilee bear this name —

(1) Bethsaida Julias. This is situated on the river Jordan, north-east of the Sea of Galilee, and about a mile inland. This town was rebuilt by Herod the Tetrarch, and named “ Julias ” in honour of Julia, daughter of the Emperor Augustus (a.d. 2).

(a) Christ fed the five thousand near this place.— vi. 31.

(b) He healed a blind man. — viii. 22.

(2) Bethsaida of Galilee. The site of this city is much disputed ; it was probably on the western coast of the sea of Galilee, south of Capharnaum.

(a) This city was the dwelling-place of Philip, Andrew and Peter, James and John, and perhaps of Thomas.

(b) The disciples sailed for Bethsaida aftei Christ had fed the five thousand. In the middle of the night Jesus walked on the water to rejoin them before they reached the land. — vi. 45.

33. saw them going .... many knew. Those nearest could see the boat starting, others gradually learned that Jesus had departed. 

    ran flocking .... were there before. As the disciples needed rest, we may conclude that they did not hurry across. St John explains why the people assembled in such vast numbers and were so eager to be near Jesus, because they saw the miracles which He did (vi. 2).

34. Jesus going out : of the boat ; then He seems to have led the way up the mountain slope. Jesus therefore went up into a mountain , and there He sat with His disciples (St John vi. 3).

had compassion on them : as He had compassionated them before He sent out the Twelve (St Matt. ix. 36).

    as sheep not having a shepherd. This similitude would easily touch an oriental multitude. A flock without a shepherd would necessarily perish of hunger, or fall a prey to the wild beasts.

    to teach them many things. He ministered first to their spiritual needs. Christian teaching is nourishment for the soul. These many things concerned the Kingdom of God (St Luke ix. 11). The temporal graces of healing and feeding came after.

35. his disciples came to him. This was evidently not the first time the bodily needs of the multitude had been mentioned by our Lord. From the narratives of the four gospels the order of events seem to have been —

(1) Jesus taught many things and healed all who had need of healing.

(2) He questioned Philip, Whence shall we buy bread ? (St John vi. 5). The Apostle answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone may take a little.

(3) Jesus continued His instructions.

(4) At sunset all the disciples asked Him to dismiss the multitude (36).

(5) Jesus told them to supply their needs : Give you them to eat. They acknowledged their inability to provide food.

(6) He inquired, How many loaves have ye? to which St Andrew replied that a boy present had five loaves and two fishes.

    a desert place : uninhabited.

    the hour is now past. When it was evening (St Matt. xiv. 15). As the Jews divided the day there were two evenings. The first began at three o’clock and ended at six, when the second evening set in. This miracle must have happened between three and six o’clock; the hour may refer to the time for taking food, i.e. at sundown.

36. Send, them away. All the Synoptic writers record this request.

meat to eat , — i.e. food in general. St Luke adds that .... they may lodge , and get victuals (ix. 12).

37. Give you them to eat. Our Lord also said, They have no need to go (St. Matt. xiv. 16).

Let us go : rather, shall we go ?

pence. A silver denarius, a Roman coin, the daily wage of a soldier or labourer, worth about 7d. of our money, but having a purchasing value about ten times greater, as money was scarcer in those days.

two hundred pence. Perhaps the Apostles had this sum, or it may have been suggested merely as the minimum required. Two hundred denarii was a standard sum with the Romans, as £100 is with us.

    St Mark alone records the six details following : —

(1) The invitation, Come apart .... and rest a little.

(2) There were many coming and going.

(3) Jesus “ had compassion ” on the spiritual needs of the multitude.

(4) He enquired, How many loaves have ye? go and see.

(5) It was a grassy plain, and therefore spring-time.

(6) The people sat in ranks by hundreds and by fifties.

38. Five. There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves, etc. (St John vi. 9). Barley cakes were the food of the poor.

40. in ranks, etc. Literally “ in parterres or garden beds,” either in hollow rectangular form, having 100 on each of the long sides and 50 on the one shorter side, or else 50 semicircular rows of 100 with intervening spaces, so that the disciples could easily serve the people.

41. when he had taken, etc. Notice Jesus took the loaves, looked up to Heaven, blessed and broke. These expressions recall the institution of the Holy Eucharist, of which this miracle is a type, and consequently a preparation. In their literal significance they show that Jesus as host, blessed the food provided for the guests.

    he divided among them all. We cannot determine how or where the miracle took place. It seems as though the food was multiplied in the hands of our Lord and also in those of His apostles. There appears to have been no creation of fresh loaves or fishes, since Jesus divided the loaves and the two fishes “ among them all .” “ It was a mighty work effected by God, who from one acorn can produce a forest of oaks.”

42. they all did eat. Five thousand, excluding women and children (St Matt. xiv. 21). These would eat apart. Women and children were always spoken of collectively when the Israelites were numbered. In the East, women held, and still hold, a secondary place.

43. twelve full baskets. “ Cophinoi,” small wicker baskets in which, to avoid legal pollution, the Jews carried their food when on a journey. The quantity of fragments over was a standing proof of the miracle.

    Note. — This miracle teaches us to put in practice Christ’s precept, Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you (St Matt. vi. 33). The multitude forgot their bodily wants in their desire to hear Christ, but He remembered and provided for them miraculously. The Catholic Faith is our greatest treasure, and must be preferred even to life itself, for, What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul ? (St Mark viii. 36).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.