Commentaries on Gospel Events

Return of the Twelve, Feeding of 5,000

Spring A. D. 29

Near Bethsaida

Strange, the return of the twelve is mentioned by Mark and Luke (not of the twelve) but not mentioned by Matthew and John (Who were).  Wouldn't it be of interest how they were received, how long gone, ant converts?  I can only assume their work was underwhelming. 

But Jesus continues to heal, draw large crowds, "spake unto them of the Kingdom of God", and a real eye opener - fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes.

This tops Elijah's miracle in 2 Kings 4:43

2Ki 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

2Ki 4:43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

2Ki 4:44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

Now it becomes clear why Jesus has been shunning vulgar publicity. He knew the people would not accept him as messiah  - suffering servant (Isaiah 40 - 46) but would go only so far as to believe in him as Messiah - King (Isaiah 1 - 39).

He was, in fact, as yet to announce that to even his apostles.  That's coming soon in Mat. 16:13-20.

Mat 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

Mat 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Mat 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Only Peter seems by that time to make that leap of faith.  John doesn't even mention the episode in his Gospel.

However, the peoples' belief in him as King at this time became so great that Jesus feared they would take him by force to make him king.

 

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Mat 14:13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. Mat 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Mat 14:15 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. Mat 14:16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. Mat 14:17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. Mat 14:18 He said, Bring them hither to me. Mat 14:19 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. Mat 14:20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. Mat 14:21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.	Mar 6:30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. Mar 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. Mar 6:32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. Mar 6:33 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. Mar 6:34 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. Mar 6:35 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: Mar 6:36 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. Mar 6:37 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? Mar 6:38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. Mar 6:39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. Mar 6:40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. Mar 6:41 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. Mar 6:42 And they did all eat, and were filled. Mar 6:43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. Mar 6:44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.	Luk 9:10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. Luk 9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. Luk 9:12 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. Luk 9:13 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. Luk 9:14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. Luk 9:15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. Luk 9:16 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. Luk 9:17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.	Joh 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. Joh 6:2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. Joh 6:3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. Joh 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. Joh 6:5 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? Joh 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Joh 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. Joh 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, Joh 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? Joh 6:10 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. Joh 6:11 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. Joh 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Joh 6:13 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. Joh 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.