2.3.3 Jesus’ Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish and the Feeding of 5,000 (vv. 1–15472)
The stories of the feeding in the Gospels are identical in construction and content (cf. Mark 6:32–44; Matthew 14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15 and Mark 8:1–10; Matthew 15:32–39 – the second story in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew only differ in the setting of the dialogues, the task of Jesus’ disciples, and the number of the loaves):
| Topic | John 6 | Mark 6 | Matthew 14 | Luke 9 |
| “5,000 men” | v. 10d | v. 44 | v. 21 | -/- |
| “5 loaves and 2 fish” | vv. 9b, 13b | vv. 38, 41 | vv. 17, 19 | v. 13 |
| “12 wicker baskets full” | v. 13 | v. 43 | v. 20 | v. 17 |
Further the texts in the Gospels correspond with the story of the multiplication by the prophet Elisha (cf. 2 Kings 4:42–44473):
| Topics | 2 Kings 4:42–44 | John 6:1–15 |
| - The number of the loaves | v. 42c: “21 ripe grain” | v. 9b: “5 loaves and 2 fish” |
| - The order to feed the hungry men through servants or His disciples | v. 5 | |
| - Their intervention | v. 42d–e | v. 7/Mark 6:37c–d |
| - The number of people | v. 43b | v. 10d2: “about 5.000” |
| - They gave them the loaf | v. 43b: “100 men” | v. 11c–d |
| - The eating by the men | v. 44a | v. 11e–12a, 13c |
| - The fragments of the loaves | v. 44a–b | v. 13b: “12 wicker baskets full” |
- The Setting (vv. 1–4)
Who: Jesus, the crowds (vv. 2a, 5, 22, 24), His disciples (vv. 3, 8, 12b, 16, 22, 24, 60, 61, 66), Philip (vv. 5, 7), Andrew (v. 8), the boy (v. 9)
Where: Sea of Galilee/Tiberias (v. 1a), mountainside (v. 3a)
When: “near the Passover” (v. 4)
v. 1: After the typical Johannine phrase “after this”474 the Evangelist names the place of the feeding of 5,000 with the help of an “itinerary”475 “the far shore of the Sea of Galilee” (cf. vv. 16–19, 22, 25) also called “Sea of Tiberias” (cf. v. 23 and John 21:1). The traditional site of the feeding of the loaves and fish is Tabgha. The name Tabgha is a distortion of the Greek word “Heptapegon”, that means “Seven Springs”. In the past, seven springs met at this point and flowed into the “Sea of Galilee”.
v. 2: Because of His healings (cf. 4:46; 5:3, 7) as “miraculous sign” (cf. v. 2b–c and 2:18, 23; 4:45 – note also the critical view in v. 26 and in 4:48; 12:37) – the Fourth Evangelist relates seven “signs” (cf. 2:1–11; 4:43–54; 5:1–18; 6:1–15, 16–21; 9:1–7/41; 11:1–44) in the so-called “Book of signs” (cf. 1:19–12:50) – the “crowd” “followed”476 Him. He, the “Good Shepherd” (cf. 10:4–5, 27), was their “light … in darkness” (8:12).
v. 3: On the one hand Jesus and His disciples, who “went up” the hillside (in Greek “óros” in vv. 3a, 15d and in Mark 6:46; Matthew 5:1; 14:23; Luke 6:12), are at the centre of this scene. The disciples “sat down” around Jesus as their rabbi and Master.
v. 4: On the other hand take note of the time: “the Passover” (in Greek “Páscha” in John 2:13, 23 [in Jerusalem]; 11:55 [in Jerusalem]; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14 – note in the ritual context of the bread the Law according to Leviticus 23:11–15477), “the Jewish Feast” (cf. John 2:13; 5:1; 7:2, 10), “was … near” (cf. 2:13; 7:2; 11:55).
- The Crisis/Problem because of the Hungry People (vv. 5–9478)
+ The Dialogue between Jesus and Philip (vv. 5–7)
v. 5: Because of His “seeing” (in Greek “theáomaɩ”) the “large crowd”, Jesus asked: “Where shall we” (cf. Numbers 11:13 [LXX] “buy bread479 that (these) /may/ eat ( )?” He asked Philip because they were about twelve kilometres respectively nine miles away (cf. John 1:44) from Bethsaida a town where one could buy (cf. 4:8) a great amount of bread.
v. 6: According to a remark by the Evangelist, Jesus, the donor/giver of wine (cf. 2:8–9) and the giver of the living water (cf. 4:11480), wanted to “test” (in Greek “peɩrázo” in v. 6b and in 8:6) especially “Philip”481 (in Greek “Phílɩppos”) to see his reaction and his idea/crisis management. This introduces a dialogue between Him and Philip (cf. vv. 5–7) and afterwards with Andrew (cf. vv. 8–9) in terms of crisis management.
v. 7: The problem/crisis is analysed: Bread is scarce. Usually the problem is solved by “buying bread for this crowd” (v. 5e–f) of people so that they would have enough pieces of bread to be satisfied. Philip started assessing the probable cost and calculated more than “200 denarii”482 (cf. John 12:5 and Matthew 20:1–16) – that was eight months’ salary. The financial result was/is: It was more a logistic and less a financial challenge to do it483.
+ The Dialogue between Andrew and Jesus (vv. 8–9)
v. 8: The Galilean fisherman “Andrew”484 from Capernaum (cf. Mark 1:29) or from Bethsaida (cf. John 1:44), “the brother of Simon Peter” (cf. 1:40), was pragmatic and suggested an alternative.
v. 9: A “boy” (respectively a “slave” – in Greek “paɩdárɩon”485) brought what all that he had: “five” (small) barley “loaves” (vv. 9b, 11a, 13b) and “two” small (dried486) “fish”487 (cf. vv. 9b, 11d and 21:9–10, 13). The comment is like Philip’s statement in verse 5e–f: “a drop in the ocean” in the sense of a losing venture/undertaking – that is not enough for these people. He will take what little they have and turn it into a great, wonderful feeding of “5,000” (v. 10d2 and Mark 6:44; Matthew 14:21) men.
- Jesus’ Crisis Management (vv. 10–11)
+ Jesus’ Order (v. 10)
Five loaves for “5,000” men (1 : 1000 = 1‰), not counting the women and