Parallel Gospels 46 - The Fourth Sign: Feeding 5,000

Matthew 14:13-21Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Feeding 5,000

13 When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. 14 As He stepped ashore,[a] He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.

15 When evening came, the disciples approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late.[b] Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16 “They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them.“You give them something to eat.”

17 “But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to Him.

18 “Bring them here to Me,” He said. 19 Then He commanded the crowds to sit down[c] on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces! 21 Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.

Mark 6:30-44Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Feeding 5,000

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, 33 but many saw them leaving and recognized them. People ran there by land from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.[a] 34 So as He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then He began to teach them many things.

35 When it was already late, His disciples approached Him and said, “This place is a wilderness, and it is already late! 36 Send them away, so they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages to buy themselves something to eat.”

37 “You give them something to eat,” He responded.

They said to Him, “Should we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

38 And He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look.”

When they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”

39 Then He instructed them to have all the people sit down[b] in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in ranks of hundreds and fifties. 41 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giving them to His disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 Everyone ate and was filled. 43 Then they picked up 12 baskets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who ate the loaves were 5,000 men.

Luke 9:10-17Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Feeding 5,000

10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus all that they had done. He took them along and withdrew privately to a[a] town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds found out, they followed Him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured[b] those who needed healing.

12 Late in the day,[c] the Twelve approached and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

13 “You give them something to eat,” He told them.

“We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (For about 5,000 men were there.)

Then He told His disciples, “Have them sit down[d] in groups of about 50 each.” 15 They did so, and had them all sit down. 16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them. He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up[e] 12 baskets of leftover pieces.

John 6:1-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Fourth Sign: Feeding 5,000

6 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing by healing the sick. 3 So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near.5 Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip,“Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?”6 He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.

7 Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.”

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’sbrother, said to Him, 9 “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?”

10 Then Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”

There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 When they were full, He told His disciples,“Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.”13 So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

14 When the people saw the sign[a] He had done, they said, “This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!” 15 Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again[b] to the mountain by Himself.

When:  in Matthew, the prior event talked about was John the baptist's beheading.   John's disciples came and told Jesus, and that is when he went to a remote place to be alone.   He went by boat, and when the boat landed, he saw the crowd. they were in a remote place.

in Mark, it was also after He commissioned the 12 and they came back reporting all the wonders that occurred. And this is after John the baptist was beheaded.   Because of all the people coming to them, they didn't even have time to eat.  He wanted them all to go to a remote place to rest. So they went by boat to a solitary place.  But others knew where he was going and went on foot ahead of him and arrived before he got there.   When Jesus landed, he saw the crowd.  they were in a remote place.

in Luke, Jesus sent out the 12, John had already been beheaded and Herod thought Jesus was John raised from the dead.   After the disciples returned, He and they withdrew to Bethsaida, but the crowds followed.   And Bethsaida is an area across the Sea of Galiliee and it is in a mountainous area.

in John, this was after the healing of the pool of bethesda and Jesus' explanation of doing God's will on the sabbath. Also, he must have left Judea to go to Capernaum, and then went back to Judea for another festival. 

in John, the passover was near.  but the healing at the pool of bethesda also took place at a jewish festival.  What Jewish festival took place just BEFORE PASSOVER.
afterward, he went to the mountain by himself and the disciples got back into the boat to go across the sea to Capernaum.   A heavy storm came and Jesus walked on the water.


Where: a remote place. He went by boat. The disciples called it a wilderness.  there was enough room for 5,000 men, and then their wives and children,  to sit in the grass in ranks of 100s and 50s.

John said that they crossed the sea of galilee to get there.  Then he went up a mountain w/ his disciples.