What was the story of Jesus feeding 5000?

Question

Wiki User · Answer

The message is found by reading all the miracles and other discourses in verses 6:33-8:21 of Mark's Gospel, where these passages were first written in the New Testament. Not only do they contain the story of Jesus feeding 5000, but a surprisingly similar story of him feeding 4000, as well as other miracles and discourses with a repeated theme related to food and a minor theme of not understanding:

Jesus and the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat, so they went into a desert place
Feeding the 5000
When Jesus walked on water the disciples were amazed, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves
Pharisees complain about the disciples eating with unwashed hands
Discourse - what goes into a man goes into his belly and does not defile
Greek woman metaphorically begs for crumbs from the table
Feeding the 4000
Disciples are hungry and have only one loaf of bread
Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and they reason, "It is because we have no bread," showing they do not understand
Summary by Jesus of the two feasts

It is by no means a coincidence that two such similar miracles are reported in such close proximity, along with so many other references or allusions to food. They in turn form one part of a pair in the framework parallel structure of Mark, with the Last Supper as the matching event (a parallel structure is a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first):A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

The purpose of a parallel structure in ancient literature was to link two events by association and thereby create emphasis or develop a theme that was not otherwise apparent. By verse 8:21, the reader is asking, "Why don't they understand?" Later, at the Last Supper (chapter 14, the matching event R'), the reader understands, but knows that the disciples do not. This is the real meaning.

Wiki User · Answer

In this story, Jesus and the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat, so Jesus said to go into a desert place. The people saw him going and ran after, so Jesus taught them many things. When the day was nearly spent, the disciples said to send the people away so that they could buy food. Instead, Jesus commanded that they sit down, and then broke five fishes and two loaves so as to miraculously feed the entire multitude. There is also a story of Jesus feeding 4000 people soon afterwards and in remarkably similar circumstances.

In Mark's Gospel, these accounts form part of a contiguous set of miracle stories that include a total of ten references or allusions to food (Mark 6:33-8:21 ), with a minor theme of not understanding:

Jesus and the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat, so they went into a desert place
Feeding the 5000
When Jesus walked on water the disciples were amazed, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves
Pharisees complain about the disciples eating with unwashed hands
Discourse - what goes into a man goes into his belly and does not defile
Greek woman metaphorically begs for crumbs from the table
Feeding the 4000
Disciples are hungry and have only one loaf of bread
Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and they reason, "It is because we have no bread," showing they do not understand
Summary by Jesus of the two feasts

These in turn form one part of a pair in the framework parallel structure of Mark, with the Last Supper as the matching event (a parallel structure is a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first):A . John explains the coming of Jesus(Mark 1:1-8)