Jesus feeds the five thousand
John 6:1–71; Mark 6:30–44; Matthew 14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17
Near the Passover, a crowd followed Jesus to a remote place by the Sea of Galilee. From a boy's five barley loaves and two fish he fed about five thousand men, besides women and children, and twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35 (World English Bible)
It is the only miracle, apart from the resurrection, told in all four Gospels. The crowd wanted to make Jesus king by force, but he withdrew to the mountain alone (John 6:15). The next day in the synagogue at Capernaum he told them he was the true bread from heaven, and many of his followers turned away. Peter answered for the Twelve: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
Places
CapernaumSea of GalileeBethsaidaTiberias
Dating notes
Ussher: AD 32, as the Passover was near (John 6:4), the third Passover of the ministry in his reckoning.