Mark 6:30–44

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6:32–44pp—Mt 14:13–21; Lk 9:10–17; Jn 6:5–13 6:32–44Ref—Mk 8:2–9

³⁰The apostles^o gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.^{p 31}Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat,^q he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³²So they went away by themselves in a boat^r to a solitary place. ³³But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. ³⁴When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.^s So he began teaching them many things.

³⁵By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. ³⁶Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”^t

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages^e! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

³⁸“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

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

³⁹Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.^v Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.