An Atheistic Bible Study Of The Gospels The Feeding Of The 5000

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One of the best known miracles in the New Testament, and one of the few covered by all four Gospels but their versions differ quite a bit. Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus tries to get away from the vast multitudes following him and travels by boat to a remote place to be by himself at least for a short time, but the multitudes locate him and pour in on him in great numbers. Jesus is moved by their commitment to following him and tarts healing the sick among the crowd. As darkness I beginning, the Apostles advise Jesus to end the crowds away to get food for themselves from traders in nearby villages. Jesus tells the apostles to feed everyone with the food they have. The Apostles point out that they have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus suggests they distribute the food anyway which they do, and somehow there is enough to feed everyone present, leaving twelve baskets of left-overs. Matthew adds that there were 5,000 men and that he hasn’t included women and children in the count, implying that there could be 10,000 people present for Jesus to feed. Jesus is in a remote location, yet also close to several villages. Though he goes to the remote place by boat, the multitude easily find it on foot. The numbers attending the event could be greatly exaggerated, there could be extra concealed fish and bread (especially as night is falling). The Apostles (art least some of them) are fishermen by trade. The fish could be huge (Whale hark are gigantic) and the bread might also be big, or everyone served got extremely small portions. Mark 6:30-44 Jesus does not leave the multitude entirely alone but invites the Apostle to accompany him. The Apostles offer to pay for food for the congregated multitude but Jesus declines that idea in favour of the more miraculous fast-food delivery. Jesus has the multitude sit on the grass, in groups of fifty and a hundred. Luke 9:10-17 Luke describes the route by which Jesus retreated from the crowd, sailing the Sea Of Galilea at a stretch known as the Sea Of Tiberius. He retreats to a place close to Bethseda. John 6:1-14 After crossing the Sea Of Tiberius, Jesu climb a mountain undescribed by the other three evangelists. As the multitude climb towards him and the accompanying Apostles, Jesus talk to Philip (the other Gospels don’t name any of the Apostles present for this event). Jesus asks Philip how much money they have. He is testing Philip, John tells us, as he already knows how things are about to play out. Philip points out that they have just 200 Denarii, which can’t possibly pay for enough bread for everyone. Here Jesus is working out the logistics of feeding everyone a soon as he sees the multitude. The other Gospels all claim that he only considered feeding anyone later in the day as darkness fell. Andrew identifies a young man in the crowd carrying five barley loaves and two small fish (the first description of the actual bread and food). Jesus takes the bread of the young man (whether or not he pays for it is unstated), and the miracle is performed just as stated by the other Gospels. John alone adds that the multitude is aware of the miracle they have just benefited from, and adds that they now see Jesus as a great prophet coming to save them. Arthur Chappell