Whether called the story of
The Multiplication of the Loaves, or
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand, the meaning is the
same in all four Gospels. Below, please read
the story from the
Book of John.
“After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea
of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large
crowd kept following him, because they saw the
signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up
the mountain and sat down there with his
disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the
Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a
large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to
Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these
people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he
himself knew what he was going to do. Philip
answered him, ‘Six months' wages would not buy
enough bread for each of them to get a little.’
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's
brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has
five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they
among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the
people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of
grass in the place; so they sat down, about five
thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and
when he had given thanks, he distributed them to
those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as
they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told
his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so
that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them
up, and from the fragments of the five barley
loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled
twelve baskets.
(Jn 6:1-13, NRSV)
Other versions can be found in the Books of:
Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17
© Beth Belcher, 2011
Miracles on the Run
For You and Your Child
By Beth Belcher
The Multiplication
of the Loaves
Have you ever been hungry? But
when you ate you weren’t satisfied?
Or have you ever thought you
wanted something, only when you
got it, it wasn’t enough? How about
when you have been selfish towards
someone, or they have been selfish
to you, have you become
disillusioned? Jesus was human and
saw human needs around him. And
though his apostles didn’t understand
at first the power that Jesus had over
nature, they came to see that being
in close union with the Father, and
the faith of the recipients, allowed
Jesus to serve people’s hungry hearts
and tummies when they least
expected it! Look inside for insights
into how we, too, can bring Christ
to our families hearts and feed them
at the same time. Enjoy!
Multiplication of the
Loaves
Jesus and his apostles
tried to go away for a
while to rest, but when
the crowds heard this,
they followed.
Jesus saw the people and his heart went
out to them, and he had compassion for
them. He taught them and cured their
sick.
When evening was approaching, the
apostles told Jesus to ask
the crowd to go home
now, since it was getting
close to dinner time and
there was no where to
get food. Jesus told them
to give the people some
themselves. When the
apostles heard this they told Jesus that all
they had was 5 loaves and 2 fish that a
boy had offered.
Jesus asked them to bring the loaves and
fishes to Him and gave thanks for them.
He broke them and offered them to the
crowd. After everyone had eaten, the
apostles were able to gather twelve
baskets of food left over.
What Does This Story Mean?
*Jesus was a human being who needed to rest
and have quiet time sometimes, just like us.
Children need to understand that quiet time is
necessary to be able to hear God speaking in
their hearts.
*Jesus felt compassion when he saw the crowds
because Jesus loved with his whole heart.
Children love with their hearts, too. They want
to connect heart to heart with their parents,
friends and ultimately with Jesus, like the little
boy who offered the loaves and fishes in the
story.
*Jesus did not forget to thank the Father for His
goodness when he blessed and offered the bread
and fish for the sake of the crowds. We, too,
must remember to give thanks to God for all the
good things He gives us.
*The left over scraps that the apostles collected
remind us of the abundance of God’s goodness.
No matter how small a kindness may seem to
be, we can show this to our kids by pointing out
the goodness of God in our everyday lives.
*Though the crowds had to sit on the grass to
eat in order to be in the presence of Christ, we
have the joy of eating with each other in the
presence of God both at church during Holy
Communion, and in our homes at meal time, in
what Pope John
Paul II called,
the Domestic
Church.