Matthew 14:13-21
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 15:29-39
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”
34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.
Matthew 16:5-12
Yeast of the Pharisees
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn't bring any bread.”
8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
I wonder if all the five thousand or four thousand believed that Jesus had done a miracle…The author tells us that the crowd is five thousand men, and four thousand men, besides women and children…So the very large crowds of possible ten thousand or more might not have been able to see Him give thanks and see only the few fish and the small loaves that was delivered to them…It is hard to see one Man in a very large crowd, unless He is on a large stage or something making Him stand higher than everyone else...I am sure word would have gotten to everyone in the crowd, but would they believe than He could do such a miracle…Miracles take faith to believe…And some people have to see the miracle to believe it…
And even seeing the miracle, it is still hard for us to comprehend such a thing...
As the large crowd followed Him, and they were wanting to learn more and more about Him, but it became late in the day…Jesus Disciples thought it best for the crowd to go home, because of the large number being five thousand…It had been a long day and the crowd was getting hungry…The Disciples had little or no food, yet Jesus ask them and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”…
And Jesus was able to feed the five thousand and the four thousand by miracles…And His Disciples would be the ones that would serve the people in this miracle…They were right there in the middle of His miracles and they got to see them first hand and be eyewitnesses to His miracles...Jesus even uses His Disciples to feed the people with only the smallest amount of food…The people could see that His Disciples were His helpers and the ones He wanted to assist Him...
And after these miracles Jesus talks about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees… When they went across the lake, the Disciples forgot to take any bread....“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”...The Disciples discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn't bring any bread.”...They knew there was only a little bread to feed the five and four thousand people...Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?...Do you still not understand?...Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?...Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?...How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread?...But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”...Then they understood that He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees...His Disciples have trouble understanding Him, and they are with Him day and night…But He explains to them about His feeding miracles, which they just observed and He had them even participated in…They were His helpers and His eyewitnesses...It is hard to fathom miracles even when one is right there...Our minds struggle with such things...Jesus tells His Disciples they have little faith…Spiritual understanding of what He has done in any of His miracles and in the feeding miracles takes faith to believe them…Faith in Him…