Luke 9:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

NIV: They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

NASB: And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.

CSB: Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

NLT: They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

KJV: And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

NKJV: So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

After teaching and healing a crowd that might have numbered fifteen thousand (Matthew 14:21), Jesus has fed them all with five loaves of bread and two fish (Luke 9:13). This echoed His promise from the Sermon on the Plain: "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied" (Luke 6:21).

Scholars argue over whether the twelve baskets represent the twelve tribes, the twelve disciples, or nothing in particular. Not every detail in Scripture is meant to have a deeper, hidden meaning. That said, if they represent the tribes of Israel, the whole feeding probably shadows God's provision of manna for the Israelites in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses (Exodus 16). Jesus' miracle resulted in leftover bread and fish (Mark 6:43). The manna was enough for each day, and any leftovers the people tried to keep went bad, except on the day before Sabbath when the provision was meant for that day and the Sabbath day.

Moses had told the Israelites, "The Lᴏʀᴅ your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus feeding the crowd is reminiscent of Moses (Exodus 16), Elijah (1 Kings 17:8–16), and Elisha (2 Kings 4:42–44). The belief that Jesus is a great prophet in the vein of the Old Testament grows to the point that the people want to make Him king (John 6:15).

From here, we know that Jesus withdraws into the wilderness, then walks on the water of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 6:45–52). Luke, however, touches on a few short teachings about discipleship and Jesus' future, then goes straight to the transfiguration. After another handful of discipleship instructions, Jesus mentally prepares for His journey to Jerusalem and the cross.

Luke 9:10–17 records Jesus feeding the five thousand, one of the last public events before Jesus "set[s] His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). With just five loaves and two fish, Jesus sates multiple thousands of men, plus women and children. Further, there are twelve full baskets left over. This is one of the few miracles found in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:31–44; John 6:1–13). Next, Jesus will challenge the Twelve to a deeper, more committed discipleship in preparation for their journey to Jerusalem and Jesus' path to the cross.

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.