Matthew 14:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

NIV: 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.

NASB: And ordering the crowds to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looked up toward heaven. He blessed the food and breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

CSB: Then he commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

NLT: Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.

KJV: And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

NKJV: Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

Jesus has asked His disciples to do something which, for those men, is absolutely impossible (Matthew 14:13–18). He has told the disciples to give the crowds something to eat. The end of the story reveals that the crowd consists of 5,000 men, in addition to women and children—possibly twenty thousand in all (Matthew 14:21). The disciples have located five loaves of coarse bread and two fish (John 6:8–9). The disciples do not lack imagination or sincerity. This is not a task for creative problem solving; it's something Jesus knows full well they cannot do on their own.

However, it's not Jesus' intent that they do this alone. Rather, He has asked them to accomplish something, and the proper response is to give Him all they have. So, Jesus takes the bread and the fish and creates some order. He tells everyone to sit down on the grass. He looks up to heaven, in the direction of God the Father, and says a blessing. Then Jesus breaks the loaves in the customary way of sharing bread and gives the broken pieces to the disciples to distribute to the crowds. The disciples do exactly that—just as instructed, they begin to feed the mass of people.

And, as it turns out, they not only finish feeding the people, they must be careful not to waste the leftovers (Matthew 14:20).

It's not clear from the story exactly where the miracle happens. Does Jesus keep reaching into a bag and pulling out loaves of bread after the first five are gone? Do parts of loaves keep popping into the disciples' baskets as they worked their way through the crowd of thousands of people handing them out? We don't know. All we're told in the following verses is that everyone eats. Everyone ends up full.

Matthew 14:13–21 begins with Jesus and His disciples leaving behind the crowds to escape by boat to desolate place. Instead, they find the crowds waiting there for them. Jesus heals people and eventually tells the disciples to feed everyone. The disciples have no food beyond five loaves and two fish. Jesus miraculously feeds more than 5,000 from that simple meal. Twelve baskets full of leftovers remain after everyone has eaten as much as they want. This miracle is recorded in all the four Gospels (Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–14).

Matthew 14 begins with a backstory about the arrest and execution of John the Baptist by Herod the tetrarch, the Jewish ruler of the region. Jesus and the disciples take a boat to a desolate place only to find crowds waiting. Jesus heals many and then feeds as many as twenty thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Later, the disciples row against a strong wind until Jesus walks on the water to meet them and calm the wind. Peter walks on water briefly and then doubts and begins to sink. The disciples worship Jesus. On the other side of the lake, Jesus continues to heal the sick.

Matthew 13 included more of Jesus' parables and an unfortunate incident where His own hometown rejected His ministry. Chapter 14 begins with news that Herod the tetrarch—the man who killed John the Baptist—is aware of Jesus' fame and power. Jesus and the disciples intend to withdraw to somewhere desolate, but a crowd is waiting for them. Jesus heals people, miraculously feeds thousands, and walks on water. When they reach the other side, Jesus heals more people. Chapter 15 sees Jesus once again debating with His critics and performing more healings.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.