All four evangelists narrate Jesus’ multiplication of bread and fish. Although the details in their versions vary, the miracle points to the common picture of Jesus as Good Shepherd, whose heart goes out to the hungry crowds.

Initially, he speaks about God’s Kingdom to the crowd at great length, then decides to address their physical hunger. His compassion toward the people is a stark contrast to the attitude of his disciples, the Twelve, who have wanted to dismiss the crowd.

To the Twelve, the crowd is intruding in the privacy of their exclusive group. Returning from their successful mission, the disciples are invited by Jesus to go away by themselves to rest for a while. But the vast crowd keeps on coming, and these people are hungry after listening to Jesus at great length. The disciples tell Jesus to dismiss them.

Jesus takes this high-tension moment to serve as an opportunity to impart valuable teaching to the Twelve to be patient and considerate to the needy crowd. He also invites them to be directly involved in his mission by handing him loaves of bread and fish and instructing them to have the people sit down in groups.

Jesus shows them that small resources could go a long way if taken and brought to Jesus’ hands. He demonstrates to the Twelve that the proclamation of the Word must be connected with their engagement in other people’s lives, especially those who are needy and helpless. His invitation should also resound to us: “Give them some food yourselves” (v 37).

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late.

Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy 200 days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?”

He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.

Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.