“When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Mark 8:19-21 ESV
Through the Bible: Matthew 15, Mark 7
Unlike the feeding of the five thousand, which appears in all four Gospels, the feeding of the four thousand is found only in Matthew and Mark. And just to make sure no one would later claim these were the same event, Mark records Jesus’ own recap conversation with the disciples (Mark 8:17–21).
Since Jesus’ time on earth was limited, and since the Gospels don’t record everything He did (see John 21:25), it’s worth asking why both miracles were included. What’s the difference between five thousand and four thousand? (Yes, yes—besides one thousand. There’s always a class clown somewhere.) I think the difference is twofold: location and symbolism.
Location, Location, Location
In Matthew 14, Jesus crosses to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. By 15:21, He’s in the region of Tyre and Sidon, where He heals the Canaanite woman’s daughter. In general, when the Gospels mention Jesus crossing the sea, He’s moving between the Jewish and Gentile sides.
Since Jews and Gentiles wouldn’t even eat together, it makes sense that Jesus would perform a similar miracle for each group—showing that both were invited to experience His provision.
Symbolism
Numbers matter in these stories. This isn’t gematria or numerology—like the “Bible Code” theories that turn every verse into a secret message—but it does reflect how deeply the Jews valued certain numbers and their symbolic meaning.
In fact, Jesus quizzes His disciples about them in Mark 8:17–21. Let’s review:
On the Jewish side, there were five thousand people fed with five loaves of bread and two fish.
So why would the Gospel writer emphasize five, five, and two?
- There are five books of the Law–Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (five loaves).
- There were Ten Commandments on two stone tablets. Add five (thousand) people plus five loaves and you get ten.
- Finally, after everyone ate and had their fill, twelve baskets were left over. How many tribes of Israel? Yep. Twelve.
On the Gentile side, four thousand were fed with seven loaves and “a few small fish.” Seven baskets were left over. Seven often represents completeness—creation in seven days, the fullness of God’s work. It’s a number that speaks of wholeness and universality. So seven loaves and seven baskets remind us that Jesus came for all creation—Jews and Gentiles alike.
The Point
First, every word of God’s Word matters. Praise God for the perfection and precision of Scripture.
Second, every person God made matters. Jew and Gentile. Rich and poor. Near and far. All of us, from every tribe and tongue and nation, are welcome at the Lord’s table.
The Fifth Loaf
Speaking of the Lord’s table, take another look at the picture of the mosaic I posted at the top of this article. When I was in Israel, our guide pointed out a fascinating detail that has puzzled people for centuries. Do you see it?
In the basket, there are only four loaves of bread, not five. Why does the mosaic not match up with the text?
- One possibility is that the artist (probably an Egyptian) simply didn’t know the details of the story.
- Another possibility is that the mosaic sits underneath the altar, and it was intended that the fifth loaf would sit on the altar.
But there’s a third option.
Jesus Himself, the Bread of Life (see John 6:35), is the fifth loaf. And without Him, the numbers don’t add up. None of the symbolic numbers we talked about work without that fifth loaf. It takes Jesus, whose body was broken for us, to make the mosaic complete.
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