TEXT [Commentary]

9. Jesus feeds four thousand (8:1-10; cf. Matt 15:32-39)

1 About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”

4 His disciples replied, “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?”

5 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”

“Seven loaves,” they replied.

6 So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. 7 A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them.

8 They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. 9 There were about 4,000 men in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. 10 Immediately after this, he got into a boat with his disciples and crossed over to the region of Dalmanutha.

NOTES

8:2 I feel sorry for these people. This note of compassion for the hungry crowds that had been with Jesus for three days opens this miracle account. Mark often notes Jesus’ compassion (e.g., 1:41; 6:34).

8:4 How are we supposed to find enough food? The disciples responded in this way when Jesus said that the crowd was too tired to be sent home for food. Despite the earlier feeding of the 5,000 (6:35-44), the disciples were incredulous about how they could feed such a large group. For a defense that this event is distinct from Mark 6 and is not a doublet of the same event, see France (2002:306-307). Presumably, Jesus was still in the Decapolis region, so this was probably a Gentile crowd. If so, Jesus’ divine provision extended beyond Israel.

8:5 Seven loaves. This compares to the five loaves and two fish of the earlier feeding. If there is symbolism in the number, it is no longer clear (Guelich 1989:405; cf. Marcus 2000:488-489, who says it simply suggests fullness).

8:6 took . . . broke . . . gave . . . distributed. The description almost matches the earlier miracle, with three differences: (1) There is no mention here of Jesus’ looking up to heaven; (2) Jesus gave thanks instead of a blessing; and (3) there is no mention of dividing the crowd up into groups.

8:7 A few small fish. Unlike the earlier account, the fish are noted almost as an afterthought. However, their presence shows that the passage does not intend Eucharistic symbolism.

8:8 as much as they wanted. There was more than enough, as the seven baskets full of leftovers show. In the earlier miracle, there were twelve baskets left over, though Mark uses a different term for basket here (spuris [TG4711, ZG5083] versus the earlier kophinos [TG2894, ZG3186]—see note on 6:43). Such baskets could be large enough to hold a person (Acts 9:25), although some were only the size of a lunch pail. While the distinct term may suggest smaller baskets, these were probably of the larger sort.

8:9 4,000 people. There were 5,000 men at the earlier feeding miracle (6:44). Here the entire crowd was 4,000 people.

8:10 Dalmanutha. This is the best reading among variants of the verse, as most of the major uncial MSS ( A B C L 0274) have it. Dalmanutha is unknown today, but the parallel in Matt 15:39 reads “Magadan,” while variants for Mark read “Mageda” (Dc) or “Magdala” (Θ). Lane suggests that this is an alternate name for Magdala (Lane 1974:275). Others have placed the event in the Gerasa region (Taylor [1966:361] mentions Eusebius and Jerome for this view, while suggesting that the locale was near Tiberias and that the obscure name shows that the tradition was primitive).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The second feeding miracle continues the theme of Jesus’ special activity in light of Isaiah 35. God supplying manna to the Israelites is the Old Testament parallel to Jesus providing food for people in the wilderness. Jesus was demonstrating that a new era of God’s deliverance had come, a period that fulfilled Isaiah 35. In this case, Gentiles were the beneficiaries.

Jesus’ work replicated what he had done elsewhere and underscored his ability to provide for life through his disciples. The miracle also replicated what God had done in the wilderness for the nation of Israel during the Exodus, so this act had multifaceted significance. This miracle sequence makes the impending rejection even harder to understand. Mark’s point is that only people with closed eyes and hearts could fail to appreciate that Jesus was working by the power of God.