Jesus feeds 5,000 plus women and children

13. As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed by land from many villages. 14. A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15. That evening the disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and it is getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." 16. But Jesus replied, "That isn't necessary--you feed them." 17. "Impossible!" they exclaimed. "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish!" 18. "Bring them here," he said. 19. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. And he took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave some of the bread and fish to each disciple, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21. About five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves, in addition to all the women and children!

30. The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and what they had taught. 31. Then Jesus said, "Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest." There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. 32. They left by boat for a quieter spot. 33. But many people saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and met them as they landed. 34. A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them many things. 35. Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and it is getting late. 36. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy themselves some food." 37. But Jesus said, "You feed them.With what?" they asked. "It would take a small fortune to buy food for all this crowd!" 38. "How much food do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." 39. Then Jesus told the crowd to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40. So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred. 41. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. 42. They all ate as much as they wanted, 43. and they picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44. Five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves!

10. When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. 11. But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. And he welcomed them, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who were ill. 12. Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, "Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this deserted place." 13. But Jesus said, "You feed them.Impossible!" they protested. "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?" 14. For there were about five thousand men there. "Just tell them to sit down on the ground in groups of about fifty each," Jesus replied. 15. So the people all sat down. 16. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and asked God's blessing on the food. Breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples to give to the people. 17. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!

1. After this, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2. And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miracles as he healed the sick. 3. Then Jesus went up into the hills and sat down with his disciples around him. 4. (It was nearly time for the annual Passover celebration.) 5. Jesus soon saw a great crowd of people climbing the hill, looking for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Philip, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" 6. He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7. Philip replied, "It would take a small fortune to feed them!" 8. Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 9. "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" 10. "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus ordered. So all of them--the men alone numbered five thousand--sat down on the grassy slopes. 11. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and passed them out to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate until they were full. 12. "Now gather the leftovers," Jesus told his disciples, "so that nothing is wasted." 13. There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people did not eat! 14. When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!" 15. Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills alone.