Compassion for the Crowd

Jesus Feeds Four Thousand People · Mark 8

Story guide: Jesus handing bread and fish to disciples who distribute the food across a large seated crowd. This shared image is not a scene-for-scene rendering of Mark 8:1-10.

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1In those days, when again a large crowd was present and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples and says to them,

2I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already remained with me for three days and have nothing to eat.

3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come from far away.

4And his disciples answered him, “From where will anyone be able to satisfy these people with bread here in a desolate place?”

5And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”

6And he instructed the crowd to recline on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves, after giving thanks he broke them and kept giving them to his disciples so that they might set them before the crowd, and they set them before the crowd.

7And they had a few small fish; and after blessing them, he said to set these also before them.

8And they ate and were satisfied, and they picked up seven baskets of leftover pieces.

9There were about four thousand, and he sent them away.

10And immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, he went to the region of Dalmanutha.

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