Twelve Baskets Left Over

Courage in the Storm · Matthew 14

Story guide: Jesus teaches attentive and questioning listeners inside a plain black-basalt synagogue. This shared image is not a scene-for-scene rendering of Matthew 14:13-21.

Open this scene in the reader →

13When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there by boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard, they followed him on foot from the towns.

14And when he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15When evening came, the disciples came to him and said, “The place is deserted, and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16But Jesus said to them, “They have no need to go away; you yourselves give them something to eat.”

17But they said to him, “We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish.”

18But he said, “Bring them here to me.”

19And after ordering the crowds to recline on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed, and after breaking the loaves he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.

20And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the leftover pieces.

21Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Step through the story beside the Scripture itself. About the People’s Open Bible