In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
Mark says that “again” a great crowd is with Jesus, and now they have nothing to eat. Jesus calls his disciples and tells them why he is concerned. His heart is moved “with pity” because the people have stayed with him for three days, and they have reached the point where they have no food left. If he sends them away hungry, he says, they may collapse on the way home, and some have come from a great distance. Mark keeps the focus on Jesus’ compassion and on the practical need in front of him.
The disciples answer with a question that shows the difficulty of the situation: in a “deserted place,” where could anyone get enough bread to satisfy so many people? Jesus does not debate them. He simply asks what they already have. They tell him they have seven loaves.
Jesus then orders the crowd to sit down on the ground. Mark describes Jesus’ actions with the loaves in a simple sequence. Jesus takes the seven loaves, gives thanks, breaks them, and gives them to the disciples so they can distribute them. Mark uses the same sequence of actions later at the Last Supper: Jesus takes bread, says the blessing, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples (Mk 14:22; see also the cup in Mk 14:23). The disciples pass the bread to the crowd, and the crowd eats. Mark then adds that they also have “a few fish.” Jesus says the blessing over them as well, and they distribute those too.
The result is stated plainly. The people eat and are satisfied. Afterward, they collect what is left: seven baskets of fragments. Mark adds that there were about four thousand people. Then Jesus dismisses the crowd, gets into the boat with his disciples, and goes to the region of Dalmanutha, a place not identified with certainty today, apparently on or near the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew’s parallel names the region of Magadan, often associated with Magdala).
This feeding is told with details that echo the earlier feeding in Mark, but Mark also highlights differences: the three days, the seven loaves, and the seven baskets remaining. In the flow of Mark’s Gospel, the setting and the language also fit what has been unfolding as Jesus moves through Gentile regions. Several of your commentaries note that Mark’s wording and the numbers have often been read as pointing beyond Israel alone, toward the widening reach of Jesus’ saving mission. Mark will return to these numbers later when Jesus presses the disciples to remember what they have already seen.
Lord Jesus, you know our needs before we speak. Give us trust to stay close to you, and teach us to receive with gratitude what you provide, and to share it faithfully with others. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Mk 8:1-10.
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, Mark notes, p. 79.
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Mark (7:31-8:16), p. 613, para. 51.
- The Navarre Bible: St. Mark, comment on Mk 8:1-10, p. 190.
- Paulist Biblical Commentary, Mark comment on Mk 8:1-10, p. 996.
- The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, Mark comment on Mk 8:1-10, pp. 1261-1262.
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