Mark 6:42

And they all ate, and were filled. And they took up broken pieces, twelve basketfuls, and also of the fishes. And they that ate the loaves were five thousand men.

We have already noted that each of the sacred writers added significant elements to make up the composite picture of what there took place. Unique to Matthew is the mention of Jesus' healing the sick, his command that the loaves and fishes be brought to himself, and his mention of the women and children. Unique to Mark is the mention of "green grass." Luke related how Jesus' command for the multitudes to sit down was relayed through the apostles; and John has a vast amount of detail not found in the synoptics.

This great miracle, recorded in all four gospels, claims in that fact alone a tremendous weight of importance, ranking along with the resurrection of Christ itself as one of the most important events in the New Testament. The miracle, as independently recorded in the gospels, is such a deed as to require its attribution to supernatural power. It was motivated by the loving compassion of Jesus who pitied the shepherdless multitude. It precipitated a public effort to make Jesus king by force. It had overtones regarding the "bread of life" as recounted in John. It was connected in Luke with the great confession by the apostle Peter of "the Christ of God." It was the culmination of the great Galilean ministry. It is the type of wonder no charlatan could fake. It spoke eloquently of Jesus as "that prophet" like unto Moses who had fed the children of Israel in the wilderness with the bread that God gave. In this mighty deed, Christ's popularity reached its zenith; and the decline of it followed his refusal to allow the people to "use" him and his power to feed a rebellious army against Rome. Great as the wonder of the bread really was, it was but a shadow of the greater wonder of Christ himself who is the true bread that came down from God out of heaven. See this writer's exegesis on this miracle in the Commentary on Matthew and the Commentary on John.