Mark 6:30-44

The Voice

³⁰ Now the twelve returned from their travels and told Him what they had done, whom they had seen, and how they had spread the news of God’s kingdom.

The crowds gathered as always, and Jesus and the twelve couldn’t eat because so many people came and went. ³² They could get no peace until they boarded a boat and sailed toward a deserted place.

³³ But the people would not be put off so easily. Those along the shore who recognized Jesus followed along the coast. People pushed out of all the cities and gathered ahead of Him ³⁴ so that when Jesus came ashore and saw this crowd of people waiting for Him in a place that should have been relatively deserted, He was moved with compassion. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

He began to teach them many things ³⁵ as the day passed; at last the disciples came to Jesus.

And so the disciples gathered the people in groups of 100 or of 50, and they sat down.

⁴¹ Jesus took the five pieces of flatbread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, thanked God for the food, and broke it. He gave the pieces to the disciples to distribute, ⁴² and all of the people ate until no one was hungry. ⁴³ Then they gathered twelve baskets full of leftovers.

⁴⁴ That day, 5,000 men ate their fill of the bread when Jesus fed the hungry crowd.