And he answering said to them: Give you them to eat. And they said to him: Let us go and buy bread for two hundred pence, and we will give them to eat.
ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις δοτε αυτοις υμεις φαγειν και λεγουσιν αυτω απελθοντες αγορασωμεν δηναριων διακοσιων αρτους και δωμεν αυτοις φαγειν
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
The Lord, seeking to test their understanding of His ability to provide for the crowd, instructed them, ‘You are to give them something to eat.’ In response, the disciples, feeling a sense of reproach, pointed out their dire lack of resources alongside the large number of people present, as if He were unaware of the situation. Faced with this challenge, they asked, ‘Should we go and purchase two hundred denarii worth of bread to give them something to eat?’
It is not a complicated matter that John identified the type of bread as barley, while the others did not. Additionally, it is not particularly challenging to comprehend that he did not mention, as Matthew did, that there were five thousand men present, not counting women and children. It should be plainly understood, and is consistently applicable in these scenarios, that one account may exclude details found in another without causing confusion. What poses a greater challenge is illustrating how the events recorded by all the evangelists can be reconciled, even when one account may seem to contradict another at first glance.
For instance, John recounts that the Lord, upon seeing the crowd, posed a question to Philip to test him, asking where they might procure food for the multitude. This raises the question of whether the narratives of the other evangelists can also be considered true. The others are the first to depict the disciples requesting the Lord to dismiss the crowd so that they could find food in nearby towns. However, as Matthew conveys, the Lord replied, "It is not necessary for them to go; you give them something to eat." Mark and Luke align with Matthew’s account, merely omitting the phrase, "It is not necessary for them to go." Therefore, these two perspectives must be understood in reverse order; it is only after the disciples' plea that the Lord looked at the crowd and directed His question to Philip, which is noted by John alone.
Furthermore, Philip’s response to the Lord in John's Gospel is represented by Mark as being given by all the disciples, indicating that Philip spoke on their behalf. The practice of employing the plural instead of the singular must also be factored in. According to John, Philip replied that they could not afford enough bread even for two hundred denarii so that everyone might receive a morsel. This is nearly identical to Mark's version, which asks, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" The Lord’s inquiry recorded in Mark about the quantity of loaves is not noted elsewhere. Similarly, John's description of Andrew mentioning five loaves and two fishes is also attributed to all the disciples in the other Gospel accounts, changing the singular to plural. Luke even combines the remarks of Andrew and Philip into a single answer on behalf of all the disciples. Notably, Luke’s initial statement—"We have no more than five loaves and two fish"—mirrors Andrew's sentiments, while the continuation—"Shall we go and buy food for all these people?"—echoes Philip's question, though it omits the reference to two hundred denarii.
Nevertheless, the latter part could also be linked to other statements made by Andrew, who begins with "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish," only to follow up with the question, "But what is this for such a multitude?" This final inquiry alludes back to the earlier proposition of whether they should seek provisions for the crowd. Thus, we can observe that while the accounts differ, they are entirely consistent in the essence of the events and the substance of the dialogues. From this, we derive a valuable lesson to focus on the intentions of the authors in affirming their messages, whether they pertain to humanity, angels, or the divine. Such intentions can be discerned by evaluating the way in which their words do not contradict one another.
If one perceives humanity as merely a fantasy, then salvation becomes just an illusion. Christ embodies a dual nature: He is man in the physical realm and God in the spiritual realm. He consumed food as a man—just like us—since He shared our physical needs (cf. Heb. 4:15). Yet, as God, He miraculously fed five thousand individuals with only five loaves (Matt. 14:17-21; Lk. 9:14-17; Jn. 6:10-13). He experienced death as a man (Matt. 27:50; Mk. 15:37; Lk. 23:46; Jn. 19:30), but as God, He resurrected a man who had been dead for four days (Jn. 11:39-44). He rested in the boat, demonstrating His humanity (Matt. 8:24; Mk. 4:38; Lk. 8:23), yet as God, He walked upon the water (Matt. 14:25; Mk. 6:48; Jn. 6:19).
He faced temptation in His humanity, yet triumphed in His divinity; we are called to be courageous as those who have vanquished the world. He experienced physical hunger, yet also miraculously nourished thousands, for He is the resurrecting and celestial bread. Though He endured thirst, He also declared that anyone who is thirsty should come to Him and drink, assuring that those who believe in Him would become like flowing springs.
The Lord showed mercy as He took five loaves and two fish, which miraculously nourished five thousand listeners through His abundant grace. The apostles gathered baskets full of leftovers afterward. This act echoed the manna provided in the desert and other miraculous events documented in the Old Testament. Witnessing such a wonder, the crowd acknowledged Him as the prophet foretold by Moses and sought to proclaim Jesus as their king. However, He retreated to the mountain to pray in solitude and instructed His disciples to cross to the other side without Him, leaving the crowd without the realization of their wishes.
Jesus told His disciples, "They should not depart; let them be fed" (Matthew 14:16), and then He ascended a mountain with the apostles, taking a seat there. The multitude followed Him. As He observed the throngs approaching, Jesus sought to test the faith of Philip, one of the apostles, and inquired, "Where can we procure bread to provide for these people?" Philip replied, "There is no way to acquire enough bread for such a number, as it would require nearly two hundred denarii, and even then, each person would receive only a small portion."
However, out of His deep compassion, Christ had already addressed their concerns, and He directly communicated the challenge to Philip. A brief discussion ensued. It would have taken at least two hundred denarii to provide even a small amount of bread for such a great crowd; yet, even if they had possessed such funds in their shared treasury, there was neither the time nor the means to make the necessary purchases. Andrew pointed out that a boy had five barley loaves and two fish, although this meager supply seemed too insignificant to note. “Have them sit down,” Christ responded with tranquility (Matt. 14:13-21, Mk. 6:30-44, Lk. 9:10-17, Jn. 6:1-15).
"Two hundred denarii" signifies a denarius valued at approximately 20 kopecks of silver, resulting in a total of two hundred denarii amounting to about 40 rubles of silver. This modest sum, gathered through offerings and stored in a communal treasury, was likely all that was accessible during that time in the humble and impoverished community of the Lord's followers. Philip expresses his apprehension, questioning whether this money should be spent on bread for the crowd, and he notes that even if all of it were utilized, it would still fall short (cf. Jn. 6:7). He suggests, rather, that the people could go into nearby villages and procure their own sustenance.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 21 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS