Mt 14:13-21
13When Jesus heard of [the death of John the Baptist], he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. 14When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. 15When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16[Jesus] said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” 17But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” 18Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” 19and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. 21Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.
Meal in a Deserted Place: Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand is contrasted to the banquet of Herod the tetrarch (Mt 14:3-12). The banquet in Herod’s palace is characterized by pomp, pleasure, and scheming. It ends with the murder of John the Baptist. Jesus’ meal with the crowd takes place in a “deserted place,” a reminder of the wilderness where God fed the Israelites with the manna. His guests are ordinary folks with their sick.
When people then ate in public, they were separated in two groups: men and young men in one place, and women, girls, and boys in another. The evangelist mentions only the first group: if women and children were counted the number would be astounding.
Matthew mentions five loaves and two fish. John (6:9) specifies barley loaves, and it is plausible that Jesus multiplied barley bread, the ordinary food of peasants. Since the crowd gathered close to Lake Galilee, fish would be available, either broiled or processed.
Scientifically minded, rationalist people who are skeptical about miracles may say that the “miracle” that Jesus performed was his success in persuading the people to share their personal provisions. Seeing Jesus’ care for the crowd, the people suddenly felt generous. However laudable “sharing” may be, this is not the point of Matthew who pictures Jesus as the source of bread, like God who fed the Israelites in the desert. Moreover, in the story the disciples see that the people do not have provisions, and so suggest to Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they can buy food. But Jesus replies that there is no need for them to go away. He himself will feed the people.