Loaves and Fishes Stories

Copyright © 2001 Joseph F. Alward

The table below compares fifty-four features of the five feeding stories. Mark has six possible inconsistencies (highlighted in red) in his story of the five thousand; Luke has four or five, and Matthew has three. With exception of the possible problem in Line 26, no two authors show the same inconsistency; this points to the existence of a single unflawed source modified independently by all three authors. I call this source S to distinguish it from the hypothetical Q source. I further conjecture that the Matthew, Mark, and Luke "authors" may have been students practicing their Greek composition by changing words, and reordering and restructuring sentences in the source. Ample precedent for this practice is described well in Dennis R. MacDonald's book, The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark, (Yale University Press, 2000).

1	Matthew 14:12-21 Feeding the Five Thousand	Mark 6:30-44 Feeding the Five Thousand	Luke 9:10-17 Feeding the Five Thousand	Matthew 15:30-39 Feeding the Four Thousand	Mark 7:31, 8:1-9 Feeding the Four Thousand
2	12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it;
3	and they went and told Jesus.	30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.	10a On their return the apostles told him what they had done.
4		31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
5	Matthew 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart.	Mark 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Need for "leisure," not fear of Herod, drove them to seek "lonely place."	Luke	Matthew	Mark
6			10b And he took them and withdrew apart to a city called Beth-sa'ida. See 12b: A city is not a "lonely place."
7	But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. The crowds "heard" what?	33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them.	11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him
8	Matthew 14 As he went ashore he saw a great throng;	Mark 34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng,	Luke	Matthew	Mark
9					31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decap'olis…
10				30 And great crowds came to him	1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered
11					and they had nothing to eat,
12	Matthew	Mark	Luke	Matthew 32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said,	Mark he called his disciples to him, and said to them,
13	and he had compassion on them,	and he had compassion on them,		"I have compassion on the crowd,	2 "I have compassion on the crowd,
14		because		because	because
15		they were like sheep without a shepherd;
16				they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat;	they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat;
17			and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God,
18	Matthew	Mark and he began to teach them many things.	Luke	Matthew	Mark
19	and healed their sick.		and cured those who had need of healing
20	15 When it was evening,	35 And when it grew late,	12 Now the day began to wear away;
21	the disciples came to him and said,	his disciples came to him and said,	and the twelve came and said to him,
22	"This is a lonely place,	"This is a lonely place,
23	and the day is now over;	and the hour is now late
24	send the crowds away to go into the villages	36 send them away, to go into the country and villages round about	"Send the crowd away, to go into the villages and country round about, They were in a city. See 9:10b.
25			to lodge
26	Matthew and buy food for themselves." Day is over, but reference to lodging is omitted.	Mark and buy themselves something to eat." Day is over, but reference to lodging is omitted.	Luke and get provisions;	Matthew	Mark
27			for we are here in a lonely place." This contradicts 9:10b
28	16 Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."	37 But he answered them, "You give them something to eat."	13 But he said to them, "You give them something to eat."
29				and I am unwilling to send them away hungry,	3 and if I send them away hungry
30					to their homes,
31	Matthew	Mark	Luke	Matthew lest they faint on the way." On their way where?	Mark they will faint on the way;
32					and some of them have come a long way.
33				33 And the disciples said to him, "Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd?"	4 And his disciples answered him, "How can one feed these men with bread here in the desert?" No earlier reference to a "desert."
34	17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish."		They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish	34 And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."
35	Matthew	Mark And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?"	Luke --unless we are to go and buy food for all these people."	Matthew	Mark
36		38 And he said to them, "How many loaves have you?			5 And he asked them, "How many loaves have you?"
37		Go and see." And when they had found out, The disciples had to look in the boat to see if they had enough to feed five thousand people?
38		they said, "Five, and two fish."			They said, "Seven."
39	18 And he said, "Bring them here to me."
40	Matthew	Mark	Luke 14 For there were about five thousand men.	Matthew	Mark
41	19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down	39 Then he commanded them all to sit down	And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down	35 And commanding the crowd to sit down	6 And he commanded the crowd to sit down
42		by companies	in companies,
43	on the grass;	upon the green grass.		on the ground,	on the ground;
44		40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.	about fifty each." 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. Repetitive.
45	and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed,	41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed,	16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed	36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks	and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks
46	Matthew and broke and gave the loaves	Mark and broke the loaves, and gave them	Luke and broke them, and gave He "broke" the fish, too?	Matthew he broke them He "broke" the fish, too?	Mark he broke them
47	to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds	to the disciples to set before the people;	them to the disciples to set before the crowd.	and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.	and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.
48	What happened to the fish?	and he divided the two fish among them all. Why weren't fish blessed?			7 And they had a few small fish; and having blessed them, he commanded that these also should be set before them.
49	20 And they all ate and were satisfied.	42 And they all ate and were satisfied	17 And all ate and were satisfied.	37 And they all ate and were satisfied;	8 And they ate, and were satisfied;
50	Matthew And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.	Mark 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.	Luke And they took up what was left over, twelve baskets of broken pieces.	Matthew and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.	Mark and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
51	21 And those who ate were about five thousand	44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand Nobody ate fish?		38 Those who ate were four thousand	9 And there were about four thousand
52	men,	men.		men,	"men" (Mark 8:4)
53	besides women and children.	There were no women or children?		besides women and children.	There were no women or children?
54					people.