<P> The first miracle, "Feeding of the 5,000", is reported by all four gospels (Matthew 14: 13 - 21; Mark 6: 31 - 44; Luke 9: 12 - 17; John 6: 1 - 14). </P> <P> The second miracle, the "Feeding of the 4,000", with seven loaves of bread and fish, is reported by Matthew 15: 32 - 39 and Mark 8: 1 - 9, but not by Luke or John . </P> <P> The Feeding of the 5,000 is also known as the "miracle of the five loaves and two fish", because the Gospel of John reports that five barley loaves and two small fish supplied by a boy were used by Jesus to feed a multitude . According to Matthew's gospel, when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been killed, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place . Luke specifies that the place was near Bethsaida . The crowds followed Jesus on foot from the towns . When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick . As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late . Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food ." </P> <P> Jesus said they did not need to go away, and therefore the disciples were to give them something to eat . They said they only had five loaves of bread and two fish, which Jesus asked be brought to him . Jesus directed the people to sit down in groups on the grass . In Mark's Gospel the crowds sat in groups of 50 and 100, and in Luke's Gospel, Jesus' instructions were to seat the crowd in groups of 50, implying that there were 100 such groups . </P>

What is the story of the feeding of the 5000