Feeding of the five thousand

The most sensational miracle of Jesus is the abundant feasting of a huge gathering with five loaves and two fishes. We are informed that men alone numbered 5000 and there were women and children besides, altogether estimated to number some 15000 heads.

We have seen from Luke 9:10 that the feast was given at the identical Bethsaida. But Mark disproves this when writing that they went to Bethsaida after the feeding. Luke even lacks consistency. He says at 9:10 that the miracle was performed “at a city called Bethsaida.” But at 9:12 Luke describes the selfsame site as “a lonely place.” Luke 9:16-17 goes on: “Then taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke them up and began to give them to the disciples to set before the crowd. So they all ate and were satisfied and the surplus that they had was taken up, twelve baskets of fragments.”

Jesus did not multiply the loaves and fishes. He only broke them up into tiny bits. There were only fragments in the surplus that was gathered, not whole loaves and fishes. However, it is impossible to divide five loaves and two fishes and still get enough fragments to fill twelve baskets. Good that the size of the baskets is not mentioned! Besides, how can the writer be sure that Jesus looked up to heaven? All he can write is that Jesus looked up.