Feeding of the four thousand
Picture of the Bible
What the Bible tells us Matthew 15 v 32-48
A crowd of people had been following Jesus as he went about teaching and healing. There were 4000 men and many women and children too.
They had stayed with him for three days. Jesus was going to sail away in a boat and he was feeling sorry for the people.
He told the disciples that the people had no food and he did not want to send them away without feeding them. He was afraid that he would be so hungry that they might faint. The disciples asked where they could find enough food in the desert to feed so many people.
Jesus asked the disciples how much food they had and they told him that they had 7 loaves and a few small fish. Jesus asked the people to sit down. He gave thanks to God for the food and then he broke it up. The disciples gave it to the people. There was enough to feed all the people. There was some left over and this was enough to fill 7 baskets.
The story This is a made-up story but it is based on the true Bible story.
This is a story about 2 children: a boy called David and a girl called Rachel. One day they were out playing when they saw a crowd of people. They went to have a look and saw that there was a man talking to the people. At first they could not see very much but a man in the crowd moved back and said, "You move up to the front because I think you should see this." The children moved forwards and so that a man was being carried on a bed
The bed was a thick rug. The man looked thin and ill. "I know him," someone whispered. "He is paralysed and he cannot move his hands or his feet." Jesus looked at him and said, "Your sins are forgiven. Pick up your bed and go home." The man go to his feet, rolled up his rug and went home.
When the children got home Rachel said, "We saw the most amazing man today. He spoke to a paralysed man and told him to get up and carry his bed. "What happened then,"asked her father. David said,"He got to hs feet, rolled up his rug and walked home. "
"I have heard about him ," said the children's mother. "He is called Jesus and he can do the most wonderful things. People say that he has come to tell us about God." "I hope that we can see him again ," said Rachel .
"I would like to see him too ," said their father. We can all go out tomorrow and see if we can find him." The family set out together and they found Jesus. There was a crowd of people around him In the crowd the children recognised their aunt and uncle and their two cousins.
Picture of Jesus
Jesus began speaking. He began telling the people about God. He told them he had come to help those people who had done wrong things. He said that God was a God of love. Sometimes people came to Jesus because they were ill and they watched as Jesus did miracles and helped these sick people to get better.
Everyone wanted to hear what Jesus was saying and see what he was doing but Jesus did not stay in one place. He walked from village to village. The people followed him. They walked and walked and walked. They slept on the ground at night and then went on the next day.
They were so interested that they even forgot about food.
After 3 days they came to the Sea of Galillee and they saw that Jesus was going to get into a boat and sail across to the other side.
Then they began to feel very hungry. I need something to eat," said David. "And I am very hungry too," said Rachel. Picture of loaves and fishes
"Well I don't know where we can buy food," said his mother. "This is a desert and there are no village and no shops here."
Jesus asked his disciples how much food they had. "Seven loaves and a few small fish," they replied."
"Look," said the children's father. "Jesus disciples have some bread and fish."
"But there is not enough to feed this crowd. "said their mother, "Even if it were all shared out there would not even be a crumb for each of us.
Jesus took the bread and the fishes. He gave thanks to God and then he began breaking it up. He gave the pieces of food to his disciples and they began handing it to the people.
Then the children noticed something which was amazing. As Jesus was breaking up the food, the amount that he had in his hands did not get any less . He went on and on, breaking up the bread and the disciples kept on handing it out. When the children got the bread and fish they found that there was plenty for them to eat and they did not feel hungry any more.
When everyone had finished eating, there were lots of scraps left over. The disciples gathered up the scraps and there were enough to fill 7 baskets. After this Jesus got into the boat and sailed away. The children and their parents always remembered this miracle. When the children were older they began to think more about what Jesus had said, and this became very important to them.
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