“He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.”
How many loaves do you have? he asked. Go and see. When they found out, they said, five — and two fish — the inventory is taken at Jesus' request: go and find out what is actually available. The disciples expected none; they find five loaves and two fish — a meal for one person, perhaps two. The inventory of available resources (minimal) against the size of the need (enormous) is the standard setting for miraculous provision in Scripture: the widow's jar of oil (2 Kings 4), Elisha's twenty loaves for a hundred men (2 Kings 4:42–44), the manna in the wilderness. God's provision characteristically begins with what is already in hand.
Church Fathers on Mark 6:38
The Lord, placing before them, first, what is most profitable, that is, the food of the word of God, afterwards also gave the multitude food for their bodies; in beginning to relate which, the Evangelist say, 'And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto Him, and said, This is a desert place.
The time being far spent, points out that it was evening. Wherefore Luke says, 'But the day had begun to decline.'
This in the Gospel of John is the answer to Philip, but Mark gives it as the answer of the disciples, wishing it to be understood that Philip made this answer as a mouthpiece of the others; although he might put the plural number for the singular, as is usual.
Read all 13 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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