“And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?”
The full verse · Mark 8:20 · KJV
the four , how of took ye ? they , .
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, crossing the Sea of Galilee by ship with His disciples after refusing the Pharisees a sign (Mark 8:10-13)
The Scene
Right after the disciples recall the twelve baskets from the five thousand, Jesus asks about the more recent feeding of four thousand earlier in Mark 8 (Mark 8:1-9, 19).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus adds a second witness. The feeding of the four thousand had happened only a short time before, earlier in this same chapter (Mark 8:1-9). Gill has Jesus saying, in effect, "this surely you must remember, it being so recent an action."
The second feeding had begun with almost the same worry. The disciples asked then, "From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?" (Mark 8:4). Jesus had answered by feeding everyone from seven loaves. Now they were reasoning about bread again, so He asks them to recount that day too.
The Response
What Scripture recordsHistorical Context
The world behind the wordsThe basket in this question is a different word from the one in Mark 8:19. Here it is spuris, which Thayer defines as "a reed basket (i.e. a plaited basket, a lunch basket, hamper)." It appears in the New Testament only for the feeding of the four thousand (Matthew 15:37; Matthew 16:10; Mark 8:8; Mark 8:20) and for the basket in which Paul was let down over the wall of Damascus (Acts 9:25). The kophinos is used for the twelve baskets of the five thousand. Mark keeps the words straight even in Jesus' questions.
The four thousand had been with Jesus "three days" with "nothing to eat" (Mark 8:2), and He fed them because He had "compassion on the multitude."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyTwo feedings, two answers, and the same Lord. This question shows that Jesus' care was not a one-time event. He had met the need in Mark 6 and met it again in Mark 8, both times with more than enough.
The pattern also exposes how quickly worry returns. The disciples asked "From whence...?" before the four thousand were fed (Mark 8:4), and they reasoned about bread again soon after (Mark 8:16). Jesus does rebuke them: "have ye your heart yet hardened?" (Mark 8:17). But He does not answer with a new miracle. He walks them back through the old ones, inviting them to put the pieces together.
Look Closer
Why does Jesus ask about the four thousand after asking about the five thousand?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You have met my needs more than once; why do I keep forgetting, and how can I learn to remember You when worry returns?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The disciples worried about bread before and after the feeding of the four thousand. What worries do you find coming back again and again?
- Jesus reminded them of two separate times He provided. Tell about two different times God was faithful to you or someone you know.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
One answered prayer can be dismissed as chance. Two make a pattern. Jesus asked about both feedings so the disciples could see His faithfulness repeated.
It may help to keep a record of God's care: written down, shared with others, or spoken in prayer. When the same worry comes back, you have more than one memory to answer it.
Forgetting does not disqualify you. The disciples forgot, and Jesus rebuked them for it ("do ye not remember?" Mark 8:18), yet He still reminded them.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?”
“How many loaves have ye?”
“From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”
“Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?”