Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 8:5
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
5. And he asked them, How manyloaves have ye? And they said, SevenIt was important in thiscase, as in the former, that the precise number of the loaves shouldbe brought out. Thus also does the distinctness of the two miraclesappear.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he asked them, how many loaves have ye?….
[See comments on Mt 15:34];
and they said, seven. Matthew adds, “and a few little fishes”, which are here afterwards mentioned.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) ”And He asked them,” (kai erota autous) ”And He quizzed them,” He inquired of them, of His faithless and fainthearted disciples of Mar 8:4.
2) “How many loaves have ye?” (posous echete artous) “Just how many loaves do you now have?” This was first to move them with compassion toward Him who had fed masses before, Mar 6:37-44.
3) ”And they said, Seven.” (hoi de eipan hepta) “And they said, seven,” two loaves more than they had on a similar, former occasion, Mat 14:13-21; Luk 9:10-17. The first or former bread miracle was done near enough, so that they could have purchased food, but this one was not, Mar 6:32-36. He had no need of any as He could have turned stones to bread, but He uses first what man has.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
‘And he asked, “How many loaves have you?” And they said, “Seven”.’
Jesus knew His disciples had some food and asked what loaves they had. The reply was ‘seven’. At this the ears of everyone who was listening to the Gospel being read, and believed in Jesus, would prick up. Every listener would recognise the divinely perfect number, conveying the idea that there was sufficient there for God to do what He would if only the disciples realised it. This was why Mark added the mention of fish only as a secondary item. He did not want to take away from the impact of ‘seven loaves’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Ver. 5. See Trapp on “ Mat 15:34 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
asked = began asking.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
How: Mar 6:38, Mat 14:15-17, Mat 15:34, Luk 9:13
Reciprocal: 2Ki 4:4 – and shalt pour Mat 14:17 – General Mat 15:33 – Whence Mat 16:10 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
HUMAN AGENCY AND GODS WORK
He asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Mar 8:5
Why did Christ ask that question? He Who could change the water into wine by a wave of His hand, by a whisper of His voice might have created and spread a banquet upon that grassy slope! But He would not. Why? Because a great solemn lesson would have been lost for all time.
I. God Himself depends upon human resources.God will not save men by a miracle independently of themselves; He says to every single soul to-day, What have you got? Bring what you have got, and I will stretch out My hand of blessing upon it. Do not we forget that this is Gods message?
(a) We go to God in prayer, and we forget that the first thing God says to us as we kneel down to pray is, How many loaves have ye? What have you brought to those prayers of yours? What earnestness, what faith, what trust in God, what patience that can help you to wait for an answer? How many loaves have ye?
(b) We come to Holy Communion, and the same voice meets us there. We ask to be fed with the Divine food, but first God says, How many loaves have ye? What faith, what repentance, what love and charity, what preparation for the Holy Feast? How many loaves have ye?
(c) And so through all life it runs: God always asks that question first. He will save no man independently of that mans own personal effort.
II. The spirit of the miracle.What was that spirit? for it speaks straight to the Christian to-day.
(a) The spirit of a wonderful tenderheartedness. I have compassion on the multitude. That voice of God has never ceased to sound; there is not a single human being, at this moment, of whom He is not saying it. I am so sorry for you in your sorrow, in your sin, in your struggles with temptations, in your home trials and burdens; I know them all, I have compassion still.
(b) The spirit of hopefulness. The hopefulness of Christ was the very inspiration of the ministry of Christ. He never despaired of His task; He never despaired of a single soul, however dark that soul might be. The whole world might turn away from it, the whole world might condemn it, but Christ rose, from that glorious, beautiful hopefulness of His, above the darkest things of the world, and He saw in each one the possibility of rescue.
(c) There is the message of consecration: Bring them hither to Me. That voice, too, has never ceased to sound; there is not one of you over whom it is not sounding: Bring himbring her to Me.
Bishop F. E. Ridgeway.
Illustration
There are many people who are holding themselves back from the service of God because they will not hear the Saviours voice. I have so little faith, so little holiness, I have so little time for service, I have so little money for alms, it is not worth my giving the time, the service, the money that I have. And all the time the voice of Christ is rebuking us. Bring what you have got, dont stop to think of how much more you might have; bring what you have gotyour tiny fragment of faith, and repentance, and love, and desire for service, and prayer, and sacrificebring what you have, for God depends upon human resources. How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
5
Jesus never had to ask questions for information (Joh 2:24-25), but he often asked them as a means of drawing the disciples into the matter at hand, to let them feel a sense of responsibility concerning the welfare of others.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jesus asked them the same question He had voiced before He fed the 5,000 (Mar 6:38). Even this did not remind the disciples to trust Jesus to provide for their need.