Jesus is portrayed as many things in the Gospels, such as the Bread of Life. In a few passages Jesus uses bread to perform miracles. In Mark 6:30-44, Jesus feeds five thousand people by multiplying loaves of bread and fish. It produces more than enough food to feed all the people who came to listen to Jesus speak. In Matthew 26:26-29, Jesus takes bread and wine at the Last Supper and, declaring it as his body and blood, gives it to his apostles to eat and drink. The feeding foretold the Last Supper, the event in which the Eucharist took place.
The passages of the feeding and the Last Supper have significant differences. The feeding of five thousand is just that. Jesus feeds five thousand people, creating food that was not previously there, whereas in the Last Supper Jesus and the apostles already had enough food. In the feeding of five thousand the people ate bread and fish. At the Last Supper the people had bread and wine. Jesus transforms the food in Last Supper to his body and blood. He is giving himself for the apostles to eat and drink. In the feeding of five thousand, Jesus just creates food. The people are only eating Jesus’ flesh and blood during the Last Supper.
The passages have connections that bring them together. In both stories the apostles are present and they are actively participating in the miracle that is going on. All of the loaves Jesus gave out were blessed. They not only nourished their bodies but nourished their souls.
After both of