Purpose: To practice the skill of reading stories in their wider literary context.

The story of Jesus miraculously feeding a crowd of 5,000 people is one of the few events (outside of the crucifixion scenes) narrated in all four of the New Testament gospels. And, while each gospel relates the same basic details of the story, they also tell it in their own unique way. We can see their unique fingerprints in two ways: the small editorial changes they make within the story, and the literary setting in which they place the story. In this assignment, you will focus on the literary setting as you compare the accounts of the miraculous feeding in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Luke, and Mark). To complete the assignment, you will need to do the following things: 

• Complete this chart identifying the literary context of the miraculous feeding in each gospel. 
• Describe what you’ve learned through completing the chart. In a short paragraph (around 150 words), briefly describe the similarities and differences that you’ve identified in the literary setting of this story in each gospel. 
• Analyze how the literary setting shapes the meaning of the story.How do the stories that appear immediately before and after the miraculous feeding shape the way a reader will understand the meaning of that event? For help, see the example of the parable of the mustard seed described in the Reading the “Synoptic Gospels” Horizontally content page.This part will require the most careful thought and creativity. So, give yourself time to reflect. Also, there’s more than one correct answer to this question (that’s what makes biblical interpretation interesting!). Just make sure that your conclusions are supported by the material from the gospels because, while there might be more than one good answer, there are certainly unfounded answers that do not responsibly describe what appears in the gospels. Once you have reflected and drawn conclusions, write a 500 word analysis of the literary setting of this of this story (and how it shapes the meaning of the story) in each gospel. If you decide that two gospels tell the story in basically the same way, you are welcome to group them together in your analysis. 
• Submit one final document that includes: 
  • The completed chart
  • Your one paragraph description
  • Your 500 word analysis.