
The second feeding of the crowd happened on the East Shore of the Sea of Galilee which was called Decapolis. It was the area of gentiles, non-Jews. This time the crowds were really far away from towns and villages. St Mark says that they came a long distance which also indicates their spiritual journey, they came from paganism. Here was a real emergency. Again Jesus blesses the bread and fish and gives them out. Everyone ate as much as they wanted and this time seven baskets full were collected. It doesn’t mean that the crowd here was hungrier than the previous one as less food was left over but there is some spiritual meaning to that. As the number 12 in the first feeding pointed to the twelve Tribes of Israel, so now the number seven was to indicated seven heathen nations who had once inhabited the Holy Land but after the Israelites conquest had gradually disappeared or been driven out (Hittites, Girgashities,
Amorities, Canaanities, Perizzities, Hivites and Jebusities). Note that Girgashities used to live in the area where the Lord fed the crowd. The second feeding means that the gates giving entry to God’s people now stood open to all nations.