What was the outcome of the miracle of feeding 5000?

Answer 1

The outcome was that the disciples did not understand that Jesus could perform miracles and command the elements to do his bidding. In Mark's Gospel, immediately after the miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the disciples away on a ship, but later walked on water to reach them. The disciples were amazed at this, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves.

In fact, there are miracles and discourses with references and allusions to food through Mark from verse 6:33 to 8:21, yet the disciples never understand:

• Jesus and the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat, so they went into a desert place
• Feeding the 5000
• When Jesus walked on water the disciples were amazed, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves
• Pharisees complain about the disciples eating with unwashed hands
• Discourse - what goes into a man goes into his belly and does not defile
• Greek woman metaphorically begs for crumbs from the table
• Feeding the 4000
• Disciples are hungry and have only one loaf of bread
• Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and they reason, "It is because we have no bread," showing they do not understand
• Summary by Jesus of the two feasts

These in turn form one part of a pair in the framework parallel structure of Mark, with the Last Supper as the matching event (a parallel structure is a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first):
The purpose of a parallel structure in ancient literature was to link two events by association and thereby create emphasis or develop a theme that was not otherwise apparent. By verse 8:21, the reader is asking, "Why don't they understand?" Later, at the Last Supper (chapter 14, the matching event R'), the reader understands, but knows that the disciples do not.