“twelve baskets full.” There are many different interpretations of what the “twelve” represents. However, we can see that each of the apostles went to collect the leftovers, and each came back with a full basket. Since the Bible does not give a specific reason for it, we can assume the number 12 has multiple implications. One implication is that each apostle would be taken care of even as he gave himself to others. Also, it showed that each apostle would have so that he could give—give to others and give to the Lord (it is noteworthy that the Lord did not have a basket for himself). However, the details in the record show that the primary meaning is that there would be bread for all twelve of the tribes of Israel through the Promised Messiah (see the commentary on Matt. 15:37).