Mat 14:16 They need not depart; give them to eat.

Christ responds to the apostles statement that the people must leave to find something to eat. Christ responds by saying: No need to have them go away. Give them to eat." The miracle of the loaves and fishes follows, but, strangely enough, afterwards, Christ dismisses the crowd anyway. The only logical purpose for keeping them together was to feed them.

As we know, eating, bread, and fishes are all Christ's symbols for physical reality. The only purpose for this miracle is to demonstrate his control of physical reality with a crowd. It is not clear from the story that the crowd knew what was happening.

"They need" is actually a noun, chreia, which means "need," "want," "poverty," "business," and "purpose" in the sense of "what is the need or purpose to do something?"