CONVERSATIONS ABOUT JESUS: MIRACLES
FEEDING THE 5000
(MATTHEW 14:15-21; MARK 6:35-44; LUKE 9:12-17; JOHN 6:3-14)
THE ONLY MIRACLE APPEARING IN ALL FOUR GOSPELS.
Location of Miracle: Tabgha - west of Capernaum, past the traditional site for the Sermon on the Mount. (There’s a church there! And I’ve been!)
Set the Scene:
o John the Baptist had just been executed. The apostles returned from their ministry tour. Jesus wanted to get away with His friends to be quiet and rest for awhile. But the crowds followed them. So, He began teaching and healing.
o There were 5000 “men”, but the total number of people fed may have been over 20,000.
o Jesus had a very specific goal in mind with His announcement “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
READ Matthew 14:15-23.
Big Take-Aways:
o Matthew 14:20, “They all ate & were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” This abundance would force the Jewish people to recall the expected abundance of the coming messianic banquet. Would it also have pointed toward, “I AM the Bread of Life?”
o If you read the words closely, the loaves and fishes multiplied in the hands of the disciples themselves, Jesus did not do the work in his own hands. Why? Maybe the reason the work was done in the servants’ hands is the same reason why this is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels - Jesus is teaching us the critical truth of doing God's work.
o Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes, and then handed it right back to the disciples. Put yourself in their shoes, what would they have thought hearing Jesus just give a blessing and then asking them to hand out a tiny morsel to share between 20,000 people? Being human, they must have been taken aback by the Lord's request wondering at the seeming absurdity of it. But they had faith and obedience in God, and the food multiplied as they handed it out to the crowd, with their own hands.
o We can also think of the loaves and fishes as the talents and treasure which the Lord has given us. In our lives God presents us with many opportunities to perform miracles in the lives of others, giving a hand to a friend or loved one, volunteering at Church or larger acts manifesting God's love. Are you sitting on what God has given you as a disciple of Christ to work miracles for those around you, or have you dedicated your time, talents and treasures to Christ to do his work?
Call to Action:
The small boy had but 5 loaves of bread, and 2 small fish. Hardly enough to feed a group of 15, let alone 20,000. But he gave his small gift to Jesus. And through Christ it became significantly greater. It's a wonderful reminder to us all that our gifts and offerings are that much greater when we go through our Savior.
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