Jesus feeds the five thousand
Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:11-17; John 6:1-15
The story of The Feeding of the 5,000 is found in all four Gospels. The Holy Spirit inspired the writers to record them. While the basic facts are quite similar, there are also some differences in the details that are included. Matthew, Mark, and Luke don’t tell us where the fish and loaves came from. It is in Juan, we found out about a boy who had brought them. This has led many to preach about the boy’s willingness to share his lunch. The Lord multiplied the boy’s generosity, but the miracle began with the boy. Unfortunately, Scripture does not tell us about the boy’s attitude. So where this is a poignant detail, we are missing the main point of the feeding of the 5,000, even in John. It is not a problem in the other gospels.
There are several contexts that must be established in order for us to receive the full richness of the story. The first context is where this occurs within the ministry of Jesus. All the gospels place him in the middle of the ministry of Jesus. John provides the minimal historical context, since he departs directly from the controversy in Jerusalem over the healing of the lame on the Sabbath. The other gospels ground this event in a more definite context. It happens after Jesus sent his disciples on a missionary tour. He had commended them and warned them that his message would be rejected in some places and accepted in others. This was an early indication of what to expect. Although the tour went well and they seemed to have been elated by what they considered to be great success in that they had power even over demons, Jesus had to gently correct them so that they would rejoice that his name was in the Book. Jesus knew all the way ahead, including his rejection and crucifixion, as well as all the things the disciples would suffer for his name.
Between the going and the return is the story of John the Baptist. . Juan had been imprisoned for his testimony. Although the disciples would not yet suffer for their testimony of Jesus, there was one who was already in prison. The rigors of imprisonment had broken his faith, and he sent men to ask Jesus if he had done well. Jesus reassures John. Shortly after, Juan was beheaded in prison. Matthew also includes the account of the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth, which according to Luke had occurred earlier in his ministry. If we understand that there are two ways in which the gospels are ordered. The first is chronological. There is a general trend that goes from birth, death and resurrection. But there is also a logical order in which cause-effect relationships are placed side by side. Matthew uses them in the anointing of Jesus for the burial of Mary of Bethany. John and Mark maintain the historical order by placing it on the afternoon of what would be Palm Sunday. But Matthew groups him with Judas going to the chief priests to betray Jesus. Matthew wants us to know that Judas’s indignation at the wastage of the spikenard caused him to betray him later in the week. John also relates this event to Judas’ betrayal in a different way. So I think that is why Matthew mentions the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth along with the execution of John the Baptist. The feeding of the 5,000 occurs amid rejection in all four gospels, at least by religious authorities.
We must also examine what happens after feeding. Luke jumps right to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ at Caesarea Philippi. After walking on the water, John has a long speech on the Bread of Life in which many would be offended and abandon Jesus. But Peter makes the initial confession of Jesus as the Messiah. Mark and Matthew follow up with Jesus by going into Gentile territory and doing a mission there. Included in this was the feeding of the 4,000 in Gentile territory. Next, the scene goes to Caesarea Philippi and Peter’s confession, followed by Jesus speaking explicitly of his suffering and death in Jerusalem.
When we put these accounts together, we see the themes of suffering and rejection by many and acceptance. for a few We will learn of other connections after exegesing the text.
The other context that we must examine is the connection of the History of Israel and this account. John makes this connection explicit in His Bread of Life discourse. But there are many clues that tell us that all the Gospel writers also make this connection.
The first of these things is that this feeding occurred in a desert place. Since it was across the lake, it was also across the Jordan. It was not the same as the harsh desert, at least at this time of year when there was still green grass. But the Children of Israel spent 40 years wandering in the desert, because they had rejected Yahweh’s promise, even though He had fed them with the miraculous manna every day. It was in the desert that the men of fighting age were counted. In the feeding account, the men were explicitly listed, and the fact that some mentioned women and children was an added detail. Mark mentions the men sitting in groups that would have made the count easier. In Israel, the army of the LORD would be converted to conquer Canaan. John records that the people must have been explicitly aware of the connection when they tried to seize Jesus and make him King. His idea of the Messiah was that this was the new Joshua. Let us remember that the Hebrew “Yeshua”, the English “Joshua” and the Greek “Jesus” are one and the same. This is a sad comment that you can always find soldiers to fight in Holy Wars to kill and kill the enemies. But the next day, the soldiers of Jesus’ new army would be much easier to count. The glory of conquest is always more palatable to humans than patient suffering.
The feeding of the 5,000 occurs in a place where there was not enough food to eat. There weren’t many towns to buy food on that side of the lake. People would have been very hungry at this point as they had walked several miles to reach the location. Then they had heard Jesus teach. No one had taken the time to prepare takeout due to the spontaneity of the event except what the boy had. This mitigates Barclay’s interpretation that the real miracle was that there were many who had food but refused to share it. It was only when the boy shared his that everyone was moved to share theirs. They must have brought a lot of food back then as there were 12 baskets of leftovers. This interpretation does not hold. The five loaves of bread and the two little fishes were all there was. Considering that the crowd was as large as 10 thousand, one can see how useless that condition was. Being exhausted, many were in danger of death if they had to return hungry.
Jesus took what they had and blessed the loaves and fishes. He could have made food out of the stones if he wanted to. The devil had tempted Jesus to do this for himself. But he pleased the Lord to allow us to have a part in his great plan, even if our contribution is microscopically small in proportion to what he would have to supply. This is true for all of our ministry as well. We can’t save anyone, but we can share the Gospel. We can nurture believers. But it is truly God who increases our small contribution and makes it great. A human mother through the boy contributed the food. The disciples distributed the blessed food and collected the leftovers.
The Greek gives us the idea that the multitude gorged themselves on bread and fish. He has some similarities to the Children of Israel in the desert who gorged themselves on quail until they got sick. They ate more than they really needed. What could this mean? People tend to be selfish and hoard things for themselves. This is the opposite of the spirit of generosity that Barclay claims. In this, people can be worse than dogs. Dogs will swallow large amounts of food. In the wild, however, this excess is carried back to the den where it is coughed up and shared with the pups and those left behind to care for them. It is good to have an insatiable appetite for the Word of God. Was it not Jesus who said that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word of God? But this kindness is to be shared with others? This is where the twelve baskets of leftovers come in. No one knows how these fragments were used, but we do know that they were not wasted. So we don’t have to be selfish. There is enough for everyone. Love is like that. The more you share, the more you have.
The twelve baskets of leftovers should probably be understood as representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Most of the ten tribes had been lost to history. We know that they interbred with the Gentiles and culturally and racially disappeared from history. These also need their portion. As for the number of loaves and fishes, there has been much speculation.
Now, when we look at Matthew and Mark, we will see that the same process happens again in the feeding of the 4,000. This occurred in a Gentile country. The feeding of the 5,000 went to the Jew first. The feeding of the 4,000 was also for the Greek. It was Jesus who started the mission to the Gentiles. People have misunderstood the Gospel of Matthew, in particular, as being for Jewish Christians. They see Luke as the Gospel for the Gentiles. However, Matthew does not mention circumcision, but Luke does. Matthew doesn’t have the introduction, he mentions the Gentile wise men. Mateo has the feeding of the 4,000, but Lucas admits it. Matthew records in the Great Commission to make disciples of the Gentile nations. The feeding of the 5,000 is a transition point in Matthew from the Jews first to the Greeks as well. He would begin a mission to the Syrophoenicians and eventually to Caesarea Philippi. It is when we realize that Matthew is addressing all of a reunited Israel and not just Judah that we gain a proper understanding of the Gospel. Matthew’s view of Israel was quite different from that of the Pharisees who held to a racially and ethnically pure Israel that excluded most of the descendants of the 10 Lost Tribes that were somewhat represented in the Samaritans.
So when we look at how we can apply the Feeding of the 5,000 to our church today, we can draw several conclusions. God wants us to share what we have, even if it seems insignificant. God can bless him and make him great. What is impossible for us is possible for God. We must feed on the word of God in order to share it with the world. It must be shared with all people, small and large, Jews and…