Jesus
has just learned of the beheading of John the Baptist. The
forerunner who pointed to Christ is now gone from the earth. John
the Baptist represents the Law that points to Christ. John the Baptist was the last prophet under the Older Testament. Jesus will now
be the spokesperson for God. The old has passed away; the new has come!
Jesus
retreats to a mountain with His disciples to rest. Jesus often went
to a high place to pray to His Heavenly Father and to teach His
disciples. Jesus is continually taking us higher. Jesus wants us to
get alone with Him in quiet, rest and peace, so He can teach us.
This
miracle took place at the time of the Feast of Passover and
Unleavened Bread which is in springtime -- the time of “sacrifice
(Passover)
and
new life.” The feeding of the 5,000 and the first and second
appearances of the risen Christ are the only two miracles that are in
all four Gospels. Why? Jesus is the eternal Bread of Life and the
eternal Resurrection and the Life for all.
Jesus
is traveling eastward toward Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover and
Unleavened Bread. Jesus had to do all that the Law required while He
was on earth to fulfill it once-for-all. He sees a crowd coming.
There were 5,000 men as well as women and children. The total could
have been 15,000 – 20,000 people. These were probably Jews also on
their way to the Feast in Jerusalem. This crowd didn't really
believe in Jesus. They were after Him for what He could do for them.
In spite of this, Jesus still loved them and met their need. Matthew
14:14 says
that Jesus “was
moved with compassion for them.” And
Mark
6:34 says
He “was
moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a
Shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”
Being all-knowing, Jesus saw not only their physical hunger and
need, but also their spiritual hunger and need of Him-- the Good
Shepherd. Jesus wants to satisfy their physical hunger but, more
importantly, He wants them to know that He is the Bread of Life who
can satisfy their spiritual hunger. Those who do not know Jesus are
like sheep without a Shepherd (guide
and leader who feeds and cares for them and wants to protect them).
The
first suggestion of the disciples in Matthew
14:15 was
“send
them away.”
In other words, “get rid of the problem.” In Luke
9, Jesus
tells His disciples to give them something to eat knowing full well
that this would be impossible without Him. We must first receive
truth from Jesus. Then we are to share it with the lost and those
who are spiritually hungry. We can only give what we receive from
Jesus.
In
John, Jesus uses the scant provision of a lad's lunch to feed the
crowd. Jesus will use this earthly circumstance to teach His
disciples about faith and supernatural provision.
Philip
Even
though Jesus knew what He was going to do, He asks Philip to test his
faith in Him, “Where
can we buy bread for these people to eat?” v5 The
True Bread of Heaven cannot be bought! It is a free gift of God that
must be received. Jesus will do in the “natural” what He will
soon do in the “supernatural.” After His death, resurrection and
ascension to the Father, the Supreme Teacher Jesus will feed the
multitudes with the Word of God in the hearts and mouths of His
disciples. Jesus will use the miracle of the multiplication of the
earthly bread to show that He is the Great Multiplier and the Bread
of life – spiritual life. In the “natural” (our
flesh), we
can do nothing. (see
John 15:5) When
Jesus is brought into a situation, He does the impossible.
Philip
saw their physical hunger but Jesus saw both their physical and
spiritual hunger. Philip responded, “Eight
months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a
bite!” v7 “How
could we possibly meet the needs of this great number?” Money
wasn't the answer! Philip saw the vastness and the impossibility of
the problem. They were in a desolate place and the need was great.
Philip was looking with “natural” eyes. Philip counted the cost
and knew it was impossible for men to do. Man's deficiency is Jesus'
sufficiency! Jesus will use this circumstance to teach Philip and
Andrew His ability versus man's ability. He will also reveal His
multiplying power to all present. Today and throughout the
generations, Jesus feeds the multitudes with the spiritual bread of
His Word through the mouths of His disciples. Believers are now
Christ's mouth and hands. Like Philip, we must count the cost of
feeding the hunger of the multitudes with His spiritual food. Jesus
doesn't want us to teach His Bread falsely which would lead the lost
or His flock astray. Jesus is the Good, Chief and Great Shepherd.
(see
John 10:11-14; 1 Peter 5:4; Hebrews 13:20) As
His underlings, we are to teach the Truth and love others with the
same willingness, love, compassion and grace that He did.
Andrew
Philip
had no faith and probably threw his hands up in despair, but Andrew
had a little faith. Andrew at least looked around to see who had
food that they could share. He found a young lad with five small
barley loaves and two small fish, “but
how far will they go among so many?” v 9 Barley
is the grain of the poor. In the spiritual, it would be the poor in
spirit. The barley harvest is associated with the Feast of Passover
when the lamb is slain for the atonement for sin. Jesus came the
first time to fulfill the barley harvest and the atonement for sin.
The wheat harvest is associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus
will come a second time to gather the wheat harvest (godly
ones) and
fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles. The true Tabernacle of God –
Jesus – will be with mankind for all eternity.
The
Lad
In
the other gospels, the lad is not mentioned. Here in John he is
revealed as a young lad. Because the Gospel of John is about Jesus
as the Son of God, things are revealed in it. It would be a child
who provided the provision of bread and fish! As a lad, Jesus –
the Living Bread – was teaching in His Father's house feeding those
present in the synagogue. Jesus wants His followers to have
childlike faith.
This
young man willingly surrendered all he had to Jesus to feed this
multitude. He isn't even mentioned by name but his willing and
generous act is recorded in the Word of God and read throughout the
generations. God can take a humble, unknown servant and do great
things through him or her for His glory. This young man is a perfect
example of this. All we must do is offer our time, talents, spiritual
gifts, money and ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Jesus will
do the rest. This young man's childlike faith would bless the
multitudes. Andrew's seeking and this young lad's generosity would
bring the miracle. Andrew did what he could and sought a solution,
but also saw the smallness of the resources. Little is much in the
hands of Jesus. Jesus will use Andrew's little faith and the lad's
small provision to feed the multitudes. Jesus will do the same with
those who love and follow Him. He tells us that if we have faith as
small as a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. (see
Matthew 17:20)
Five
Small Barley Loaves and Two Small Fish
There
is a spiritual message in the provisions given by the lad. Five is
the number of grace and two is the number of truth (two
testaments; two witnesses of Jesus; agreement).
The number two is double-edged. It can also mean division and/or
separation. Together the two numbers (5
and 2) add
up to 7, the number of spiritual perfection and completion. The
spiritual message hidden within the story of the five loaves and two
fish is Jesus feeds the multitudes with His Grace and Truth, and
multiplies it through the mouths and hands of His disciples. It is
Grace and Truth that will bring us to spiritual completion and
perfection.
First
the gift of the 5 barley loaves and 2 fish must be given to Jesus.
Matthew
14:18: “Bring them here to me.” All
that we have is given to us by the Godhead. Therefore, any gift or
provision we might have belong to the Godhead for their use. The
bread and fish
(meat)
in Jesus' hand was multiplied and fed the multitude. As all present
ate of the same food in this desolate place, all who love and follow
Jesus eat from the same food – the Bread and Meat of His Anointed
Word. Here in John, Jesus distributed the food. We must first
receive the truth (bread
of heaven) from
Jesus and the Holy Spirit; then we are to distribute it to others for
spiritual life.
(continued next week)
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