The feeding of the 5000

Mark 6:30-44 & Ephesians 2:11-22

Sometimes when we look at the miracles in the Gospels we neglect to consider the surrounding details which are also divinely directed.

So the setting of the miracles, the participants, and the manner in which the miracles were performed, consistently pointed to a greater spiritual revelation than is obvious at first sight.

The feeding of the 5000 teaches far more than Jesus' power, because it presents him as a second Moses who brings salvation to his people.

How can we know this?

Several reasons, the location is a desolate place, literally a desert place and is a parallel to the wilderness in which Moses performed his miracles. While Jesus proclaiming himself the Bread of Heaven corresponded to the manna.
The provision of food by Jesus with both Jesus and Moses symbolised "God's saving grace in rescuing his people from bondage." The great miracle of the feeding of the 5000 teaches us how the second Moses (Jesus), being far greater than Moses, meets the needs of his people and in fact the whole world.

The brief background to this is that the 12 disciples had just returned from their special preaching and healing missions. You can imagine the excitement as they reported to Jesus the remarkable results.

It was wonderful news but draining on the tired men and ministry/church life can be like that as many of you will have experienced.

Mary had a little lamb,
'Twas given her to keep,
but then it joined the local church,
and died for lack of sleep!

They needed some time out and Jesus suggested the other side of the lake near Bethsaida. There they were going to be refreshed but it wasn't quite as they expected.

As they set sail the young and the fit saw where they were heading and headed off down the North side of the lake at a brisk pace.
Must've been a noisy gathering as hundreds more from the Lakeshore villages joined them and finally thousands converged at the anchoring point.

The original Greek suggests "tender emotion," that Jesus saw this gathering and felt this in the pit of his stomach.

He looked on the thousands as shepherdless sheep, lost, and unable to feed themselves. And Jesus began to teach them things at great length.

Now regardless of whether you are believing Christian or not, if you can't imagine that Jesus has tender compassion on you then you simply do not know what he is like. That has not changed since he has ascended (Hebrews 4:15). Nine times in the New Testament we read of Jesus having this deep compassion.

The day zipped by, the shadows drew up, and began to lengthen eastward. Then the disciples came to Jesus with an idea.
The sun set at six so perhaps it was around 4pm. The 12 were hungry and so was the multitude. In the mad rush no one had packed a lunch and there were no pop-up food outlets to be seen.

What to do?

The disciples suggested sending them on their way so that they would be home by dark. But Jesus had a better idea.
An astonishing one really, "You give them something to eat" (v37a)!

How could they do that when it seemed that only had a small amount of money given the size of the crowd? Remember also the disciples hadn't taken any money with them on their mission.

But Jesus pressed them further he said, "How many loaves do you have, go and see, they found they had five and two fish (v38)."
It is good to understand our limitations and weaknesses, because then there can be no mistake as to where the power comes from. The second Moses then miraculously provided for his children in the wilderness.

It was a very civilised affair at Jesus direction they all sat down in groups on the grass. It recalled the order of Moses' camp in the wilderness.

Documents from the caves at, Qumran describe how they believed that true Israel would assemble in the desert in the Last days, so watch that space.

There was Jesus in their midst and around him were the apostles as he lifted his eyes to Heaven and gave the traditional blessing. "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the world who brings forth bread from the earth." Followed by resounding Amen from 5000 voices.

What happened next was astonishing for all present as Jesus "gave" to his disciples, the bread keep multiplying thousands upon thousands of broken loaves and tiny fish were given out as the disciples walked among the seated thousands.

Here was the living God who can do anything!
Think about it: how Jesus with the word multiplied the molecular structure of those bread loaves and pickled fish. It is this creation part He brings to our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Nothing is impossible either physically or spiritually for Jesus Christ. No one is beyond his redemption. If it were not so then who of us would be here this morning?

More importantly fellow Christian, if you are willing, there is no moral flaw in your life that God cannot heal.

John 6:9 tells us that the apostle Andrew announced, "there is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish." There was one boy whose mother made sure he didn't go without a packed lunch and he was willing to give it to Christ. What a lad he was!

This gives us some great insights into participating in God's program. Remember, Christians are called to be interactive disciples in the world.

First we must understand that God wants to use us to bring the Bread of Life to a needy world.

Yes, I know he can do perfectly well without us if he chooses to do so. He didn't need the little boys bread. He didn't need to use his disciples to distribute it.

He could have simply created it and had it float down to the groups of 50s and 100s on little parachutes!
But how amazing, he delights including us in his work! 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us."

Second, we learn from this that he can use a very small thing if it is committed to him.

Someone said, "God must delight in using ordinary people with ordinary gifts, why, because he made so many of us!"

If you've read the book of Judges chapter 7 there is an unknown young man name of Gideon. The least of his family in his tribe, his words. But God used this ordinary young man after he taught him not to depend upon human power.

The apostle Paul gave voice to the truth when he wrote down what God had given him. "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside on me….For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Why does God delight in using ordinary individuals like you and me and all our weakness? "Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

God chooses to use common clay jars like us so that there will be no mistake as to where the power comes from. We so often think he wants and needs our strengths, and he does use them when they are committed to him.

But what about our barley loaves, our ordinariness, our weaknesses? Truth is, these are harder to give to God. If you are eloquent, it's easy to say, "God here is my eloquence, take and use it."

If you are a good businessperson, it is simple to say, "God, you can have my administrative ability."

Easy to give God strengths, but it's another thing to give God our weaknesses.

If the only thing you have to offer is a broken heart, offer your broken heart. So in a time of grief, the recognition that this is material for sacrifice will be a very great strength for you. Folks, realising nothing I have, nothing I am will be refused on the part of Christ, simply give it to Him as the little boy gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes…with the same feeling of the disciples when they said, "What is the good of that for such a crowd?"

You know of almost anything I can offer to Christ, my reaction would be, "What is the good of that?" The point is, the use He makes of it is His blessing" (adapted from Elizabeth Elliott).

Jesus only worked when the loaves were put into his hands in willing consecration. You and I are only required to bring what we have. Will you give it? (big pause).

This is the way the Bread of Life goes out into the world.

It's recorded that when the multitudes had full puku's how 12 baskets of bread and fish were gathered up. And taken off to the City Mission (let's hope that it was shared around). Remember 5000 had been fed.

Jesus provision was complete and satisfying. Friends, we are, "the church, which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills
all things in every way" (Ephesians 1:22-23). "For the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by Him" (Colossians 2:9-10).

That is satisfaction!

The feeding of the 5000 was meant to instruct us as to the meaning of Communion.
The cup and the bread tell us that Christ's life was given as an atonement for our sins, peace between God and us.

It is through Jesus death and resurrection that we have life. But the feeding of the 5000 also tells us that he truly feels for us with
compassionate mercy and how He omnipotently provides for us through His creative power. That he fully satisfies us with His bread.

Finally that he calls us to give what we have to him, that he might share the Bread of Life with the multitudes who are like sheep without a shepherd.

Let us sing two verses of, When I Survey and then I'll close in prayer.