Feeding the 5000

carpecollum@gmail.com — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:58:08 GMT

Jesus' miracle of feeding the 5000+ was significant enough to be recorded in all four gospels. Why is it important?

1. It shows Jesus' power to PROVIDE. What man cannot do for himself, God can do for him. We see an impossible situation, but Jesus said, "With God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:26).

2. It shows Jesus' COMPASSION for people. He was intending to spend some alone time with His disciples, but when they got to Bethsaida the multitudes were waiting for them. Instead of sending them all away, He taught them and fed them because He felt compassion for them (Mark 6:34). He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. Throughout the Old Testament we see God always championed the cause of the widow and the orphan - the helpless. Jesus had this same character.

3. It led to an object lesson: Jesus is the BREAD OF LIFE. See especially John's account. The crowds came back and they were hungry for more...food, that is. Jesus told them they were just seeking the food. They tried to figure a way to get Jesus to feed them again. They said basically, "What will You do for a sign so we might see and believe? Oh, I know, remember how Moses fed our fathers with manna in the wilderness? Maybe that would be a good sign!" But Jesus just reminded them it was not Moses but the Father who really fed them. "Okay, okay, that's great. Lord, always give us this bread!" they tried again. They weren't really listening with understanding. You can see they were there for their bellies. But Jesus still took the time to launch into a discourse about Him being the bread of life and those who would eat His body and drink His blood would have eternal life.

Powerful and Wise Jesus compared to Powerless and Fickle Men.

Daily Bible Message

Feeding the 5000