A little in the hands of Jesus is anough

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The basic component of the staple diet in biblical times. Consecrated bread was continually laid out in the Holy Place of the tabernacle and temple. Jesus Christ called himself the bread of life.

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Introduction:

Romans 10:14 KJV 1900
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
John 6:9 KJV 1900
There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

The miracles of Jesus:

The meaning of miracle

According to the Bible, a miracle is a divine act. Through miracles, God reveals His power to people on the earth. The Greek word for “miracle”—dunamis, literally meaning “power”—indicates that a miracle is an act of God’s power. Miracles often defy, or overpower, natural law—but not always. God can also use nature to perform a miracle. For example, God used the wind to part the Red Sea (Exod. 14:21).

Jesus ask a Phillip a question “Where shall we buy bread,that these may eat?
My Favorite Illustrations Miracles Are Easy to Accept

Miracles Are Easy to Accept

If you accept the first four words in the Bible—“In the beginning God”—believing miracles comes easily. A miracle is an act of God. It is an act contrary to natural law as we understand it, but not contrary to natural law as God understands it. Miracles are actions He performs for the furtherance of His benevolent and redemptive purpose.

Matthew 6:11 KJV 1900
Give us this day our daily bread.
My Favorite Illustrations God and Miracles

God and Miracles

It is quite clear God performed a miracle at Jordan. Many times I have been asked, “Why does not God work such miracles today?” The question is not whether He can, but how He chooses to work. God reveals Himself in terms of people’s spiritual development and ability to receive and comprehend the revelation.

WHO ARE THE BENEFICIARIES:

1 Kings 22:27 KJV 1900
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

Having located the miracle geographically, the evangelist introduces those who are to be the beneficiaries: and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. There are earlier references to miraculous signs Jesus had performed in Galilee (2:11; 4:46–54), and those performed in Jerusalem that had been witnessed by Galileans (4:45). Because they had witnessed these the crowd followed him.

Unleavened bread

Having located the miracle geographically, the evangelist introduces those who are to be the beneficiaries: and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. There are earlier references to miraculous signs Jesus had performed in Galilee (2:11; 4:46–54), and those performed in Jerusalem that had been witnessed by Galileans (4:45). Because they had witnessed these the crowd followed him.
Exodus 12:39 KJV 1900
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

Manna

John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

1. The evangelist begins his description of the setting for this miracle with the rather vague words Some time after this, which refer back apparently to the healing of the lame man in Jerusalem and the confrontation between Jesus and ‘the Jews’ that followed (5:1–47). The geographical note Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias) is puzzling because nothing has been said about Jesus returning from Jerusalem to Galilee. The evangelist provides two names of the Sea: the common NT name, the Sea of Galilee, and the name used later in the first century, the Sea of Tiberias. The latter is related to the major town, in fact, the capital of Herod Antipas’ kingdom, situated on the western shore of the Sea. Reference to ‘the far shore of the Sea of Galilee’ refers to the eastern seaboard and places this miracle either in the Gentile area of the Decapolis on the eastern shore, or in the region of Philip the Tetrarch to the north-east.

Exodus 16:31–35 KJV 1900
31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. 33 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

Genesis 45:23 KJV 1900
And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

Offerings of bread

John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

who are to be the beneficiaries

Leviticus 7:11–14 KJV 1900
And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings. And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.
SEEING THE CROWD
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The bread of the Presence

Leviticus 24:5–8 KJV 1900
And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the Lord. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
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John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

Seeing the crowd, Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples, possibly in the area known today as the Golan Heights. Perhaps he was seeking some rest or wished to teach his disciples before the crowd arrived—it was Jesus’ custom to sit to teach (8:2; Matt. 5:1ff.; 13:1ff.; 24:3ff.).

The table for the bread of the Presence:

; ; ; ;
THE JEWISH PASSOVER
The evangelist provides his final piece of information to set the scene: the Jewish Passover Feast was near. This will be significant as the story unfolds, for Passover was a time when Jewish people recalled their deliverance from Egypt through Moses and were looking for the Prophet like him who was to come. They expected the Prophet to bring deliverance and provide ‘manna’ from heaven as Moses had done (cf. 2 Baruch 29:3–30:1). It was a time when nationalistic fervour was high.
David and his men eat the consecrated bread; ; ; ; ; ; Jesus Christ and his disciples in the cornfields on the Sabbath;
WHERE SHALL WE BUY BREAD FOR THESE PEOPLE TO EAT?

John 6:25–35 KJV 1900
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

The evangelist begins his account of the miracle, When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ In the Synoptic accounts of the feeding of the five thousand we learn that when the crowd came to him Jesus taught them and healed their sick, and then because it was already late in the day he miraculously provided food for them (Matt. 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17). These details are omitted in the Fourth Gospel, but knowledge of them allows readers to understand why Jesus felt a responsibility to provide food for them. If this episode took place on the north-eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, it would be logical for Jesus to turn to Philip and ask, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ because Philip was a native of Bethsaida, a town located in this part of the country. But Jesus’ question to Philip had a different purpose: He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do, i.e. he was going to multiply loaves and fish to feed the multitude.

Testing can be negative (cf. 8:6), or positive as it is here. Jesus’ purpose was to test Philip’s faith in him and confirm it with the miracle to follow. Not realizing what Jesus intended by his question, Philip answered him, ‘Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ The NIV’s ‘eight months’ wages’ provides a helpful equivalent to the ‘two hundred denarii’ found in the original (a working man’s wage for one day was one denarius), and highlights how much bread would be needed to feed such a large crowd. This alerts the reader to the extraordinary nature of the miracle soon to be performed

ANDREW AND A SMALL BOY
The next vignette in the story concerns Jesus, Andrew and a small boy. As Jesus finished what he had to say to Philip, another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.’ Andrew and his brother, Simon, like Philip, were from the town of Bethsaida (1:40–44). Andrew brought to Jesus a boy who had five little barley loaves (poor people’s bread) and two small fish. It is hard to imagine that Andrew thought this would be of any help in the situation, and so it is likely he only brought the boy to Jesus because the boy himself had taken the initiative and wanted to offer what he had. Andrew voiced his own attitude to the offering: but how far will they go among so many? The whole incident is reminiscent of , which recounts how twenty loaves of barley bread were brought to Elisha, but were regarded by his servant as completely inadequate to feed one hundred men. ‘But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over’ ” ’ ().
2 Kings 4:42–44 KJV 1900
42 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.
2 Kings 4:43 KJV 1900
43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

The next vignette in the story concerns Jesus, Andrew and a small boy. As Jesus finished what he had to say to Philip, another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.’ Andrew and his brother, Simon, like Philip, were from the town of Bethsaida (1:40–44). Andrew brought to Jesus a boy who had five little barley loaves (poor people’s bread) and two small fish. It is hard to imagine that Andrew thought this would be of any help in the situation, and so it is likely he only brought the boy to Jesus because the boy himself had taken the initiative and wanted to offer what he had. Andrew voiced his own attitude to the offering: but how far will they go among so many? The whole incident is reminiscent of 2 Kings 4:42–44, which recounts how twenty loaves of barley bread were brought to Elisha, but were regarded by his servant as completely inadequate to feed one hundred men. ‘But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over’ ” ’ (2 Kgs 4:43).

INSTRUCTION FROM JESUS WE MUST FOLLOW JESUS INSTRUCTION
The miracle itself is described in prosaic terms in just two verses. Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ The word ‘people’ translates anthropomorphous, which is generic, as is its translation. Included among these people were men and women, boys and girls. We are then told, There was plenty of grass in that place. This would only occur during spring, which was also Passover time (4), and would make it suitable for the crowd to sit there. Mark’s Gospel adds that the people sat down ‘in groups on the green grass … in groups of hundreds and fifties’ (). Two things should be noticed—the historical memory about the place (the grass there was ‘green’), and that the disciples had obviously been involved in organizing the people to sit down ‘in groups of hundreds and fifties’. The Fourth Gospel continues, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Here the evangelist does not use the generic term anthrōpoi, but the gender specific andres/‘men’. Thus the crowd included five thousand men/males, but probably numbered more than twice that many. makes it clear that many more than five thousand men were involved: ‘The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.’ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. Jesus probably used a traditional Jewish thanksgiving, which, when uttered over bread, ran like this: ‘Blessed be thou, Yahweh our God, king of the world who causes bread to come forth from the earth.’ Parallel accounts indicate that Jesus did not personally distribute the bread and fish, but that he delegated this task to his disciples (; ; ). The evangelist emphasizes the greatness of the miracle by adding that the food distributed to the people was ‘as much as they wanted’.
Mark 6:39–40 KJV 1900
39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
Matthew 14:21 KJV 1900
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
Matthew 14:19 KJV 1900
19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
Mark 6:41 KJV 1900
41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Luke 9:16 KJV 1900
16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

The next vignette in the story concerns Jesus, Andrew and a small boy. As Jesus finished what he had to say to Philip, another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.’ Andrew and his brother, Simon, like Philip, were from the town of Bethsaida (1:40–44). Andrew brought to Jesus a boy who had five little barley loaves (poor people’s bread) and two small fish. It is hard to imagine that Andrew thought this would be of any help in the situation, and so it is likely he only brought the boy to Jesus because the boy himself had taken the initiative and wanted to offer what he had. Andrew voiced his own attitude to the offering: but how far will they go among so many? The whole incident is reminiscent of 2 Kings 4:42–44, which recounts how twenty loaves of barley bread were brought to Elisha, but were regarded by his servant as completely inadequate to feed one hundred men. ‘But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over’ ” ’ (2 Kgs 4:43).

John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

12–13. The evangelist completes his account of the miracle, When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted

John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

When God provided manna for Israel in the wilderness through Moses, the people were not allowed to gather more than they needed nor to store it for future use. If they did, it went rotten (Exod. 16:16–20). When Jesus fed the five thousand (which is compared with the provision of manna in the wilderness later in the chapter (30–51) the opposite was the case. The disciples were told to collect what remained and keep it, presumably for future use. So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. The twelve baskets may symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel, or perhaps twelve baskets were filled simply because there were twelve disciples doing the gathering.

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

John: An Introduction and Commentary i. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

The evangelist relates the immediate aftermath of the miracle: After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Moses promised the Israelites, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him’ (Deut. 18:15). Knowing this promise, and having seen Jesus provide food in the wilderness as Moses had done, the people concluded that Jesus was ‘the Prophet who is to come into the world’, the Prophet about whom Moses had spoken.

The evangelist adds, Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. Moses led Israel out of Egyptian captivity, and now this people wanted Jesus (whom they believed was the Prophet like Moses) to free them from Roman occupation. They wanted to ‘make him king by force’.

The episode of the feeding of the five thousand began when Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples (3). It ended when Jesus withdrew to a mountain by himself. He did this to escape the crowd who wanted to force him to be their king. The sort of kingship they had in mind was not what he had in mind. His kingship was ‘not of this world’ (18:36). Besides, later Jesus told the crowd that the only reason they followed him was ‘because you ate the loaves and had your fill’ (26).

Matthew 14:13–21 KJV 1900
13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

The breaking of bread as a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ

Matthew 26:26–29 KJV 1900
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
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