The Miracles of Jesus - Feeding the 5,000

This month we will spending some time studying 4 miracles that Jesus performed while on earth. The first one will be the feeding of the 5,000; a miracle that all four gospel writers record for us!

Transcript

 Well, thank you for listening to Cultivating Growth. That is a new month, and so that means a new topic, and John and I will spend this month, each of the four weeks kind of taking a look at one of ultimately be four of. Jesus' miracles. We certainly understand there are many, many more miracles that Jesus performed than just four, but we're gonna spend some time talking about, you know, four pretty specific ones.

Uh, kind of maybe some differences between them, a little bit of what a miracle is, why it's important for us to talk about Jesus's miracles and continue to study them. This first week, we're gonna talk about a miracle that's found in all four gospels. The feeding of the 5,000. So let's get to it.

Jeremy, you mentioned that as, as we work our way through the miracles we're gonna discuss this month, uh, we're, we're gonna touch on just a few of them. Jesus performs a lot of miracles during his time on earth. And, uh, we're gonna talk about just four of them over the next few weeks. We're gonna begin with the feeding of the 5,000, but you and I were talking before we began that, that maybe at the outset of this discussion, it would be helpful just to remind everyone why Jesus does these miracles and what the purpose of them really.

Was, uh, we can see as we go throughout the gospel accounts, all these different miracles that are recorded. Even going into the Book of Acts, as the apostles performed miracles, these miracles always had a very specific purpose. They had an intent behind them. It, John will tell us in his gospel account that he records all of these things that he did so that we would believe Jesus and who he was and who he was claiming to be, and Jesus was using.

These miracles that he performed as a way to prove who he was, to prove that he, in fact was the son of God, that he was operating with power given to him by God. And it was a way of helping others see who he was and bringing them to him. And so this wasn't just Jesus performing miracles because he had the power to do it, and he thought it was really cool.

He wasn't just putting on a show for people or anything like that. They had really specific purposes behind them. I think as we talked through the four miracles that we're going to this month. We'll see in each of these instances, the very specific purpose as to why Jesus was performing these miracles.

Yeah, I mean, there's no question about it. I mean, the key component is, hey, he's not just out here entertaining. Uh, people were entertained by it and they misunderstood at times, uh, the performing of his miracles, including the one that we have, you know, right here that we're gonna talk about today. But that's not how Jesus operated.

He was not out here entertaining. He was out here. Proving that that's really what he was doing teaching as well. He'll use some miracles and use those as kind of teaching moments kind of as he does with even the feeding of the 5,000. And it's going to lead certainly from John's in John's gospel to a pretty specific and a pretty big almost turning point.

Mm-hmm. In the teaching of Jesus. Uh, there in John chapter six, but he, he's not operating in a selfish way. Uh, it, it wasn't when he was hungry or thirsty, he was snapping his fingers and, you know, he had a hamburger in his hand, or, you know, a glass of water at the ready. And so he, he, he wasn't looking to entertain.

He wasn't operating in a selfish way. He was proving who he was and he was using opportunities to teach and, and that's, you know, that's in essence what his miracles were. And, and that's really what the power that God possesses, not just Jesus himself, while he's. Walking on the earth, but all of the miracles that we see performed by deity and then through deity power, the apostles, as you made mention, as the New Testament continues, I think, uh, one thing we see specifically with this miracle, the feeding of the 5,000, you made reference to the fact that this is.

One of the few miracles really that's recorded in all four gospel accounts, uh, three of the four gospel accounts allude to the fact that this took place right on the heels of Jesus, learning about John the Baptist being beheaded. And so there is some emotion involved in what Jesus is doing. We're told that Matthew and Mark specifically tell us that Jesus was looking for a place to go be by himself for a little while, and the multitude saw him.

And he gathered around him as they tended to do, and, and Jesus not being the selfish person as you were just describing, he, he saw an opportunity to teach. He saw an opportunity to heal and to feed. And so he was able to put his own feelings aside, but, but John also tells us something else about. This miracle that I think is really important In, in John chapter six and in John's account verses five and six, it says, Jesus lifted up his eyes and seen a great multitude coming toward him.

He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But this, he said to test them for he knew what he would do. So. Oftentimes, I think this is one of these miracles where you think, you know, these 5,000 people saw Jesus perform this great miracle. The reality is, I, I'm not sure that these 5,000 people had much of an idea as to what was going on.

This miracle was done for his disciples. He was, he was testing them, and even when he performs the miracle, and all of this food is kind of generated from these. Small amounts that he had been given. Everyone else seems to be somewhat unaware of what's actually taking place other than those closest to him.

And, and so again, when we think about the purpose of miracles, this specific miracle seemed to be geared towards his disciples. And their faith and their understanding of, to as to who he was. We see Jesus operating this way, you know, really in other places, certainly there is a component where he had compassion for the people.

They had been there a long time and uh, and it was time to eat, right? And so that is a component, but I think really your point is the driving force of this miracle. He's using this as a. Teaching tool for his specific apostles. Those 12 men, listen, 5,000 people are going to be fed. But the key component is it, it, it is these 12 apostles that really are witness to the miracle.

I think you're right. You know, maybe the, the young boy who has the food. Yeah. You know, but I mean, the, the number of people that would've seen this would've been. Would've been quite small. Mm-hmm. And, and this is, you know, on a much smaller scale, I think, you know, we've seen Jesus do this before, uh, the very outset.

What we're told is his very first miracle when he turns the water to wine and cane of Galilee, you know, that is a situation where the miracle itself is seen. By very, very few people now, it's enjoyed Yep. In a lot of ways. Mm-hmm. You know, by a lot of people. But it wasn't for all of those people. It was for his mother.

It was for certainly his new disciples that were following him there. And that is to the point that we've made already. Jesus is doing these kinds of things for the teaching moment. Yep. Yes. Compassion is involved. No question about it, but here was a teaching moment that that he'll take, he'll make use of, for his disciples a teaching moment.

He'll make use of the next day. Mm-hmm. As the chapter continues and really sets him up for teaching, not just. Entertaining or doing something incredible. I think it really says a lot about how in tune Jesus was with all of those around him. He, he knew what they needed and, and here are, you know, his disciples, those who are following him, those who are closest to him, they've, they've seen him.

Do amazing things. They've heard him teach, but yet here's a situation where, hey, there's a bunch of people that are hungry. What do you think we should do about that? And he, he's testing them because what he wants to hear from them is, we're pretty sure you've got this taken care of. We know you can handle this.

We know that you can do amazing things beyond even our comprehension and understanding. He wants them to get to that level of faith and that level of trust in him. They're still struggling with that. They're still learning. They're still trying to get there. And so again, he sees this as an opportunity to build their faith and, and so he provides them with a test as to, yeah, what do you think we should do about all this?

We got a bunch of people who are hungry, you know, we we're going to buy bread at this point in time. Testing them. And I think that again, that that tells us so much about how much Jesus wanted his disciples to grow in their understanding and grow in their faith, and he was trying to use miracles from time to time to help them in that.

I think they do the same thing for us today. We're not witnessing firsthand the miracles that Jesus performed, but as we read about them and we study about them, our faith in him grows. Our knowledge of him grows, our understanding of him grows. And so these miracles are actually having the same impact and effect on us today that Jesus wanted them to have on the people that he performed them around back in his own day.

I mean, he was looking for them to be assured of who he was. Yeah, I mean, that'll get to, again, the next day, a conversation that he'll end up having with his, with his apostles, and he'll get right down to it. Who, who do you, who do you say that I am? Right. Gets directly to it, but he's using these moments of power, uh, these, these moments of a supernatural, uh, power that he exhibits here to, to show, to prove who he was.

And so he takes this little bit of food that is provided to him and he multiplies that. And a on a massive scale, you know, sometimes, you know, people will read this text and, you know, like, is the, is the miracle done on the bellies of the pee? Because we're told that they're full or, you know, is there something done in that capacity, you know, that they took up leftovers.

Yeah. And, and so that tells us he has multiplied this tiny, tiny little bit of food to feed thousands of people. So it is, it is a, a, a supernatural. Impossible to comprehend feet that he does. And again, I think you're right on the money to prove to his disciples, specifically the apostles who he was.

Mm-hmm. Because he knew how important that was gonna be for them. Yeah. Well, and then back in John's account, in John chapter six and verse 14, we see the effect that it had as, as the disciples. Had handed out the food and now they're going around collecting all of the leftovers. It says in verse 14. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, this is truly the prophet who has come into the world and, and so we can see the impact.

That this miracle had on them. Jesus is accomplishing what he set out to do with this miraculous event. Now, there's also the element of compassion that he had for the people who were hungry, right? And that that's demonstrated in what he has to say specifically at the outset. As we talked about earlier, he was putting away his own needs during this time to mourn and grieve over his, uh, relative being beheaded.

He's putting those things to the side in order to take care of those who are in need. He has compassion on them. So he is accomplishing multiple things here. He's exercising compassion on those who are hungry at this time, and also teaching and reinforcing who he is to those who are closest to him. And so really we just see Jesus operating on an entirely different plane of thinking during this time period, and sometimes the miraculous events that surround Jesus.

They have multiple points of impact. A as different people are experiencing different things in that moment, but Jesus knows what they need. And so he's doing these things really to help and to bolster the faith of all of these people. You used the phrase a, a little while ago of Jesus being in tune, you know, with everything around them and you know, the more.

I think about it with this story that kind of unfolds is it's exactly how he operates. Now, we shouldn't be surprised by that. Mm-hmm. But we could certainly be awed by that. But by the fact that he's, he's in tune with what the disciples need in that moment, and he's in tune with what the people needed physically.

They were hungry and, and there was a need there that he could fulfill or total the very next day, he does find some of that. Alone time. Yeah. You know, in that evening. And then he, he, another miracle is performed a as he has sent his apostles into a boat across the, the water. And he walks on the water to where they are.

Mm-hmm. But they get on the other side and immediately the next day he is surrounded by people again. But he's so in tune. What's going on? He, he goes back to the day before with when he fed the, the thousands of people and he uses that mm-hmm. In, in an incredible teaching, you know, opportunity where he takes that very physical filling that they had.

And he moves that into a very spiritual kind of thing. It reminds me of, you know, some of the conversations that we've had, you know, just a couple of months ago when we talked about the very personal one-on-one conversations that Jesus had mm-hmm. With Nicodemus or the woman at the well where he's able to take this very physical thing that took place, but then makes spiritual application of it.

Jesus even does that with a miracle. Yeah. And, uh, and that it shows, to use your word again, just how in tune he is. Everything that's going on around him. Yeah, and I think one of the things we'll see over the next several weeks is, is that Jesus is going to use. Uh, physical things to get to the deeper spiritual teaching and understanding that he wants people to have.

He's gonna do that as he heals people and provides them with different things. Today he did so through food, but he is using those physical real world needs, uh, to help people understand who he was. And really as we close today, I'm gonna take us back to Mark chapter six and Mark's account and, and go back to really what motivates Jesus to do these kinds of things.

What motivates him to feed thousands of people? What motivates him to heal? What motivates him to perform these kind of miracles? Well, mark gives us an indication, and we'll close on this in Mark chapter six, in verse number 34, at the outset of this miracle, it says, in Jesus, when he came out. Saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

So he began to teach them many things.

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