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Miracle #4 (The Feeding Of The 5,000)
(John 6:1–14)
Introduction: In recent weeks, we have been looking at the miracles in John’s Gospel. There are seven signs (or miracles with a message) that are highlighted in the fourth gospel, and they include…
· The Changing Water Into Wine At Cana John 2:1-11
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Has The Power To Change Us
· The Healing Of The Nobleman’s Son John 4:46-54
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Has The Power To Heal Us No Matter How Far Away We Are
· The Healing Of The Man At The Pool Of Bethesda John 5:1-16
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Has The Power To Cause Us To Walk
· The Feeding Of The 5,000 John 6:1-13
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Has The Power To Feed Us And Bring Us Into Fellowship
· Jesus Walking On Water John 6:16-21
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Has The Power Over Our Storms
· The Healing Of The Man Born Blind John 9:1-7
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Has The Power To Give Us Vision
· The Raising Of Lazarus John 11:1-44
The Spiritual Lesson Is That Jesus Even Has The Power Over Death
Today, we’re looking at the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. According to Nelson’s Complete Book Of Bible Maps & Charts, this miracle took place in the spring of A.D. 29. And according to Luke 9:10, it happened near Bethsaida, which means a fishing shack or “house of victuals.”
As Warren Wiersbe said, “The feeding of the 5, 000 was a miracle of such magnitude that it is recorded in all four Gospels.”
· Matthew 14:13–21
· Mark 6:30–44
· Luke 9:10–17
· John 6:1–14
Some time ago, I read a little excerpt in the Reader’s Digest that said…
For several weeks an electric sign outside a church in our town advertised the parish’s annual supper. It was to be an all-you-can-eat sausage feast with mashed potatoes, green beans, sauerkraut, coleslaw, and homemade pie. The morning after the event, the church sign had been changed. One succinct word now appeared: “B-U-R-P!”
(Contributed to “Life In These United States” by Mary Kate McGregor)
There was probably some belching that followed the buffet here in John 6. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us that the multitude was “filled.” And John tells us in verse 11 that they were all given as much as they wanted.
All four gospels tell us that there were five thousand men, and Matthew 14:21 says, “they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.” Some suggest that there may have been 15 to 20,000 in attendance at this meal.
The miracle here is that they started out with “five barley loaves and two small fishes” (John 6:9). But after Jesus distributed to the disciples, and the disciples, in turn, distributed to the people, they ended up with 12 baskets of leftovers according to verse 13.
As we look at this portion of scripture today…
I. We Discover The Timing In This Miraculous Account
(John 6:1–5, 10)
A. The Timing Helps Us To Understand The Gathered People
(John 6:1-4) After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. {2} And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. {3} And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. {4} And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
John MacArthur said…
The fact that the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near places this incident several months after the events of chapter 5. It also suggests that the enormous crowd may have consisted, at least in part, of pilgrims preparing to travel together to Jerusalem for the feast. Moreover, it was at Passover, which commemorates the nation’s deliverance from Egypt, that the Jews’ nationalistic feelings reached their peak. That may help explain the crowd’s zealous attempt to make Jesus king (v. 15).
In “The Fourfold Gospel,” J. W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton wrote that…
This Passover is computed to have been held on April 16, A. D. 29. This statement as to the time of year prepares us for his further statement that there was much grass in the plain. It also explains in part the gathering of a multitude in this secluded region. Pilgrims on their way to the Passover would gladly go several miles out of their way to see the great Prophet perform a miracle. The excitement, due to the mission of the twelve and the death of the Baptist (mentioned in the previous passages in Mark’s gospel), also tended to swell the crowd.
B. The Timing Helps Us To Understand The Grassy Plain
(John 6:10) And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Adam Clarke said…
[There was much grass in the place.] Perhaps newly mown grass, or hay, is meant (so the Vulgate foenum), and this circumstance marks out more particularly that the Passover was at hand. In Palestine the grass is ready for mowing in March; and this miracle seems to have been wrought only a few days before the commencement of that festival, see John 6:4.
Again, MacArthur said…
John’s personal recollection that there was much grass in the place is the type of detail an eyewitness would recall. It further confirms that the feeding of the five thousand took place in the spring (Passover [v. 4] was in March or April), before the grass withered under the scorching summer sun.
Even though John tells us that “there was much grass in the place,” the other gospels tell us that the disciples pointed out that it was “a desert place.”
(Matthew 14:15) 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.
(Mark 6:35) And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
(Luke 9:12) And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.
II. We Discover The Tenderness In This Miraculous Account
(John 6:2; Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34)
A. He Had Compassion On The Sick Who Had No Solution
(John 6:2) And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
John has recorded two previous miracles of healing, and so the record of this next miracle which he highlights emphasized the fact that this multitude followed Jesus with these miracles in mind…
The Healing Of The Nobleman’s Son John 4:46-54
The Healing Of The Man At The Pool Of Bethesda John 5:1-16
And as these sick folks come, and others who have sick people with them, Matthew says…
(Matthew 14:14) And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
Strong’s Concordance defines…
moved with compassion – Greek 4697. splagchnizomai, splangkh-nid'-zom-ahee; mid. from G4698; to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (fig.) feel sympathy, to pity:--have (be moved with) compassion.
The United Bible Societies New Testament Handbook Series explained the phrase from the RSV…
As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
He may require identification as “Jesus,” and went ashore may necessitate an indication of prior action, “got out of the boat.” In fact the verb went ashore literally means “got out”; the problem is that the text does not state what it was that Jesus got out of. Phps (“When Jesus emerged from his retreat”) is unlikely. More likely is the meaning “out of the boat” (AT, GeCL, TEV) or “disembarked” (Mft, Brc, NAB); went ashore, “stepped ashore” (NJB), and “came ashore” (NEB) assume departure from a boat.
Throng is the singular form of the word “crowds” of verse 13; TEV translates great throng as “large crowd.”
He had compassion (TEV “his heart was filled with pity”) literally means “his insides were stirred up.” This can also be rendered as “he felt very sorry for them” or by a figurative expression from the receptor language. Some West African languages use an expression such as “his stomach (or heart, or liver) was hot (or, sad) because of them.”
The noun translated sick occurs only here in Matthew; elsewhere in the New Testament it is found in Mark 6:5,13; 1 Corinthians 11:30. The literal meaning of the noun is “powerless,” though it may also mean “sick, ill.” Of course their sick refers to “people (among them) who were sick” or “the sick people there.”
The relations between the verbs in this verse are slightly different in the RSV text (As he went ... he saw ...; and he had compassion ... and healed) and in TEV (“Jesus got out ... and when he saw ... his heart was filled ... and he healed”).
B. He Had Compassion On The Sheep Who Had No Shepherd
(Mark 6:34) And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
moved with compassion – Greek 4697. splagchnizomai, splangkh-nid'-zom-ahee; mid. from G4698; to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (fig.) feel sympathy, to pity:--have (be moved with) compassion.
Mark uses that same expression but shows another motivation of Jesus’ compassion.
As Albert Barnes said…
Verse 34. [Much people ... as sheep ...] They had no one to teach them and guide them. The priests and scribes were proud and corrupt; they despised the common people and neglected them.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary edited by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck says…
When Jesus... saw the large crowd, He felt compassion (not annoyance) toward them. This inner emotion moved Him to help them (cf., e.g., Mark 6:39-44). He viewed them as sheep without a shepherd, lost and helpless, without guidance, nourishment, or protection. In several Old Testament passages (Numbers 27:17; 1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:5, 23-25) the sheep/shepherd image is associated with the “wilderness” (eremos; cf. Mark 6:31-32). This crowd, representing the nation of Israel, received compassion, extensive teaching concerning God’s kingdom (cf. Luke 9:11), and the provision of their needs (Mark 6:35-44) from Jesus, the true Shepherd (cf. John 10:1-21).
They had no one to lead them or to feed them.
III. We Discover The Testing In This Miraculous Account
(John 6:5–9)
A. The Faith Of The Brethren Was Tested
(John 6:5-6) When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? {6} And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Strong’s Concordance explains that the word “prove” in verse 6 means ‘to test.’
prove – Greek 3985. peirazo, pi-rad'-zo; from G3984; to test (obj.) i.e. endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline:--assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.
Again, in “The Fourfold Gospel,” McGarvey and Pendleton wrote…
When sent to see what was in their larder, it appears that they had nothing at all. Andrew reports the finding of the boy's lunch while it was as yet the boy's property. Some of the others, having secured it from the boy, report it now at the disposal of Jesus, but comment on its insufficiency. Eastern loaves were thin and small, like good-sized crackers, and around the Sea of Galilee, the salting and preserving of small fish was an especial industry. These fish, therefore, were about the size of sardines. The whole supply, therefore, was no more than enough for one hungry boy. But each loaf had to be divided between a thousand, and each fish between twenty-five hundred men.]
MacArthur wrote…
Late in the day (Mark 6:35) or as the day was ending (Luke 9:12) and it “was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, ‘This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves’” (Matt. 14:15). Jesus, however, had a different solution in mind. He said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” Why the Lord singled out Philip is not revealed. It may be that he was the administrator of the Twelve, the one responsible for arranging meals and taking care of logistical details. The question was intended to articulate the impossibility of anyplace where such bread could be secured.
Jesus was not trying to discover what Philip was thinking, since He already knew that (cf. 2:25; 21:17). Nor did He need Philip’s input to help Him formulate a plan. He knew that Philip knew of no place to get bread and had no plan to provide it. The Lord’s purpose in questioning Philip (and by extension the rest of the disciples; cf. Luke 9:12) was to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do—and it had nothing to do with buying bread. As He does with all His people, the Lord posed the dilemma as a way of testing the disciples to strengthen their faith.
… Philip’s faith (along with the rest of the Twelve’s) was found lacking, and he exclaimed hopelessly, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” To Philip it seemed pointless to discuss where they might get bread, since they clearly did not have enough money to buy it if they could find it. A denarius equaled one day’s pay for a common laborer (Matt. 20:2), so two hundred denarii would be approximately eight months’ wages for an average worker. Philip’s response stressed the impossibility of the situation in his eyes, and revealed the insufficiency of his faith. He had already seen Christ perform many miracles, including turning water into wine (2:1-11). He would have also been familiar with the various Old Testament accounts of God’s miraculous provision of food (Ex. 16; Num. 11:31-32; 1 Kings 17:9-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7). Yet, “rather than focusing on Jesus, Philip’s mental computer began to work like a cash register, and all he could think about was the total cash that would be needed to provide just a little bread for each person” (Gerald L. Borchert.