Luke 9:10-17 (3)

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-Invite to turn to Luke 9.

We’re going to be in Verses 10-17 this morning.

And we’ve come to what is, arguably,...

(Apart from the Resurrection)

…Jesus most well-known miracle.

And it is perhaps the MOST...

Well-attested...

Eye-Witness account...

…of any miracle that Jesus ever performed while on the earth!

We most often referred to as...

“The Feeding of the 5,000”

(Although, that title doesn’t quite do it justice)

It’s also the only miracle (apart from the Resurrection)...

…to appear in all four Gospels.

-All that being said...

It’s imperative that we don’t...

...underestimate ITS importance.

It is...

Profoundly deep

Profoundly rich...

And, I’m quite certain at the outset, this morning...

…that we won’t have the time to treat it...

…as it deserves to be treated!

But, we’ll make a go of it...

And depend upon the Spirit of God...

…to show his strength...

…in our weakness!

Amen?

-Well, alright. Let’s read it together...

…and entreat His help.

Luke 9:10–17 (ESV)

10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.

11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.”

13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”

14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

15 And they did so, and had them all sit down.

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

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Pray

-Two weeks ago now...

…we looked a Jesus’ commissioning of the Twelve, to...

Go and broadcast the gospel of the kingdom throughout...

...the province of Galilee...

Perform miracles that would put the stamp of heaven...

…on what they were proclaiming.

-Luke resumes that narrative in Verse 10...

…with the Apostles returning back to the Lord.

He tells us, simply:

Luke 9:10 (ESV)

10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done...

This is basic apostleship/missions.

They were sent out in service of the King...

…and now they’ve come back to...

Give an account of their stewardship...

Recount how successful they had been.

-But, once he had them back, Luke tells us, that:

Luke 9:10 (ESV)

10 ...he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.

Notice the historicity

You’d be able to locate these many witnesses!

Keep that in mind as we see...

…the sheer volume of eye witnesses in our text.

-Now, Mark tells us the reason for this retreat (at least primarily):

(And I say “primarily” because, Matthew...

…connects it to Jesus hearing the report of John’s death as well)

Mark says:

Mark 6:30–32 (ESV)

31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

“Desolate” can be translated as:

Desert

Wilderness.

The Connotation is...

a barren, un-inhabitable, un-fruitful area.

Not life-giving, or sustaining.

(Sort of like the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings… That’s a big hint!)

John gives us similar hints...

…when he specifies, that:

John 6:3 (ESV)

3 Jesus went up on the mountain, . . .

And also that...

John 6:4 (ESV)

4 ...the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

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Please don’t think that these...

…are merely incidental details.

They matter in a big way!

-Now, notice two very connected things, here...

Both of which show us Jesus’ pastoral care of his disciples:

1.) He’s getting them out of Herod’s reach.

(Bethsaida was in his brother Philip’s province)

2.) He sets aside time for them to rest and recover:

Spiritually

Physically

(The danger of ministerial burnout is real!)

That’s a wise and caring Shepherd-King...

…Not some narcissistic despot!

He really cares about his servants.

There are great lessons in that for us all!

-But, in this instance, their rest was to be short-lived:

Look at Verse 11:

Luke 9:11 (ESV)

11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him...

Mark gives us a little more information:

Mark 6:33 (ESV)

33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

Look at that zeal and desperation.

They’re following Him out into the wilderness...

…not knowing where He was going (sound familiar???)

-Now, how would you respond in a situation like this?

You’re exhausted

You’re trying to get some rest...

...and alone time with your family.

Literally THOUSANDS of people show up...

…demanding your time and attention!

-Look how Jesus responds...

It is profoundly pastoral:

Mark says:

Mark 6:34 (ESV)

34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

Notice, First, He gave them spiritual food!

Luke elaborates, saying:

Luke 9:11 (ESV)

11 ...he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

Steve Lemke explains something important to us here:

The description of the people as “sheep without a shepherd” recalls numerous OT indictments against Israel’s leaders and the promises that God Himself would shepherd His people (Ezk 34).

Jesus acts as the divine Shepherd (Ezk 34:11–16) and the Davidic servant (Ezk 34:23–24).

As a faithful shepherd, Jesus causes His sheep to recline in green pastures and prepares food for them so that they will not be in want (Ps 23:1–2, 5). — Lemke

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That’s what Mark is intimating here!

-Now, at this time in their ministries...

…His apostles were still a bit more pragmatic than their Master.

Look at Verse 12:

Luke 9:12 (ESV)

12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.”

This is very practical, isn’t it?

They’re in a barren area.

They have no shelter from animals and weather for the night...

...And, the land can’t provide them with food, either!

Plus… we’re told a little later, that there were...

Matthew 14:21 (ESV)

21 ...about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Naturally-speaking…

This is a dire situation...

And the apostles are trying to get ahead of it...

…before it’s too late.

-Now, their suggestion, on the surface...

…is pretty logical, right?

-So, what was wrong with their response?

It possessed the same basic flaw as...

…Israel’s grumblings against God in the wilderness.

Psalm 78 recounts it:

Psalm 78:19 (ESV)

19 They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

Remember what the Twelve had just experienced:

They had just returned from a mission...

…wherein Jesus had told them:

Matthew 10:9–10 (ESV)

9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts,

10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

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…and he had provided for their every need.

Now, they’re saying:

“We lack the necessary provisions...”

“We have to go ACQUIRE them...

…from the hands of men!”

Do you see the problem?

Look at the way Jesus responds to them:

He says, “They don’t need to go away,” (Matthew) rather...

Luke 9:13 (ESV)

13 . . . “You give them something to eat.” . . .

Remember, they were his apostles.

But again, they think up a carnal solution to the problem:

Luke 9:13 (ESV)

13 ...They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”

Mark adds them asking:

Mark 6:37 (ESV)

37 . . . “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”

That’s 10 months worth of wages

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2 problems here:

1.) Do you think they even possessed that much money on their persons at the time?

2.) Where are you going to even buy enough food for 10,000 - 20,000 people?

(They were probably miles away from Bethsaida)

-Moses, committed the same faithless folly...

…when he had 600,000 men (plus women and children)...

…In the wilderness

…demanding something to eat.

...And the Lord promised to feed them all!

To which Moses responded:

Numbers 11:21–23 (ESV)

21 But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’

22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?”

23 And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? . . .”

This was the apostles’ shortcoming too.

They weren’t looking to the all-sufficient Christ...

…to supply this need.

They weren’t looking to the Author of Life...

…to sustain their lives.

They weren’t yet looking to the Good Shepherd...

…to provide them with green pastures.

They were walking by sight...

And the circumstances before them were bleak.

-But, as we so often see...

It is when we come to the end of ourselves...

…and our own abilities...

That we see God work mightily!

Such is the case, here:

Look at the end of verse 14:

Luke 9:14 (ESV)

14 ...And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

Luke 9:15 (ESV)

15 And they did so, and had them all sit down.

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Notice how this adds to the historicity of this event.

This would have been a...

much faster...

much more reliable...

…way to count all of these people.

And, If you’ll remember, Moses...

…had also organized the people in groups of...

thousands

hundreds

fifties

and tens...

…in order that justice might be properly and sufficiently administered to them.

That’s an admittedly loose correlation, here...

But, given the allusions to Jesus as the greater Moses...

…throughout this narrative...

…it’s hard for me to think that it isn’t connected.

-But, the next two verses...

…are unmistakably clear on that connection.

Look at Verse 16:

Luke 9:16 (ESV)

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them...

Please don’t turn this into some sort of incantation...

…that we need to repeat to guarantee a miracle.

That isn’t the point of this at all.

John G Mason explains:

It was neither magical nor related to the Last Supper (22:19–20).

He was simply doing what God-fearing Jews did before eating—taking the bread, blessing it, and giving it out.

In looking up to heaven Jesus indicated that God provided the food… — John G. Mason

It’s the same reason we “bless” our food.

We’re...

...acknowledging God as our provider and sustainer...

…giving him thanks...

…blessing his name.

The posture is this:

Psalm 121:1–2 (ESV)

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Don’t overly mystify it.

-Now, lets’ read on.

End of Verse 16:

Luke 9:16 (ESV)

16...Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

How many loaves?

How many fish?

How long is that going to take?

How far is that going to go?

But, remember what God had said to Moses...

…when He had promised to feed over a million people...

…out in the barren wilderness?

Numbers 11:23 (ESV)

23 And the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand shortened? . . .”

So, how did he prove it, here?

Well, he would...

break a piece off...

give it away for distribution...

…and there would be more!

And, John tells us that he gave them...

John 6:11 (ESV)

11 ...as much as they wanted.

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I hope you can see the obvious connection to...

…God’s provision of Manna to Israel in the Wilderness.

There was no possible way that the wilderness...

...would support that many people.

Not even for a week!

So God, through Moses’ intercession...

...provided miraculously for the provision and sustenance of His people.

Brethren, Jesus is the greater Moses.

He is the Mediator of the New and Everlasting Covenant.

He is the great Shepherd of God’s Sheep.

He is the fulness and reality...

…to which Moses pointed in type and shadow!

And, as we’ll see in a few minutes...

…HE is what the Father has given...

…in order to provide and sustain life...

…for his Covenant People!

But first, look at Verse 17.

Notice, the superlative nature of this miracle:

Luke 9:17 (ESV)

17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Was Christ’s hand shortened?

It NEVER is!

He is our all-sufficient Savior and Lord!

-Now, watch how the people respond.

John tells us about it in:

John 6:14–15 (ESV)

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

The penultimate OT prophet, Elisha...

…had also multiplied loaves of bread to feed 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44)

And, of course, Deuteronomy 18!

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

We can see in this, what was being communicated clearly.

Jesus! is...

The (Eschatological: Ultimate and Final) Prophet

The (Eschatological) Priest

The (Eschatological) King

He is the Messiah!

He is the Christ!

The Apologetics Study Bible Summarizes it well:

The feeding of the 5,000 in the wilderness was a messianic act signaled here by an allusion to Nm 27:16–17.

Moses prayed for someone to replace him after his death so the people would not be left as sheep without a shepherd.

The motif is picked up in Ezekiel, where God promised that His servant David (i.e., the Messiah) will shepherd His people.

John 6:14–15, 26–34 makes it clear that the Galileans recognized the significance of the act (see Dt 18:15–19). — ASB

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-Now, Jesus himself, interprets and applies this text for us.

The next day these folks were looking for Jesus.

When they found him, he told them this:

John 6:26–29 (ESV)

26 . . . “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

And they audaciously respond:

John 6:30–31 (ESV)

30 . . . “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?

31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

Jesus says this in response:

John 6:32–35 (ESV)

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

At the end, he says this:

John 6:58 (ESV)

58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

How do we do that?

Well, he said it before:

By faith!

You partake of HIS provision...

…by putting your trust in it!

And the invitation this morning...

…is simply, to do that!

To forsake all other bread...

To not look to what can be bought...

…or obtained by any other means...

And to look to the Bread of God...

...To give you life!

-Let’s ask for help to do so, this morning.