Jesus Feeds Thousands
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
A few days after the Civil War had been officially ended a man was riding along a road in West Virginia.
Suddenly a soldier, clad in a dirty and tattered Confederate uniform, sprang out of a thicket, seized the horses’ bridle, and with twitching face demanded,
“Give me bread!
Give me bread!
I don’t want to hurt you, but give me bread...
I’m starving.”
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The man on horseback replied,
“Then why don’t you go to the village and get food?”
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“I don’t dare...
They will shoot me,” was the soldier’s answer.
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“What for?” inquired the man.
“Tell me your trouble.”
Whereupon the Confederate soldier related that he had deserted his company several weeks before.
Upon approaching the Union pickets, however, he had been informed that no fugitives from Lee’s army were to be taken in.
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What was he to do?
If he returned to his company, he would be shot as a deserter.
In desperation he had taken to the woods and lived there on roots and berries until starvation had driven him to the point of madness.
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The man on horseback listened, and then exclaimed:
“Don’t you know the war is over?
Lincoln has pardoned the whole Confederate army.
You can have all the food you want.”
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Taking a newspaper from his pocket, he showed the account of Lee’s surrender and the President’ proclamation of amnesty.
With a shout of joy, the soldier dropped the bridle and ran for the village.
That starving deserter did not know that the bread for which he hungered had been available to him for some time and could have been had for the asking.
In his ignorance, he had been self-deprived.
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Likewise many to this day who have a hungry heart have yet to eat of the Bread of Life who is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 9 and focus on verses 10 through 17.
Our message this morning is titled, “Jesus Feeds Thousands”
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This message today will focus on the amazing miracle that Jesus performed that both portrays His capacity to meet needs...
And His capacity to provide for and sustain life...
Additionally, our passage today will showcase how Jesus has the ability to provide what His disciples cannot provide for themselves on their own...
And ultimately how Jesus offer more than just physical food for He is the true spiritual food and source of eternal life!
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Dilemma...
2) The Prescription...
And...
3) The Miracle
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
Thank you for Who You are...
You are Yahweh...
You are the Great I am...
You are Elohim...
You are El-Shaddai...
And You are the All-Powerful and Ever-Living God Who never changes!
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Thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit to dwell within your sheep to guide us and seal us...
He is the Comforter...
He is the Counselor...
He is the Breath of the Almighty...
He is the Eternal Spirit...
And He is the Helper!
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Thank You for sending us Your Son who voluntarily gave His life on the cross so that we may live ...
He is the Alpha and Omega...
He is the Messiah...
He is Lord of Lords...
He is King of Kings...
He is Savior...
He is the Lamb of God...
He is the Good Shepherd...
He is Immanuel...
And He is the Bread of Life!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Dilemma
1) The Dilemma
Verses 10-12: On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 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. 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.”
Now, Luke opens this section by resumes the narrative we covered two weeks ago from Luke 9:1-6 which says:
1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.
4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.
5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
So, the “return of the apostles” that is mentioned in our passage today is in reference to this missionary trip that Jesus sent the disciples on.
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As the Twelve return they are excited to share with Jesus all about their experience preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons...
They are also tired from their journey and we learn that Jesus and the disciples seek to fine a quiet place to recharge their batteries, catch up, and just get a second to have a meal...
But too many people saw them and flocked to them as Mark 6:31-34 records:
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.
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.
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.
So, Jesus and the Twelve intended to retire to a private place...
The disciples just wanted to report to Jesus all they did...
They just wanted time to even get a bite to eat...
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However, there was a great need...
And Jesus had great compassion on the crowd...
For He saw them as sheep without a shepherd...
And we know that Jesus is truly the Good Shepherd!
So, instead of turning them away...
And no one could blame Him...
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But, instead of turning them away...
Jesus welcomed them...
Jesus taught them about the Kingdom of God...
Jesus healed the sick...
And Jesus cast out demons...
Jesus continued to shepherd with unreal compassion!
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Now, the place we find Jesus, the Twelve, and the growing crowd was in the countryside in the vicinity of Bethsaida...
The word “Bethsaida” means “house of the fisher,” a name derived from its chief industry...
And that name indicated that it was one of many lakeside fishing villages.
It also sat about a thousand yards east of the point where the Jordan River empties into the north end of the Sea of Galilee...
Bethsaida technically belonged to the tetrarchy of Philip in Gaulanitis, but its proximity to Capernaum, only three miles to the west, anchored it to Jesus’ Galilean ministry...
Additionally, at least three of Jesus’ disciples, Philip, Andrew, and Peter, came from Bethsaida.
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We also know that this event took place in the spring as the Gospel of John indicated this event took place during the Passover...
Just look with me at John 6:1-4 which says:
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
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Next, Luke records that “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.”
Or as Mark says it in his Gospel as recorded in Mark 6:36:
36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
So, the Twelve began to worry that the day was getting later and the crowd would need food...
They thought that the best move was to send them away...
That seemed very logical, right?
That seemed very responsible, right?
They were certain Jesus would agree with them...
Why wouldn’t He?
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The next statement that Jesus would say would completely shock the disciples!
He would say something that they were just not expecting!
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So, let’s go to our second point and see what Jesus said.
2) The Prescription
2) The Prescription
Verses 13-15: 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.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” And they did so, and had them all sit down.
Jesus’ response was, “You give them something to eat.”
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I’m sure some of the disciples where thinking to themselves...
Did I just hear that correctly?
Does He want us to get them food?
Food for all these people!
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Beloved, we are not just talking about 5,000 people...
That was just the men...
Matthew 14:21 makes it clear:
21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Counting women and children, the actual size of the crowd may have been closer to 20,000 to 25,000...
So, the Twelve couldn’t process how Jesus could say, “You give them something to eat.”
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As theologian Darrell L. Bock says:
“Next comes Jesus’ surprising response.
Since the Twelve are sensitive to the issue, Jesus suggests that they solve the problem and provide food for the crowd.
This limits the options, as far as the Twelve are concerned:
Either they share what they have (which is not enough) or they journey into town and pick up enough food for all (which would be quite a task).
The one option they do not consider is to ask Jesus to provide the food.”
So, the disciples need to realize that for them to minister to other correctly they need to rely on Jesus...
The disciples need to realize that they are to look at what Jesus has done and realize that He is the source of their life and ministry and that He will give in abundance what is needed...
Despite the short mission trip that Jesus sent the apostles on to learn to depend on God...
They still need to learn...
They still need to realize that when an impossible challenge arises...
The first place they need to turn to is not their on minds and intellect...
But, the first place they need to turn to is Jesus!
Literally, the solution to their problem is sitting right next to them for nothing is impossible for God!
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We are talking about the Creator of all things!
Is a crowd of 20,000 to 25,000 a challenge for Him to feed?
No!
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I a millisecond the Lord could feed the whole population of the world if He so choose to do so!
That is the mindset we need to have when thinking about our Lord and Savior!
Nothing is impossible with Him!
Nothing is too great a challenge!
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As the New American Commentary on Luke says:
“The disciples were thinking quite logically in terms of the natural order of things, but they were forgetting the presence of the one who is Lord over the natural order.
Luke and his readers knew that the Lord of the wind and the water is also Lord over bread and fish.”
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So, we should be more shocked with the Twelve doubting Jesus’ response than with the response Jesus gave the Twelve!
As The New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“Only when viewed against the backdrop of Jesus’ prior instructions to the twelve does their request to him seem odd.
Their location in the rural environs of Bethsaida places them in close proximity to the possibility of food and lodging; why not take advantage of it?
Jesus, however, had earlier instructed his disciples to take no bread on the journey;
Thus they were counseled to carry on the divine mission while trusting in divine benefaction and resources.
Had they not trusted and been successful earlier?
If one reaches further back into the Lukan narrative, one remembers Jesus’ instructions on Simon’s boat that had led to a miraculous catch of fish.
If he was able to provide then, why not now?
Even further back in the memory is Elisha’s instructions to feed a hundred people with five barley loaves and fresh ears of grain, the potential relevance of which is underscored by Luke’s earlier use of Elisha-material to portray Jesus.
In light of their present location in the ‘wilderness,’ memories of God’s provision of manna in the wilderness might also be activated.
In light of these narrative realities, could the twelve not continue to trust now, even if these fresh circumstances presented obstacles more severe than those they had yet faced?
Against such a backdrop, the extraordinary nature of their request to send the crowd away is seen in their lack of any vocalized expectation that Jesus might be able to provide for their needs.”
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The disciples even sarcastically say to Jesus, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”
Or as Mark 6:37 says:
37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
In fact, we know that it was Philip who asked this question as John 6:5-7 says:
5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”
From John’s account we learn that Jesus was testing His disciples...
Despite all they had see and experienced at this point...
They were still thinking like the world...
God has to be the first person we turn to when crisis hits!
However, the disciples were to busy calculating the cost of feeding the crowd...
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Philip was concerned for he knew that not even two hundred denarii would be enough money to get all the food needed to feed this crowd...
To put this into perspective...
Two hundred denarii is equivalent to more than seven months’ basic wage...
We know this for a single denarius was equal to a day’s basic wage.
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This fact was alarming to the Twelve...
They didn’t have that kind of money!
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The apostles thought they were out of options...
But again, Jesus had compassion...
So, He starts to instruct the disciples on what to do next.
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As Matthew 14:16-18 says:
16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”
18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.”
So, all the food that the Twelve could gather was just five loaves of bread and two fish...
They thought this is just a drop in the ocean...
They thought this wouldn’t do anything really...
Andrew voiced his doubt in John 6:8-9 which says:
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
But Andrew and the rest of the Twelve still did not realize the lesson Jesus was teaching them...
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After bring Jesus the bread and fish He continued to instruct the apostles and said, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
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Now, notice that our passage says “and they did so”...
So, let’s give the disciples some credit...
They still have a lot to learn but before the disciples understood what was going to happen they were obedient...
That is vital for us to understand.
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In fact, this brings to mind Luke 5:5 which says:
5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
So, do not be surprised in life by the fact that sometimes obedience must precede understanding when you are following God’s desire and will.
The Twelve had doubts...
The Twelve had some confusion...
But when instructed by the Lord...
They did obey...
And they would witness one of the most incredible miracles of the Bible!
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That takes us to our third and final point of our message this morning.
3) The Miracle
3) The Miracle
Verses 16-17: 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. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Now, aside from the resurrection, the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all 4 Gospels...
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record this miracle!
The fact that this miracle is in all four Gospels indicates its importance...
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So, let’s break it down...
Let us first take notice of the fact that Jesus “said a blessing over” the bread and fish...
This really provides a lasting example for all believers to follow in regards to thanking God for the food He provides for us...
That is why we as a church pray before we have a meal together...
And it is why we pray before we eat with our families or even if we are eating alone...
We are thanking God for His provision!
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I really enjoyed this note from the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke that says:
“When all were seated, the Lord took the five loaves and the two fish, and then doing what every Jewish father did at a meal, looking up to heaven, He blessed them.
By looking up to heaven, Jesus acknowledged God as the source of all provision.
There was nothing mystical or spiritual that happened to the food by the Lord’s blessing;
Eulogeō (blessed) simply means that He gave thanks to God.
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Then, also doing what a father would do at a meal, Jesus broke the loaves and fish.
But unlike any father had ever done, He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.
In that understated way Luke described this astonishing display of Christ’s power to create ex nihilo—the same power He used to create all things from nothing.
There was no doubt as to the source of the food;
It was obvious to all who saw that it was being created in the Lord’s hands and then given to the apostles to distribute to the crowd.”
So, Jesus is the very source of this miracle...
And this makes sense for He is the source of life!
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Although, other miracles in Scripture are recorded of God providing for His people in a miraculous way...
This miracle is like no other!
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Take note of this, Beloved...
The food that God gave the Israelites in the wilderness in Exodus 16:18 which says:
18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.
That food, the manna, was just enough for each person...
It was truly an incredible miracle...
However, the food that Jesus’ provides had leftovers...
So, an event greater than that which is detailed in Exodus has just occurs in front of thousands of witnesses!
The reality of this situation is that this massive crowd got to feast at the feet of one who is about to be confessed as the long-promised Messiah!
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In fact, the word “satisfied” from our passage is translated from a form of the verb “chortazō”...
That term was originally used to describe fattening animals...
The term paints the picture of animals who gorged themselves until they could eat no more...
So, the people ate their fill until they were completely satiated!
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Additionally, this miracle brings to mind when God provides food for Elijah as found in 1 Kings 17:6:
6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
However, we are not talking about one man...
Here Jesus feed a crowd of 20,000 to 25,000!
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Additionally, look with me at what is recorded in 1 Kings 17:8-16:
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him,
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.”
11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.
14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’ ”
15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.
16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Again, as incredible as this miracle is, we are not talking about one family..
Here Jesus feed a crowd of 20,000 to 25,000!
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Now, when Luke records the words, “Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
And they all ate and were satisfied.
And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces,”
In many ways it is an allusion to 2 Kings 4:42–44:
42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.”
43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’ ”
44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.
Again, as incredible as this miracle is, we are not talking about twenty loves of bread to feed 100 men...
Here Jesus feed a crowd of 20,000 to 25,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish!
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And with all these example from the Old Testament...
With Moses, Elijah, and Elisha...
They were the agents the God uses to perform these miracles...
Jesus thanked the Father for the food but the multiplication of the bread and fish came from the very hands of Jesus!
He was making it clear that He is the source...
For Jesus is one with the Father...
For Jesus is God in the flesh!
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The crowd understood that Jesus was no ordinary prophet...
They started to see that He was the Messiah as John 6:14-15 says:
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!”
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.
So, although the crowd began to realized that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah...
They had their own idea of what that messiah would look like...
And what that messiah would act like.
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The people imagined a warrior king who would take on their oppressors...
The people imagined a warrior king who would take all sickness away from them...
The people imagined a warrior king who would shower them with all the food and drink they could hope for...
They wanted heaven on earth!
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However, they missed the whole point of Jesus’ miracle...
This had to do with so much more than just having their bellies filled!
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As pastor John MacArthur says:
“Their plan was for Him to topple Herod Antipas, install Himself as ruler in his place, and then oust the hated Roman occupiers.
The result would be a welfare state with no sickness and all the free food they could eat.
In fact, the day after the miracle, the crowd showed up in Capernaum, where Jesus had gone after the miraculous feeding, looking for breakfast.
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But while our Lord’s miraculous feeding of the multitude is an astounding display of His divine power, it is far more than that.”
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So, look with me at the Gospel of John...
Let’s take a look at what happens after this incredible miracle and see the purpose of this extraordinary event...
Let’s look at what John 6:25–35 says:
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
26 Jesus answered them, “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.”
30 So they said to him, “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.’ ”
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.
The people wanted more free meals...
They wanted more physical bread.
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Yet, Jesus says that He is the true bread that comes down from Heaven!
Jesus says that He is the Bread of Life...
Jesus says that He is the true source of Eternal life!
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The miracle of feeding the thousands was to point to this reality!
Jesus proved that He was and is and will always be the Creator of all things!
As the very Bread of Life only He can offer his followers the ability to never experience hunger or thirst for He completely satisfies!
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Jesus continues to talk about being the Bread of Life as recorded in John 6:41–59 which says:
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
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.”
59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
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So, what does Jesus mean by saying all this?
Look at verse 47 again...
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”
And look again at verse 53 again...
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
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So, Jesus is not promoting cannibalism!
And Jesus is not talking about communion for the Gospel of John specifically doesn’t even record the Lord’s Supper!
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So, what is Jesus saying?
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Beloved, Jesus is saying that eating is believing...
Jesus is saying that drinking is believing...
We know this because Jesus clearly promises eternal life to those who believe in him!
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Beloved, last week we discussed the question...
“Who is Jesus?”
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As we go through the Gospel of Luke we are seeing the answer to that question over and over again...
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So, who is Jesus?
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Jesus is the Bread of Life!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
The people of this world are hungry...
But all that apostate and false “churches” can offer people is ceremony or empty words that can never satisfy!
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The people of this world are hungry...
But all that atheists and skeptics can do is try to convince them that they aren’t hungry at all!
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The people of this world are hungry...
But all that charismatic charlatans give them are entertainment, false promises, special lighting and cutting-edge music!
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The people of this world are hungry...
But all that Hollywood and media gives them is non-stop noise so loud and fast that people don’t have a moment to think!
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The people of this world are hungry...
So, who will point them to the Bread of Life?
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Beloved, the world is starving for truth!
We know who the source of eternal life is!
So, let us be bold and share with others were they can find the Bread of Life!
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Remember, before you were born-again...
You were just a beggar looking for bread.
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It was by God’s grace alone that you got to experience the Bread of Life!
Go out and tell another beggar how to get some bread...
Go out and tell someone about the One and Only Bread of Life...
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Lead them to Your Son!
For He is the Bread of Life!
He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Remind them of everything that the Bread of Life has done for them!
Give your saints the boldness to tell others about the Bread of Life!
For He is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only Life!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.