A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
Matthew 14:1-21
Lesson #36
GOD’S PROVISION FOR THE 5,000
- Memory verse: Phil 4:19
- Read Mat 14:1-12
- The death of John the Baptist
- John the baptist:
- Herod thought John had two faults:
- John was too popular with the people. Herod thought the people would start a rebellion.
- John was a man who told the truth. It is dangerous to rebuke a tyrant.
- Herodias
- She was a woman of loose morals and infidelity.
- She was a vindictive woman seeking revenge.
- She used people for her own purposes including her own daughter.
- Salome
- She was probably 16 or 17 years old.
- She was a royal princess.
- She lowered herself to perform an immoral dance in public. It was very unusual for a princess to perform like a dancing girl.
- Herod:
- Herod was a man with a guilty conscience.
- Herod’s actions were typical of a weak man.
- He kept a foolish oath and broke a great law.
- Pride kept him from admitting he was wrong.
- Herod’s actions resulted in his downfall.
- When Herod divorced his wife, her father, the ruler of the Nabateans, resented the insult and made war on Herod. Herod lost the battle and had to call on the Romans to deliver him.
- Later, Herodias’ ambition caused the Roman Emperor to remove Herod and send him into exile where he died.
- Herod thought John had two faults:
- Read Mat 14:13-21 and John 6:1-14 The feeding of the 5,000
- This is the only miracle that Jesus did that is recorded in all four gospels.
- The Jewish Passover was near and people were travelling to Jerusalem to celebrate it.
- All Jewish men were to go to Jerusalem for the Passover. As a result, there are great multitudes of people.
- The Bible says there were 5,000, but they counted only the men, not the women and children.
- Because Jesus wanted to be alone, He went across the lake.
- However, the people went around the lake and met him on the other side.
- The character of Jesus is displayed:
- He shows his compassion for the people.
- He says a blessing before serving food.
- The Jewish grace before meals:
- “Blessed art thou, Jehovah our God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth.”
- The Jewish Talmud says, “He that enjoys aught (anything) without thanksgiving is as though he robbed God.”
- Jesus used his disciples to minister to the people just as he uses us to do that today.
- The test of Philip’s and Andrew’s faith:
- Philip and Andrew begin by seeing things from a material perspective.
- They count the available provisions and see the lack of provision that men can supply.
- Jesus challenges them to see things from God’s perspective — a merciful God who desires to meet all men’s needs.
- God did not have to use the five loaves and 2 fishes. Why did he?
- Remember that the disciples are being trained. They are human and will be dealing with continual human insufficiencies as they try to minister to people.
- We, also, are human and are challenged by human insufficiencies.
- As we handle the lack of provision, we are to look beyond it to God’s abundant supply.
- The disciples needed to see man’s insufficiencies changed into God’s abundance by faith.
- The test of Philip’s and Andrew’s faith:
- The order of the crowd:
- God is a God of order and organization. Jesus sends his disciples to divide the people into groups of a hundred and of fifty.
- The breaking of the bread:
- It was when Jesus broke the bread that the food multiplied by God’s grace.
- The significance:
- The broken bread reminds us of Jesus’ last supper and our communion service. (1Cor 10:16)
- The broken bread is a symbol of the crucified, broken body of Jesus that released God’s grace upon man.
- The increase and the scattering
- The more the disciples scattered the food among the people, the more the food was supplied.
- The multiplication of food stopped when the disciples stopped scattering the food.
- The more we scatter the blessings of God to people around us, the more blessings God supplies.
- This is another aspect of the kingdom law of sowing and reaping. (Luk 6:38 Pro 11:24)
- The five loaves and 2 fishes with 12 baskets full left over: a play on numbers.
- The word of God is wonderfully put together so that nothing in it is by accident.
- The numbers used have a meaning and a message.
- 5 loaves for 5,000 men.
5 loaves of bread
Jesus is the bread of life, broken that we might have eternal life.
5 as used in the Bible is a round number meaning He will finish what He began.
5 loaves + 2 fishes = 7 which is the number of completeness in the Bible.
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- 2 fishes
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Many of the disciples were fishermen who were to be fishers of men.
They were to minister to the needs of men.
2 is the Biblical number for “witness”
By two or three let something be established.
Deu 19:15
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- 12 baskets full, one for each disciple
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There is an over abundance in the kingdom of God, more than man needs.
12 is the Biblical number for God’s people
12 tribes of Israel
12 disciples
The over-abundance is promised to God’s people.
- Summary:
- We see that the 5 loaves and 2 fishes tell us that God’s supply is all sufficient for His people, that Jesus would fulfill God’s plan, that His body would be broken for us, that His disciples are to minister by faith to the people, and that the miracle is to be a witness that Jesus Christ is the all-sufficient God willing and able to supply His people.
- What do we learn about Jesus from this miracle? The King is the all-sufficient one.
- The challenge:
- As His disciples, we are challenged to bring to Jesus the little that we have (5 loaves and 2 fishes).
- Then we must let Him multiply it so that we might minister to others.
- Notice there was no waste in this miracle.
- Everything was either eaten at that moment or left over to eat another day.
- We are challenged not to waste what God gives us.
- We are challenged not to see this miracle as an historical event, but as a daily way of life for the believer.
- This is an example of the always and forever operative power of Jesus Christ.
Homework
Matthew 14:22-36
- Application of Mat 14:1-21
- In what ways have you limited God’s all-sufficient provision for you?
- In what ways have you failed to scatter God’s blessings to other people?
- What can you do this week to see God as the all-sufficient supplier of your needs?
- What specific things can you do this week to spread God’s blessings to other people?
- Preparation for Mat 14:22-36
- Read Mat 14:22-33 Walking on the water
- What do you learn about faith from this miracle?
- Read Mat 14:22-33 Walking on the water
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- Why did Peter begin to sink?
- Read Mat 14:34-36 Many healings
- What do you learn about faith from these miracles?
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- Memory verse: 1Joh 4:18
