The Miracles of Jesus Lesson 17: Feeding the Multitudes Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14

Background to Feeding the 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14 This miracle occurred in the Spring about the time of the Passover, on the Northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee near Bethsaida.

Background to Feeding the 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14  Jesus had just been told of the death of John (Matt. 14:12-13; Mark 6:29-32) and the apostles had just returned from the limited commission (Luke 9:1-10)  Jesus sought a deserted place for rest, but the multitudes followed Him. He had compassion on them He “healed their sick” and taught them “many things.”  At evening, the disciples wanted to send the people away to local villages to buy food.  Jesus challenged His disciples to give them something to eat It would have taken 200 denarii to buy enough food and the disciples could only produce 5 barley loaves and 2 fish.

Details of Feeding the 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14  Jesus instructed the multitudes (5,000 men, plus women and children) to sit on the green grass in ranks of 100’s & 50’s  He blessed the food and gave it to His disciples to give to the multitudes.  When everyone had eaten their fill, Jesus told the disciples to “gather up the fragments.”  12 baskets of fragments were collected.

Background to Feeding the 4,000 Matthew 15:29  This miracle occurred on a mountain in the Decapolis

Background to Feeding the 4,000 Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-9  Jesus taught and healed the multitudes, and they continued with Him for 3 days with nothing to eat. Mountains in the Decapolis

Details of Feeding the 4,000 Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-9  The multitude “marveled” and “glorified God” when they saw Jesus’ miracles. (Matthew 15:31)  Jesus did not want to send the people away hungry, “lest they faint on the way.”  The disciples asked, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness…?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” The disciples produced 7 loaves and a few fish.  Jesus gave thanks for the food and gave it to the disciples to give to the multitude.  When all had eaten, 7 large baskets of fragments were left.  There were 4,000 men, plus women and children.

Lessons from Feeding of the Multitudes  These miracles verify Jesus’ identity and teaching.  They reveal the Lord’s compassion.  They represent Jesus as “the bread of life.”  They illustrate the role of the apostles in taking the bread of life to the world.  They indicate that Jesus was not wasteful.  They show that Jesus can provide for our needs when we ourselves or other men cannot; we should not worry! (Mark 8:12-20; Matthew 16:6-12)  After feeding the 5,000, we learn that those who followed Jesus for food were in error (John 6:26-66) The miracle symbolized Jesus’ mission, it did not define it