Living Words
"Living Words" is a weekly podcast that explores the transformative power of scripture across a diverse range of Biblical books, guided by insightful devotionals from the author's own works. Each episode seeks to deepen faith and understanding, connecting listeners with the enduring wisdom and relevance of the Bible in their daily lives.
Living Words
In His Footsteps Week 8: Feeding the 5000
In this podcast, host Charles Vance opens with a greeting and an introduction to the concept of Sabbath as a gift from the Creator. He then moves into the eighth week's focus on the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000, emphasizing its importance as the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Vance briefly discusses the chronological order of the Gospels and addresses certain interpretations and potential forgery concerns.
He provides a detailed account of the miracle from John 6:1-15, highlighting the significance of divine provision and reliance on Jesus. Vance explains the theological implications, such as Jesus as the bread of life, the sign of the Kingdom, Jesus' lordship over creation, and the test of faith and understanding for the disciples.
Vance also reflects on the crowd's reaction and the broader lessons of trust in divine provision, spiritual nourishment, participation in God's work, and the abundance of God's kingdom. He poses reflective questions to deepen understanding and offers prayers for trust, spiritual nourishment, and participation in Jesus' kingdom, ending with a prayer of praise and hope for the listeners' return.
Get a copy of the In His Footsteps devotional here.
Good morning and happy Shabbos. This is Shabbat Shalom, that means peaceful Sabbath, and I'm so thankful that we have a Sabbath, that this is a gift that the Creator has given us. To rest on the seventh day, to think about Him, to unplug from the world, to set your mind in a different place in the Kingdom of God, in a different place in the kingdom of God. Now, this morning. This is the fifth week. No, excuse me, this is the eighth week, the feeding of the 5,000. And I do. Thank you for joining me. These are meant to be rather brief devotionals, typically 15 to 20 minutes. I may go over a little bit if I get wound up on something. This book can also be found on Amazon. I have a link to it in the show notes of this podcast if you're interested. Not necessary, because I'm going to go through the whole book right here. So the text for the week is John 6, 1 through 15, and that recounts the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000, one of his most famous miracles and the only one recorded in all four Gospels, which underscores its significance. And on that note, I just want to add a parenthetical statement to say this also enables us to prove the 100% chronological order of Matthew, mark, luke and John, that not just Matthew, mark and Luke are chronological but John is as well. And unfortunately there have been some, I believe, ancient forgeries and some mischief played with some of the interpretations of the scriptures to try to say that John is not chronological, that there are multiple Passovers, that it proves somehow a three and a half year ministry. But when you boil it back and you take the feeding of the 5,000 to act as a registration or a marker point for all four Gospels synoptic Gospels you can actually prove that there are only two Passovers in John and that John 6-4 doesn't belong there and that John 5-1 is not a Passover. All right, so I don't want to get too deep into the weeds on that, but I just wanted to say that that is a very important context and that the feeding of the 5,000 is an incredibly important miracle.
Speaker 1:Now the context of it in the narrative is that, okay, jesus crosses the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Tiberias, where a large crowd follows him, drawn by his healing miracles. Observing the gathered multitude, jesus tests Philip by asking where to buy bread for the people, highlighting the disciples' limitations and setting the stage for a teaching moment about divine provision and reliance. Andrew points out a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, emphasizing the inadequacy of their resources, and two small fish, emphasizing the inadequacy of their resources, choosing to act. Jesus has the people to sit down, take the loaves, give thanks and distribute the food to all. Remarkably, they have enough to eat, with 12 baskets left over, which signifies the abundance out from scarcity. And it also signifies that he had 12 disciples. Each got a basket, so he met their provision as well. After everybody else was filled, the crowd witnessing the miracle recognized him as the prophet, the one who Moses spoke of, who had come to save the world, and they intended to make him king, and so he withdrew himself. Now the theological significance is divine provision. So the miracle is a powerful demonstration of his ability to provide, reflecting God's providence in the wilderness for Israel. It reassures us of God's concern for our physical and spiritual needs.
Speaker 1:Jesus as the bread of life. This event foreshadows the discourse of Jesus being the bread of life John 6, 35, emphasizing that he offers not just temporal sustenance but eternal life. The sign of the kingdom, the abundance of food from such meager beginnings points to the nature of the kingdom of God, where what seems insufficient becomes more than enough. Through his intervention, it suggests a reversal of worldly expectations, where divine abundance meets and exceeds human need. The Lordship of Jesus over creation. This miracle illustrates the Lordship of Jesus over creation, capable of multiplying resources infinitely. It underscores his divinity and his control over the physical world. It is a test of faith and understanding. The disciples' response to Jesus' question about buying bread tests their faith and understanding of his mission. It illustrates the journey from doubt to faith, encouraging believers to trust in his provision. It is a response to the kingship of Jesus. The crowd's reaction to make Jesus king reflects a misunderstanding of his mission.
Speaker 1:Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom, not a political one, and his withdrawal to the mountain alone emphasizes his commitment to God's will over popular expectation. The other thing is that his purpose was not to come to rule. That comes later. His purpose was to come as a servant to serve, to save mankind through his sinless, blameless shed blood on Calvary as the Lamb of God. What are the lessons we can draw? We can draw that trust in divine provision and spiritual nourishment. The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes teaches us about the sufficiency of His provision and the importance of looking to Him for spiritual nourishment. It encourages us to trust in Jesus to meet our needs and to seek him as the bread of life, who offers a sustenance that satisfies the soul beyond physical or material fulfillment.
Speaker 1:In John 6, 11, 35, jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed to those who were seated as many as that wanted. And then Jesus declared I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Another lesson is participation in God's work. The disciples' involvement in distributing the food highlights that Jesus calls us to be active participants in his work on the earth. This illustrates that God uses our willingness and what we offer, no matter how small, to accomplish his purposes and extend his kingdom's abundance.
Speaker 1:In John 6, 9 through 11, here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish. But how far will they go among so many? And Jesus said have the people sit down. And he gave thanks and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. And Jesus said Okay. Another lesson is the abundance of God's kingdom and the call for deeper faith, the abundance reflected in the 12 baskets of leftovers from the feeding signifies the overflowing provision of God's kingdom, encouraging us to live with generosity and trust in God's endless provision. Additionally, this miracle teaches us the importance of a faith that goes beyond seeking signs to recognizing Jesus for who he is the Son of God and our Savior John 6, 13 and 26-27.
Speaker 1:So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. And Jesus answered Verily. Truly I tell you you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which is the Son of man, and he will give you. Here are some questions for reflection and discussion. He will give you. Here's some questions for reflection and discussion.
Speaker 1:How does the miracle of the feeding 5,000 deepen your understanding of his compassion and concern for both physical and spiritual needs? Well, he could have let him starve. He could have just said figure it out. I mean, we got five barley loaves and two fish. What do you want me to do? No, his compassion caused him to open up the fabric of heaven and bring forth out of nothing food for all.
Speaker 1:Reflect on the symbolism of bread throughout the Bible and in this miracle. What does Jesus as the bread of life mean to you personally? It means that he is my sustenance, that he is my life and that without him you will die. That's what it means. In what ways does this sign challenge contemporary understandings of abundance and provision? Well, I mean, contemporary understanding is, you know, every man for himself, right? This is not. They don't follow the model of let's go feed the 5,000. They're like I'm going to feed me. How can we trust in his provision in our own lives? By watching him work it out. Just trust in him and watch him work out issues in your life.
Speaker 1:Discuss the crowd's response to Jesus following the miracle. How does it reflect common misunderstandings of his mission and how can we avoid similar mistakes? I mean these people. They were oppressed, they were ready for the Messiah to come to be king. They were just looking for a sign and they saw that as a sign and they wanted it now and they did not understand the plan of God, as we frequently do not understand the plan of God. We want something. We want it now. Well, god, this is what I want and I don't understand why you won't give it to me. And it could just be that it's not within his mission for you or his will.
Speaker 1:Consider the boy's role in the miracle. What does his action teach us about faith, generosity and participation in God's work? He was there, he was willing and he gave up his very food. That's all he had to eat. He didn't know what you know beyond trusting. Hey, hey, kid, give me your food. You know, give me your food. Wait, get out of here. I brought these loaves and fish for me. This is for my friends, my family. Who the hell are you to tell me to give you my fish? And he said no, here, have it all, I'm willing. That was what it teaches us about the boy.
Speaker 1:Suggested prayers here's a prayer for trust in God's provision. Heavenly Father, we come before you recognizing our own limitations and the seeming scarcity in our lives. Like the loaves and fish in the hands of Jesus, we offer to you what we have, trusting in your ability to multiply and use our resources beyond our imagination. Help us to rely not on our understanding but on your endless provision, knowing that you are more than capable of meeting every need. Teach us to live in the abundance of your grace, always aware of your care and provision. Amen.
Speaker 1:Here's a prayer for spiritual nourishment. Lord Jesus, bread of life in a world hungry for meaning and fulfillment, remind us that true satisfaction is found only in you. Nourish our souls with your presence and your word that we might be filled with your love, peace and joy. Help us to daily feed on the spiritual sustenance you offer, growing in our relationship with you and becoming sources of spiritual nourishment for others. May our lives reflect the abundance of your kingdom, sharing the bread of life with the world in need. Amen.
Speaker 1:Prayer for understanding and participating in Jesus' kingdom. Holy Spirit, guide us in understanding the true nature of Jesus' kingdom, which transcends our worldly expectations and desires. Amen, teach us to seek and celebrate your rule in our hearts and our communities, participating joyfully in the work you're doing in the world. Amen, and I hope this has been a meaningful experience and I hope there have been some words and some example or knowledge out of this for your heart to deepen your relationship and your walk with Yeshua Christ. And now I'm going to end it in prayer and I hope you return next week. Abba, father, we praise your name. We thank you for your mercy, for your goodness, that you're a kind and loving God, that you are the bread of life and that you've given of yourself fully and that you gave up your life on this earth as a sinless sacrifice, as a lamb of God, that we can have eternal life with you. And we praise your name and we say all these things in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, jesus Christ.
