7 Signs Of The Gospel Of John: Feeding Of The Five Thousand

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7 SIGNS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN: FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

Pastor Mike here.

(This is Part 4 of the seven signs of the Gospel of John where we’re considering the fourth sign: Feeding Of The Five Thousand.)

The Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle John the words of his Gospel account surrounding the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

JOHN’S GOSPEL CONSTRUCTED AROUND SEVEN MIRACLES

One of the ways John constructed his Gospel is around seven signs (or miracles) that our Lord performed.

The fourth of the seven signs is found in John chapter 6, verse 1 through 15 where it reads…

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.

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.”

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?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.

11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”

13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

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.

FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

And so we have the fourth sign of the seven signs of the Gospel of John: Feeding Of The Five Thousand.

And before we dive in to the text, let me just remind you of the main point of the seven signs of the Gospel of John.

John himself gives it to us in John chapter 20, verse 30-31…

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these (the seven signs of the Gospel of John) are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

And so the signs are meant to be convincing proof that Jesus is the Messiah promised from the Garden of Eden that God would send to die in your place on the cross so that you would be saved from your sins and have eternal life.

VERSE 1-4

Which brings us to the text.

In v. 1 we find that the setting is on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

And then in v. 2 we discover a large crowd is following Jesus because they were seeing signs.

Jesus goes up on a mountain with His disciples to rest in v. 3.

And then in v. 4, it indicates it’s Passover time.

Passover will be the day Jesus is crucified on a cross.

Now Jesus likely moves to this wilderness place (type and shadow of manna in the wilderness given to Israel points to here – Exodus chapter 16, verse 1-31) – Jesus likely moves to this wilderness place to provide the impossible situation of the miracle and to stay away from those who would kill him in Jerusalem.

VERSE 5–10

Which brings us to v. 5 where we have Jesus’ conversation with Philip, first, and then Andrew.

The impossibility of conjuring up enough food for five thousand men is established in these conversations.

(Five thousand men plus women and children might equal 15,000!)

Jesus asks Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”

In ‘testing’ Philip (v. 6) Jesus seeks to strengthen his faith in Him to provide for daily bread and forgive his sins and give him eternal life after he dies, ultimately.

Philip responds in v. 7, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”

Two hundred denarii equals over a half a year’s salary.

And then in v. 8-9, Andrew pipes in about the meager resources available at hand.

Andrew says, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

In v. 10 Jesus has every one sit down and the number of men in the crowd is highlighted.

VERSE 11-15

Which brings us to v. 11-15 and the sign.

Jesus takes the loaves and the fish that the boy had and multiplies them so that the crowd eats their fill.

Again, this hearkens back to another time where physical food was miraculously provided in a desolate place (manna in the wilderness in Exodus 16) and especially in light of the response of the people to the sign.

In John 6, verse 14, they declare, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

Many thought Jesus was the new Moses.

DR. PAUL KRETZMANN ON THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

In his commentary on the the entire Bible including the Gospel of John, Dr. Paul Kretzmann puts it this way…

Before the entire vast assembly which was now seated in anxious expectation, Jesus next took the loaves and gave thanks; He dedicated them to God by His prayer. And He at the same time proved Himself the almighty God and Lord, for His blessing upon the bread caused the miracle. The few loaves did not grow into great stacks, but they multiplied under His almighty touch during the distribution. No matter how often the disciples returned to the Lord for further supplies, there was always enough on hand.

Dr. Kretzmann goes on…

Here was a powerful proof of the almighty power of Christ. The simple Nazarene is the Creator and Preserver of all things, who gives food and sustenance to all creatures. The hand of the Lord is not shortened even now, but is able and willing to help in all emergencies, if we but place our trust in Him.

Dr. Kretzmann concludes…

But the people did not draw the right conclusion from the miracle. They merely thought that this was the beginning of that reign of earthly abundance which the prophets were thought to have foretold. Some of them may have believed that Jesus was truly the Messiah, but the majority voiced their opinion in the statement that this man was of a truth, beyond doubt, that prophet that should come into the world, for they understood the words of Moses … of a mere man, with the spirit and the power of Moses. [(Dueteronomy 18:15)]

THE SEVEN SIGNS ARE CONVINCING PROOF THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH

And so we have the fourth sign of the seven signs of the Gospel of John: Feeding Of The Five Thousand.

This fourth sign, along with the other six signs of the Gospel of John, are meant to be convincing proof that Jesus is the Messiah promised from the Garden of Eden that God would send to die in your place on the cross so that you would be saved from your sins and have eternal life.