Bible Study with our Final Authority the King James Bible
Fun stuff to think about..
John 6:5-10 The Feeding of the 5,000
5 When
Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he
saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And
this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip
answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that
every one of them may take a little.
8 One
of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There
is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what
are they among so many?
10 And
Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So
the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
We all know about the famous account of the “feeding of the five thousand,” which was also recorded by Matthew (Matt.14), Mark (Mark 6), and Luke (Luke 9)
What’s so interesting about this is why the Holy Spirit insisted in saying this in all the Gospels? Why four times? What’s so important about this when it is told more times than the Virgin Birth or the Ascension of Christ back to glory? Luke omits the wise men from the East; Matthew omits the shepherds in the fields; Mark omits Gabriel talking with Mary; John omits the prodigal son and the rich man Lasarus; Mark says nothing about the marriage supper or the wise and foolish virgins (nor does John). Only one account of the New Birth is recorded (Matthew, Mark, and Luke omit it); only one account contains the real “Lord’s Prayer” (John1 17) – Matthew, Mark, and Luke omit it. Neither Matthew or Luke give you the details of the healing of the maniac of Gadara ( Mark 5) and on and on….But !
But ALL FOUR EVANGELISTS record a onetime feeding of 5,000 Jews in the wilderness. ( John 21:15).
Why would the Holy Spirit do such a thing, is this what we call a “Just Balance?” doesn’t that look like one of those “tricky things” that the Lord delights in? Like saying for example, devoting 12 chapters to the construction of an old gray tent. ( Exod. 25-31, 35-40) You find these things out when you read the Bible over and over and over again. These things pop out at you and you begin to see God in a different light. So why 12 chapters on tent building and only ONE chapter on creation, the creation of the universe? How’s that for a false balance?
So what’s so important about feeding some people in “a desert place” (Luke 9:12) that makes it more important that the New Birth, the Virgin Birth of Christ, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ascension of our Lord? If you run to any of your favorite commentaries you won’t find a peep from them on this., so we are on our own here, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Amen and Amen…
Drum roll please…
The most important thing in the Book where the major emphasis is always found to be, is never on the New Birth, the Deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, the Crucifixion, the plan of salvation, the sacraments, the Church, or anything any Christian scholar might suggest. It is on THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST. For every verse on the seven things listed above (combined) there are TEN verses on the Second Advent. That explains why the feeding of the 5,000 was told to you four times because it has to do with the Jews in the great Tribulation. Ps. 78:19-25; Hosea 2:14-18; Luke 4:4; Revelation 12:6,14; Exodus 16: 14_31; Ps. 74:14; and Micah 6:14. This was a picture of what’s to come…
God Bless
