5000: The Feeding Of The 5000

The Feeding of the 5000

What is a miracle? A miracle is defined as: “A less common kind of God's activity in which He arouses people's awe and wonder and bears witness to Himself ”(Grudem, 355) There are fewer examples in scripture that more clearly describe what a miracle really is than the feeding of the 5000. The act of Jesus multiplying the five loves and two fish among 5000 men, not including the women and children, is one of the finest examples of God revealing Himself to man. This is the topic that will be discussed in this research paper. When we think of miracles we don't often think of feeding people. We think of limbs growing back and sight restored; we think of healing. But in John chapter six we see Jesus perform a miracle that

Jesus was the bread of life and by this the bread may be known as the true bread: that it comes down from heaven, in order that men may eat of it, and that he who eats of it may not die. For Christ is the living bread, He offers Himself as bread and communicates by the eating of this bread the promise of eternal life. (Langes, 222)

However, if men do not believe on Him, whom God sent, in no proper sense do they believe in God; and they remain in spiritual death, since life is presented to them in Him. Just like the children of Israel in the wilderness who thought it best to hoard away some of the manna sent from heaven, even after being told there would be more, so these were concerned with their immediate physical need. They could not understand that Jesus wanted to give them so much more. (Hole, 238)

For it was not Moses but God who gave that manna from heaven, which was only a figure of the true bread; the true bread out of heaven is the gift of God, and He was now being revealed as Father by the One who was that gift. He had Himself come down out of heaven as the Giver of life to the world. In natural things bread only sustains life and in no sense gives it but Jesus was here as both the giver and the sustainer of life. Not just to the small Jewish nation amongst whom he moved but to the entire world. (Hole,