The Significance Of The Loaves The miracle of the loaves was important enough to the Lord and disciples that it is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Mark and Matthew also tell of Jesus performing this miracle on two different occasions. I think there is a very important message Jesus is trying to teach us here. Luke 9:1-2 (New Living Translation) One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. The mission - evangelize, spread the word and confirm it with miraculous healing. Luke 9:3 (New Living Translation) “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Jesus is saying depend only on me and the anointing (power and authority) I am giving you. Luke 9:6 (New Living Translation) So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick. When the disciples return they are with Jesus while he speaks to a very large crowd. The twelve become concerned about the people and tell Jesus to send them away as they were without food (Luke 9:9-12). Jesus responds… Luke 9:13-15 (New Living Translation) But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” For there were about 5,000 men there. Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” So the people all sat down. Jesus said “you feed them” because he had anointed them to do just that very thing on there recent ministry tour. Notice Jesus doesn’t tell the people to sit in groups but instructs the disciples to. This is the lesson for us. Bring order by assembling the crowd into manageable groups. Have them (sit down) submit to God and feed them the manna from heaven. Luke 9:15-16 (New Living Translation) So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. Notice again Jesus gives the bread and fish to the disciples to distribute. He wants them to feed the multitude. Then Jesus looks up and blesses the food to show the disciples, the crowd and each one of us that the miraculous power He is about to use comes from God through prayer and supplication! Luke 9:17 (New Living Translation) They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! They had more left over then when they started. The Lord is telling us He has an unending supply of bread. The “leftovers” illustrate the fact that God wants them to feed even more of the hungry. The number 5 is the number of grace. There were 5 loaves, 12 baskets of leftovers and 5000 men only fed. I think it entirely possible that God wanted to keep that number at 5000 so He didn’t have the disciples give a total headcount. The message being, with my grace (5 loaves) using 12 disciples (12 baskets-container’s) 5000 men were saved (filled with grace). I think He is trying to encourage us with a lesson in His kind of multiplication. At the onset of the next chapter in Luke (10) we find Jesus choosing seventy two disciples to go out and preach the Good News. I think it’s likely He chose them from the 5,000 present at the miracle of the loaves. Luke 10:2 (New Living Translation) These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. Jesus’ unlimited amount of manna is only equaled by His desire for new disciples. The miracle of the loaves shows us His heart, the salvation of souls brought to Him by His people. This miracle is a picture of the Church Of Jesus Christ, the purpose and the method. Luke 10:4a (New Living Translation) Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. The same instruction to the seventy two as the twelve, depend on only Me and My power from on high. Mark 6:47-52 (New Living Translation) Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. The disciples didn’t understand that they could depend on and count on God. Their hearts were still too hard to understand His great love, and His great plans for them. Luke 10:38-42 (New Living Translation) As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” The significance of the loaves is to show us that in Jesus we have everything we need to advance His kingdom and to bless His heart, the salvation of souls. Yes the Lord has shown us that He wants laborers and we have a great work to do but He also wants us to know, all ministry is fueled where it begins, at His feet.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 10:57:02 +0000
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