The Feast Jesus Provides ~ Luke 9:10-17

May 4, 2014 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson

Intro: Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated what was the greatest miracle of Jesus, i.e., his bodily resurrection
from the dead. All four Gospelancient biographies of Jesus included in the NTrecord this miracle that
changes everything.

Did you know that all the miracles that Jesus did, there is only one other miracle that all four Gospel
writers record? Think of some of the amazing things handed down to us by the rst Christians who had
been with Jesus: cleansing a leper (Luke 5:12ff); the healing of the paralytic (5:17ff); the healing of the
man with a withered hand (6:6ff); Jesus healing the centurions servant from a distance (7:1ff); calming
the storm (8:22ff); the raising of Jairus daughter from death (8:40ff).

But there was one miracle that was so dening of who Jesus was in terms of his identity and mission
that all four gospel writers recorded it for us. That miracle is the feeding of the 5,000+ people on the
outskirts of a town called Bethsaida.

Exploring: The Gospel writers want you to know about this miracle of Jesus becauseif truetells you that
Jesus is unlike anyone who has ever lived; And its important that you understand this particular miracle not as
some magic trick that Jesus didbut as a revelation of his identity and a foretaste of the coming kingdom of
God.

Key: Luke the physician is writing with a purpose: Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a
narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning
were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also,
having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent
Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught (Luke 1:1-4).

Christian: You will reminded of what this miracle teaches us about your Lord and Saviour, and has enormous
implications for our lives and ministry. The Feast Jesus Provides ~ Luke 9:10-17

Review: The disciples had just been sent on a mission trip without Jesus, and King Herod was perplexed about
all he was hearing about Jesus, and we were left with the question of Herod ringing in our ears, Who is this
about whom I hear such things?

10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew to a
town called Bethsaida.

1. The disciples had just returned from their rst extended commission to minister in the name of Jesus
and to proclaim the Good News of Gods Kingdom. They are exhausted and worn out, so Jesus takes
them on a retreat to Bethsaida on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Mk. 6:31, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming
and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

2. And its here that they are going to be refreshed and encouraged and invigorated, but not in a way that
they were expecting.

11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the
kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.

1. Mk. 6:33, Manyran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
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2. The disciples response? We can only imagine.
Jesus response? He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God

The kingdom of God was the coming reign of God in the person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah; the
theme of Jesus teaching (4:43) as well as the them of the commission he gave his disciples (9:2).

Jesus was about to do a sign that not even his disciples anticipated, a sign that would further reveal
his identity.

12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, Send the crowd away to go
into the surrounding villages and the countryside to nd lodging and to get provisions, for we are here
in a desolate place. 13 But he said to them, You give them something to eat. They said, We have no
more than ve loaves and two shunless we are to go and buy food for all these people. 14 For
there were about ve thousand men.

1. Whats Jesus up to here? They just returned from a mission in which Jesus told them to not take any
bread with them (9:3). He knows that they do not have it within themselves to do anything in this
situation. So why did he command them to do this? I believe it was to see what they would do with such
a ridiculous command.

John 6:6-9, He said this to test them, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him,
Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite! Another of his
disciples, Andrew, Simon Peters brother, spoke up, Here is a boy with ve small barley loaves and
two small sh, but how far will they go among so many?

What do they have? (5 loaves of bread, two sh + ______?) IOW, what are they not seeing?

2. The disciples had seen Jesus meet needs, whether for healing or encouragement or whatever, Jesus
always provided again and again. But here, it never occurs to them that Jesus could meet this need.

And he said to his disciples, Have them sit down in groups of about fty each. 15 And they did so,
and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the ve loaves and two sh, he looked up to heaven and said
a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

1. he gave is in the imperfect tense. Lit., he kept giving.

Maclaren, The pieces grew under his touch, and the disciples always found his hands full when they
came back with their own empty.

Hughes 333, Jesus kept producing the bread and sh in his hands by the supernatural power of
God. Jesus kept creating tons of barley cakes and sh between the palms of his hands. This was
creation power!

2. Obj: You cant seriously believe that this actually happened? This is unbelievable.

All four Gospels record this miracle. IOW, the Gospel writers are telling you with a straight face that
this really happened. Further, they tell us where this happened: Bethsaida. Plus, 5,000 men witnes-
sed this miracle (2-3x amount including women & children). Anyone could verify this. Plus Luke is
writing this to a Roman ofcial, Theophilus (1:4). The greater miracle is the resurrection.

17 And they all ate and were satised. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken
pieces.
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Ryken, It was so impossible that none of them could explain it, but none of them could deny it either.

Jesus does the unexpected. He gives us a glimpse of another worldthe coming Kingdom of God. In
and through Jesus, this new world was breaking into the old. And when Gods kingdom comes, it satises
us like nothing else can.


So, why did Luke record these stories in his historical biography of Jesus?

According to this historical biography, Jesus is

Lord of nature (he calmed the raging seas by his command - 8:22-25)
Lord of spiritual realm (he casts our demons by his command - 8:26-38)
Lord of life (he restored a womans health - 8:40-48)
Lord of death (he raised a girl from the dead - 8:49-56)
Lord of creation (he creates a seemingly endless supply of food - 9:10-17) [HT: Hughes]

This answers the question posed by Herod, Who, then, is this? (9:9)

Summary: Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord of the Feast who satises our deepest hunger.

Application:
1. Read the sign correctly, and believe.

John 6:14, When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, This is indeed the Prophet who is
come into the world! Perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,
Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus: I am the King, but not the kind of King you were expecting. I am a King who must die. Your
deepest problem is not a egomaniacal ruler like Herod nor the fact that you grew hungry for food one
afternoon. Your deepest problem is alienation from your Creator, and you cannot do anything about it.
Therefore, I am a king must die in your place to make atonement for your sins.

John 6:32-36, 47-48, Jesus answered them, Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because
you saw signs, but because you ate your ll of the loaves. my Father gives you the true bread from
heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said
to him, Sir, give us this bread always. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of heaven; whoever comes to
me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever
believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.

Jesus: Its not enough to think of me as a good teacher or an interesting philosopher who said some
really cool things. You must see me as the Lord of Creation. You must see me as the Bread of life.
You must see me as the only one who can truly satisfy your hunger. You must come to me for eternal
life. I will welcome you into the Kingdom and satisfy the deepest longings of your soul.

2. Look beyond your resources.

Sometimes we look at what Jesus calls us to do and think, thats impossible. But we must remember that
Gods horizon is not limited like ours is.

Illus: My lesson in learning that God provides (eg, seminary)
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George MacDonald, Because you cannot see what can be done, you say that God can do nothing
which is like saying there cannot be more within His scope than there is within yours.#One thing is
clear:# if He saw no more than lies within your sight, He could not be God.#The very impossibility you
see in things points to the region God works in.

Our insufciency doesnt handicap his sufciency, but rather highlights it.
Our inability doesnt hamper His ability, but rather serves to spotlight it.

What do we have that God could use for his kingdom purposes?

Some time, some talents, some treasures. Plus Jesus! He is the one who gave us the time, talents,
and treasures in the rst place. Hes Lord of creation. And hes the one who can multiply and amplify
them for his Kingdom purposes in the world.

Jesus could have passed out the bread & sh himself, but he included his messed up disciples who
initially didnt see the difference Jesus made in a demanding situation.
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