Skip to main content

Matthew 14:13 - Feeding the 5,000 - Day 185

Hello again,

This is another providential selection.  Created the note back on 3/4/21.  And then found out last Friday that John's version was going to be topic of sermon on 3/14/21.

Observations:

Jesus' response to the murder of John Baptist.

He had been in Nazareth where he was rejected by his townfolk. He could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

He withdraws to a desolate place but people hear about his departure from Nazareth and somehow get there before he does.  The "great crowd" is waiting for him when he lands.  How did this great crowd get organized so quickly and then actually walk to this desolate place from various towns without bringing provisions?  How could so many people be able to leave home to make this trek?  Could I get 5,000 men from various towns to show up in one place using only face to face contact?

How odd that he went from a town where people rejected him to a desolate place where a "great crowd" came to him.  From a place of unbelief to a place of belief.  From a place of few works to a place of a great miracle.

He has compassion on the people who tracked him down.  And they even brought their sick with them.  

Sermon - desolate is really desolate.  Not just "out of the way".  You really have to want to go there.

Only miracle that is all 4 gospels.

Conclusions

None of this can be explained in natural terms.  It is not just the multiplication of the 5 loaves and 2 fish, but getting that many people to one place without provisions so that they would need a miracle.

Humanity of Jesus - rejection in Nazareth leading to withdrawal from his hometown must have been disappointing combined with death of John Baptist.  The need to be alone with the Father.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2 Chronicles 33:7-9 Thoughts on Davidic covenant - Day 362

Good morning faithful readers, The finish line is in sight!!!  One of the themes of scripture is that God is a covenant keeping God.  There are many between God and man. Adam, Noah, David are examples.  Covenants are more than promises.  They are made between a superior and inferior with conditions for each side and blessing and penalties based on keeping the conditions.  These are covenants of works which fallen man was unable to keep.  Thanks be to God that the Father made a covenant of grace with Christ, the second Adam, which he fully kept. Blessings, Jeff The promise in v8 was made to David when he had planned to build the temple and God promised to build him a house forever. (2 Sam 7:10).  Seems like there are only two possibilities about Manasseh's disobedience.  Either he knew of this covenant that God had made with his 13th great grandfather and chose to disregard it, or he didn't know of it and was unaware of the penalty.  Let's con...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 30:16-20 Hearts set to seek the Lord - Day 359

Good morning fellow members of the household of God, After writing the devotional, I am thinking about the Passover as a household event.  In ancient Israel, the physical household of man was covered by the blood of the lamb.  Now, it is the spiritual household of God that is covered by the blood of the Lamb. Blessings, Jeff The account of the greatest celebration of Passover since time of Solomon (v 26).   Observations: One of the things that made this one great is participation of some of the tribes from the northern kingdom.  Israel was a united kingdom and Solomon and now toward the end of the northern kingdom, there is at least a semblance of being united. God allows some exemptions: Who offers the sacrifice:  The original Passover was a family by family sacrifice of a lamb.  However in  Deuteronomy 16:5-6 this changed to a centralized location once they entered the promised land.  (You may not offer the Passover sacrifice within any of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Chronicles 35:23-26 Lament for the last good king - Day 364

Good morning fellow exiles and pilgrims, One more day of devotions.  We are indeed exiles and pilgrims in this world as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  The 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks can serve as a reminder that this world is not our home. Blessings, Jeff The lamentations for Josiah written by Jeremiah.  However, the book of Lamentations does not include any reference to Josiah as they are focused on the fall of Jerusalem.  While these lost lamentations were "made the rule" there are only 4 more kings and none of them were good like Josiah and none died in Jerusalem.  The phrase "to this day" generally refers to the time of the author (post exile).  Taken together, it may be that these laments were for the last good king and during the exile the people were longing for the next good king. Zerubbabel in a way was the next good king as temple and Jerusalem were rebuilt. But Jesus truly was the next king and He...
Post a Comment
Read more