1. The Miracles of Jesus Lesson 17: Feeding the Multitudes Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14

2. Background to Feeding the 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14 This miracle occurred in the Spring about the time of the Passover, on the Northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee near Bethsaida.

3. Background to Feeding the 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14  Jesus had just been told of the death of John (Matt. 14:12-13; Mark 6:29-32) and the apostles had just returned from the limited commission (Luke 9:1-10)  Jesus sought a deserted place for rest, but the multitudes followed Him. He had compassion on them He “healed their sick” and taught them “many things.”  At evening, the disciples wanted to send the people away to local villages to buy food.  Jesus challenged His disciples to give them something to eat It would have taken 200 denarii to buy enough food and the disciples could only produce 5 barley loaves and 2 fish.

4. Details of Feeding the 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14  Jesus instructed the multitudes (5,000 men, plus women and children) to sit on the green grass in ranks of 100’s & 50’s  He blessed the food and gave it to His disciples to give to the multitudes.  When everyone had eaten their fill, Jesus told the disciples to “gather up the fragments.”  12 baskets of fragments were collected.

5. Background to Feeding the 4,000 Matthew 15:29  This miracle occurred on a mountain in the Decapolis

6. Background to Feeding the 4,000 Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-9  Jesus taught and healed the multitudes, and they continued with Him for 3 days with nothing to eat. Mountains in the Decapolis

7. Details of Feeding the 4,000 Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-9  The multitude “marveled” and “glorified God” when they saw Jesus’ miracles. (Matthew 15:31)  Jesus did not want to send the people away hungry, “lest they faint on the way.”  The disciples asked, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness…?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” The disciples produced 7 loaves and a few fish.  Jesus gave thanks for the food and gave it to the disciples to give to the multitude.  When all had eaten, 7 large baskets of fragments were left.  There were 4,000 men, plus women and children.

8. Lessons from Feeding of the Multitudes  These miracles verify Jesus’ identity and teaching.  They reveal the Lord’s compassion.  They represent Jesus as “the bread of life.”  They illustrate the role of the apostles in taking the bread of life to the world.  They indicate that Jesus was not wasteful.  They show that Jesus can provide for our needs when we ourselves or other men cannot; we should not worry! (Mark 8:12-20; Matthew 16:6-12)  After feeding the 5,000, we learn that those who followed Jesus for food were in error (John 6:26-66) The miracle symbolized Jesus’ mission, it did not define it