On Line Bible Study - For the Week March 19-25, 2012
Lesson 528
We are looking at one of the stories - and the only miracle from Jesus' public ministry - that is contained in all four gospels. You can read the entire story by clicking on the above text. We will consider two aspects of this story.
First, there are eucharistic components - Jesus "takes", "gives thanks" (eucharistein), and "gives". There are ancient drawings on Christian catacombs depicting the feeding of the multitude as a symbol of The Lord's Supper. An interesting detail has to do with the loaves of barley. Bread made of barley was the food of the poorer class of people. Jesus makes use of what is available to do the mighty work of God.
Second, in John's telling of the story there is a mention of Jesus potentially being carried off and made a king. He resists this action. This is reminiscent of the text in John 2: 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. Jesus does not trust the human impulse to catapult him into a position of political power or influence.
Unlike in Matthew 15:32 where we read that Jesus had compassion on the crowds, the story in John makes no mention of compassion. Rather, the emphasis is on this story as being a "sign" Jesus performed - a sign that suggested to some of the people that Jesus was "the Prophet who is to come into the world." Perhaps the text harkens back to II Kings 4:38-44. The prophet Elisha takes 20 loaves of barley bread and feeds 100 men, collecting the leftovers. Does the evangelist intentionally make this connection?
This story in John is layered with complexity. It's placement in the gospel itself, and the various parts of the story that are specific to John raise a number of questions that are beyond the scope of our study. We will have the opportunity to explore the story a bit further in our next lesson.
First, there are eucharistic components - Jesus "takes", "gives thanks" (eucharistein), and "gives". There are ancient drawings on Christian catacombs depicting the feeding of the multitude as a symbol of The Lord's Supper. An interesting detail has to do with the loaves of barley. Bread made of barley was the food of the poorer class of people. Jesus makes use of what is available to do the mighty work of God.
Second, in John's telling of the story there is a mention of Jesus potentially being carried off and made a king. He resists this action. This is reminiscent of the text in John 2: 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person. Jesus does not trust the human impulse to catapult him into a position of political power or influence.
Unlike in Matthew 15:32 where we read that Jesus had compassion on the crowds, the story in John makes no mention of compassion. Rather, the emphasis is on this story as being a "sign" Jesus performed - a sign that suggested to some of the people that Jesus was "the Prophet who is to come into the world." Perhaps the text harkens back to II Kings 4:38-44. The prophet Elisha takes 20 loaves of barley bread and feeds 100 men, collecting the leftovers. Does the evangelist intentionally make this connection?
This story in John is layered with complexity. It's placement in the gospel itself, and the various parts of the story that are specific to John raise a number of questions that are beyond the scope of our study. We will have the opportunity to explore the story a bit further in our next lesson.
posted by Mark D at 2:12 PM
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