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The Feeding of the Five Thousand
Like all the miracles, it is full of allusions and surprising meanings.
The Bible said that the crowds left a fishing village (Bethsaida) on the Jordan delta and made their way to a deserted place (on the way to the Golan heights, probably). According to the Gospel, five thousand people from several villages gathered here. Even in those days, 100 thousand people would attend large festivals in Jerusalem, so five thousand on an occasion such as this is not so unlikely. When Jesus arrived to speak, he ran into trouble - the people were hungry. The Disciples were told to get the crowd to sit down in groups of 50’s and hundreds, and to gather what food was available - 5 loaves and 2 fishes. It would take a miracle to feed them all. And yet the food kept on coming. The Gospels say that all 5,000 ate and were filled, so much so that there was enough left over to fill 12 baskets.
It's natural to wonder if and how the miracle actually happened. There's one theory that the crowds were whipped into a frenzy of religious fervour and this depressed their hunger. Another says that they were so inspired by Jesus that they spontaneously shared their meagre bits of food. But, then again, if you believe that God exists, why couldn't such a thing happen?
Whatever we think today, the point is that people back then believed that Jesus had fed the multitude, and more than that, they would have recognised the symbolism of the miracle. Unlike modern interpretations of the miracle - ‘God’s bountiful gifts to his people’ - it would have had a completely different meaning to first century Jews, one so remarkable, many could hardly believe it was true.
Again, Jesus seemed to have been acting like someone else they had been longing for. Everything that had happened would have brought to mind the greatest figure in ancient Jewish history, the Father of the Jewish faith, the prince of Egypt who saved the Israelites from the Pharaoh - Moses.
The Dead Sea Scrolls stated that the Jews were awaiting a great prophet, but they were also awaiting a military saviour (the Messiah) and his task would be to liberate them from Roman's oppression. The scrolls say they were expecting someone with the leadership qualities of Moses, the hero of the exodus 1300 years before. After spending 40 years in the wilderness, he marched the Israelites into the promised land.
It was a tough act to follow, but what made them think Jesus could be another Moses?
There are many similarities between the two. Moses fled the fertile lands of the Nile delta, he crossed a sea (the Red Sea) and headed east for a deserted area, the wilderness of Sinai. Now look at the route Jesus took before he fed the multitude. He left the fertile Jordan delta, then crossed a sea (the Sea of Galilee) and headed east for the deserted area of the Golan Heights.
Coincidence? Maybe. But then take a look at these oddly similar details. Moses was a leader of a people AND an army. He often ordered the Hebrews to sit down in military companies of 50 and 100. Just before Jesus works his miracle, he too seems to act in the manner of a General, and he orders the crowd to sit in groups of 50 and 100.
But the most striking similarity is in the miracle itself. Remember how Jesus multiplied fish and bread to feed a multitude? Well, there was a miraculous multiplication of food in the Sinai desert too. Every day Moses prayed to God to feed his hungry people. Then, the prayers seemed to be answered; one day the skies were said to swarm with quails. The following day, they woke up to find the ground covered with manna; they said it was a dew-like substance that tasted like wafers. They called it "The Bread of Heaven".
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n both Sinai and Galilee there was so much food that there were basketfuls of leftovers. The political implications for the miracle were not lost on the crowd. The Israelites had looked to Moses to liberate them from the Egyptians.
The Galilean crowd now looked to Jesus to free them from the Romans. The Gospels say they tried to crown Jesus the "King of the Jews" there and then.
Jesus himself seems to have been taken aback by the event. The Gospels say he left to be alone and pray.
So, how did this public image of Jesus as a messiah square with the previous miracle painting him as a prophet? Who did the people think he was, great prophet or messiah?
Were the miracles forming a pattern which might answer this?
The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 was immediately followed by another miracle...
Coincidence? Maybe. But then take a look at these oddly similar details. Moses was a leader of a people AND an army. He often ordered the Hebrews to sit down in military companies of 50 and 100. Just before Jesus works his miracle, he too seems to act in the manner of a General, and he orders the crowd to sit in groups of 50 and 100.
But the most striking similarity is in the miracle itself. Remember how Jesus multiplied fish and bread to feed a multitude? Well, there was a miraculous multiplication of food in the Sinai desert too. Every day Moses prayed to God to feed his hungry people. Then, the prayers seemed to be answered; one day the skies were said to swarm with quails. The following day, they woke up to find the ground covered with manna; they said it was a dew-like substance that tasted like wafers. They called it "The Bread of Heaven".
In both Sinai and Galilee there was so much food that there were basketfuls of leftovers. The political implications for the miracle were not lost on the crowd. The Israelites had looked to Moses to liberate them from the Egyptians. The Galilean crowd now looked to Jesus to free them from the Romans. The Gospels say they tried to crown Jesus the "King of the Jews" there and then.
Jesus himself seems to have been taken aback by the event. The Gospels say he left to be alone and pray.
So, how did this public image of Jesus as a messiah square with the previous miracle painting him as a prophet? Who did the people think he was, great prophet or messiah?
Were the miracles forming a pattern which might answer this?
The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 was immediately followed by another miracle...
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
Miracles of Jesus
Part 1 Jesus, the Political Threat 4
