Grace and peace, this is some of my best loved verses in the bible due to the excellent commentaries on it (the other 3 gospels). Still with so many points of view and details in the descriptions I still fell there is so much there that I have no idea about and do not understand. I pray it pleases Him to reveal these hidden things to you that He may use you to enlighten me.
Jhn 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
Jhn 6:2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
Jhn 6:3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
Jhn 6:4 And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
Jhn 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
Jhn 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Jhn 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
Jhn 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
Jhn 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Jhn 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Jhn 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Jhn 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
Jhn 6:13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
- How does John’s account of this miracle differ from the other gospels?
- What similarities are there in the other gospels?
- How does this miracle differ from most every other one Christ did publicly?
J.C. Ryle said "of all the wonderful works which our Savior did, none was quite so public as this, and none other was performed before so many witnesses." He concluded with "In healing the sick or even raising the dead, something was amended or restored which already existed; but here was an absolute creation. Only one other public miracle in any wise resembles it; His first, when He made wine out of the water." I struggle with if this may be appropriate to use such language, but it could be said that these two miracles belong in a class of their own. The first would clearly remind us of His precious blood to save us, the second points to His Holy body broken for us to feed us. For this evidential value that exceeds all others; intrinsic nature, of calling into existence something that before never existed; and finally the topical importance, in its symbolism of the body of Christ may be why, of all the miracles performed by Jesus, the feeding of the five thousand is the only one recorded by each of the four evangelist. (Matt 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17): At minimum there surely is significance and should be study diligently.
