Title: The 4000
Parallels:
While these miracles of Jesus feeding the masses from a very small supply are truly amazing, there is a precedent for them in scripture. Some of you may recall the rather obscure story of Elijah in 2 Kings 5 Elijah feeds 100 men from one knapsack of food.
(V. 38) We covered this same topic back a few weeks when we studied the feeding of the 5000, but it’s worth noting that this number (4000) is tallying only the men in the situation. If we were to also include the women and children in this count, it would most likely be closer to 10,000.
Main point of the chart: This miracle was about the audience and what that foreshadows about the Kingdom of God being populated by Gentiles.
“three days”
We read in verse 32 that the reason Jesus has such compassion on this mass of Gentiles is because of their willingness to “continue” in Jesus’s ministry, even over the course of 3 days.
This certainly puts the passage that we looked at two weeks ago in a bit of a new light. When we recall reading last week about Jesus healing the mute, the maimed, the lame and the blind, we most likely figured this was an afternoon of Jesus’s life, recorded by Mark and Matthew for the purposes of showing a rare instance when Jesus works on a large open scale with a group of Gentiles.
While that’s worth noting, it’s equally worth noting that these people remain with him three days. Three days while their own supplies of food and water run low. It was more important to these people to be with Jesus than it was to eat. It was more important to these people to be fed spiritually than to be fed physically.
Which is more important to you?
I know what you are thinking…unfair question! Trick question. We know we’re supposed to say, “Oh, it’s more important that we be fed spiritually, for surely one day our bodies will pass away and will be no more….but you are trapping us, Pastor Ben, because the next question your are going to ask is: And do your actions reflect that?”
I would never trap or purposely trick you. But I do have one little question: Do your actions reflect that your spiritual well-being is more important than being fed physically?
Let me use myself as an example:
- I eat three times a day, not including snacks.
- I spend about 10 minutes eating breakfast and lunch, and about 20 eating dinner.
- I almost NEVER miss a meal. (That’s called being a good Baptist.)
And, just as assuredly as I can confess to spending 30 minutes a day eating, I can also tell you that several days go by each week when I doubt I reach 30 minutes per day of prayer.
If that one doesn’t stick to you, try this one on: When was the last time you fasted? When was the last time you purposefully put aside a physical need and endured pain and discomfort to sacrifice meal time for prayer, study, and meditation. Fasting in scripture is never about physical endurance, it’s never a macho “Who can go the longest without eating” type of thing.
Fasting in scripture is the replacing (or sacrificing) of a physical need, in order to fulfill a spiritual need.
Is this not what these devoted Gentile followers had been doing for three days? They could have left, they could have gone home, they could have fed their bodies, but the recognized the importance, the imminence of the Christ before them, and were willing to suffer hardship to continue on with him, with no guarantee of being fed physically.
This brings me to the first parallel of the feeding of the 4000 and the feeding of the 5000. In both cases, people left the comforts and assurances of their own homes in order to sit at Jesus’s feet.
If you recall, with the feeding of the 5000, the people ran along the edge of the Sea of Galilee while Jesus and his disciples were in a boat crossing the sea. They ran such a great distance that by the time Jesus’s boat docked they were far from home, with no provisions for themselves, or their families.
After teaching for a time, the disciples asked Jesus to dismiss them, that they might go into the local towns and buy food, but Jesus tells them in 14:16 “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” And then he feeds the 5000 from five loaves and two fish.
In this passage today of the 4000 a very similar situation develops where Jesus is teaching the masses “up on a mountain” (v.29) and have faithfully remained at his feet for three days, we can assume much of that time they have done so without food.
So Jesus takes seven loaves and “a few little fish” and feeds the 4000.
With the 4000, Jesus had more food to work with, and less people to feed…but is it any less of a miracle?
No.
Because Jesus’ miracles are not about his ego, his ostentatious attitude about his power. His miracles are about filling a need. These people sacrificed food and the result was Jesus performed a miracle and they (v37) “all ate and were filled.”
The miracle fit the need.
In oder for this to happen, in order for the miracle to fit the need, for the supply to fit the demand, a few logical prerequisites need apply:
- The master has to be aware of the need.
- The master has to have the means to address the need.
- The master has to think the need is worthy to address.
Why do we not consider these three things when we are praying to our Lord for something specific?
Each one of those steps should be applied.
Now, you may be thinking: Well, the first one (the master being aware of the need is a given). True, but we are also told to bring those needs in prayer to His altar. Many times I’ve talked with people who have needs, and have not gone to the Lord with those needs. He wants us to open a dialogue with him about these things so that we can learn and grow. We cannot forget this.
Now, as far as the second qualification goes (the master has to have the means to address the need) we would all readily confess that His supply in Glory is greater than any need we could have. But do we pray like that?
In other words, do we pray BIG prayers?
If I needed $100 would I ask one of our college students, or would I ask Jim, or Mike, or Dennis? Why?
Sometimes we make the mistake of approaching the throne of God like God’s having money issues.
And, finally, let’s look at the that last question (The master has to think the need is worthy to address.) This is where we get our answer to prayer.
There are times when the Lord is aware, and able, but says, “No.” He has other plans in mind for us.
Sometimes this requires the most faith: When we can’t see God’s reasoning, but we still trust his judgement.
You think this hadn’t crossed the minds of these masses? You think not one of them turned to his buddy, or wife and said, “Surely he must know we’re famished, we’ve left everything to follow him up on this mountain, we’ve been here 3 days…”
And there is where faith is tested, and there is where faith grows.