The Feeding of the 5,000

do you have God's perspective that is in a given situation as you utilize discernment are you able to anticipate what God is about to do you should be able to the Bible says God doesn't change he's the same yesterday today and forever we look in his word and we see his attributes are clearly seen so we in a given situation we know him he lives within us and as he looks upon a situation we should anticipate what he's going to do why is that as we talked about last night so that we can participate with him but here's the problem all too often disciples those two thousand years ago and us today we don't get it God is moving in one direction and we perceive the exact opposite why because our motivations our desires are not based in the truth and the power of the kingdom but we're all too often connected to this world this place and the things of this creation see the Bible speaks of a second creation that is the kingdom of God and that's where our hearts our minds and our passion should be take out your Bible and look with me to the Gospel of Matthew and this morning we're going to be in three different places in this Gospel of Matthew first chapter 14 the book of Matthew and chapter 14 now I've been told that there's only one miracle that appears in all four of the Gospels several peer and three of them but only one in each of the four and what is that miracle what we're going to study this morning the feeding of the 5,000 and there is much insight we learn biblical truth concerning Messiah what he's about what he wants to do and what he will do ultimately in his kingdom because his kingdom is a kingdom of abundance there's going to be nothing lacking no shortage it is going to over flow and therefore if we are living according to Kingdom truth if we're walking under the principles of this coming kingdom we should walk in abundance why do I say that because in John's Gospel he says I've come that you might have life and have it how abundantly that's a kingdom life you see God always wants to do more than we think he is willing he is able to exceed our expectations God's just getting started and many times we want things to end and that was a case with the disciples look if you would to verse 13 Matthew chapter 14 and verse 13 we read here and after Yeshua heard now the first question that should come into your mind is this what did he hear well in chapter 13 we see that he's teaching over and over on the kingdom various parables various messages about what the kingdom is like and we know that he came into this world for a kingdom purpose the first message that he gave Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 he says repent while the kingdom of God is at hand so the emphasis in chapter 13 is on a kingdom reality but then in our chapter chapter 14 we see the first half of that chapter focuses on John John the forerunner John the ones who prepare the way of the Lord and we see here that John he has been thrown into prison why the world rejects the way of God and now at the end of that first section we read the John has been beheaded he's no more and that's what Yeshua has heard the death of his cousin now it's not an issue in my opinion of Mourning you know John prepared the way he's no more everything is now about the establishment that the kingdom Messiah came to reveal so what does he do what he hears this that everything now is upon his shoulders his ministries and full-throttle what does he do it says after hearing this Yeshua withdrew now we mentioned last night and this expression that he withdrew is frequently we're going to see it in a few minutes in our next session and whenever he did so usually it's for the purpose of prayer now understand the relationship John is no more he is dead and now everything has turned towards him it is the time to officially begin in fullness his ministry to fulfill the call that he has received from his Heavenly Father and what does he do first and foremost he removes himself he withdraws from all the people to be alone presumably for the purpose of prayer look again and he withdrew from there by boat now why is that there well he's in the Galilee and usually when Trippel traveled by boat it was because they didn't want to walk the long way they would get on a boat and they would cut across that see this large lake so apparently in order to get away from the people that's his desire this word to withdrawal to get by himself so he takes a boat for a quick exit to remove himself from the people and he goes to and this is an important tool this expression coming up gives us insight it helps us rightly understand what's going on here he goes - and the word well in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible we would translate this word mid bar or wilderness or desert now wilderness or desert very very different but the same word is used and the reason is that both of these places provide nothing these places are empty they had nothing for sustenance so people wouldn't be there it's not the place to inhabit but we know that the wilderness when the children of Israel when they were there in the mid bar for those 40 years it was supernaturally a place of provision and we need to remember that so he goes to what we see as a desolate place a desert a wilderness now we know the general location it is not far from Bethsaida and if you go there there is a place it is full of vegetation but not the good type it is the one with thorns and thistles there's a overgrowth it is hard to pass through that land and no one wants to be there that's his purpose he's going to go to a place where he knows he can be alone by himself to get before his Heavenly Father and we keep reading he's not the only one who's listening now I think that's so important good things are going to happen God's ministry is going to be manifested and it all begins with what hearing we sung about that with the Shema see God is not going to move in your life you are not going to be a recipient of his provision you are not going to experience his presence until you make yourself available to hear from him and how do you do that oftentimes you get alone you remove yourself to a place where no one else would want to be so we read second half of verse 13 and someone was hearing who was that well in the Greek it's in the plural there's not just a crowd of people that's not what it says it's plural there are crowds of people multiple crowds they heard what did they hear where Yeshua was now he took a boat he sped away but what do we read and the crowds hearing they were able to do something because they heard about him they were able to follow now let me tell you unless you're willing to follow you're not going to hear if you don't have a desire to obey to submit he's not going to speak if you're just listening for what you want to hear it's going to be very silent for a long time these people heard so they could follow and those it says they followed after him and what's emphasized is by foot they didn't have boats they had to take the long way a difficult way to get to him you know what that's oftentimes the case for you and me following after him going into his presence there are many obstacles it's not a quick journey to have a godly experience with Messiah we have to overcome we have to persevere and notice we're talking not about the disciples we're talking about the mass of people these crowds that followed him and notice that says from the towns that just from one place but from all these villages and small towns that made up where are we the Galilee so God is there but nothing's happening well that doesn't sound right because where God is things if they're not happening now they will shortly see we can anticipate if God's presence is in a location things are going to take place ministry is going to be accomplished look down to verse 14 now he went to that place he chose this desolate place in order that he might be alone but what happens crowds remember the emphasis the plural multiple crowds not just groups but large multitudes of people are coming to him in what place in this desolate place where he anticipated being alone and what did he do well we read and Yeshua went out he moved towards them now what the scripture trying to reveal to us well when we strive to follow him he is going to come to us no matter what we have to overcome if we're willing if we strive if we make that effort he is going to respond so he comes out and we see that he does something he sees that word perceives the crowd of people now that is a word perhaps in English today we would say that he took inventory he certain eyes he utilized discernment in regard to this many groups that were coming unto him so he goes out to the crowd he sees he perceives he looks at them intently and there's an important phrase here now we know if you come from a Jewish background and you have attended synagogue you know that when the synagogue service begins in the morning the same passage of Scripture begins the worship and it's from the book of Genesis chapter 22 it's the binding of issac we're gonna talk more about that to seeking but just one phrase we learned that God well oftentimes in that passage we talk about the Lord who provides but it doesn't say provide it says literally the Lord who sees now Hebrew is an active language you hear you obey you see if something's lacking you provide that's how God actually acts that's how he behaves if something's not there he supplies it so what does Messiah do well he's God incarnate he is going to behave like his Heavenly Father he is gonna manifest those same attributes so what takes place he sees this great crowd of people and he perceives he understands what's lacking and he's moved and I love this expression it literally it's in the passive he was moved to compassion now that's his attribute that's his character when he sees someone in need his nature is to respond and passionately that's why we should be extremely motivated to go before him to present ourselves in his presence because when he sees that which is lacking he provides and this group of people we look he was moved for or by compassion for them and he healed now that word is a word of restoration it is a word of making complete Healey it is God's nature it is his care to hill so he heals and I like this he heals their sick meaning this many of the people came they came for the purpose of bringing those perhaps family members friends whoever people in their community who were sick who had some problem some ailment something the disease some injury whatever and we see without exception he healed them now let me ask you a question wouldn't you like to have beheld that would you like to have been present and saw people making no difference what their problem was what disease what injury whatever he healed now that's something that never gets old that's something that we never get tired of seen people's lives transformed God moving to bring about restoration miracle after miracle what does the scripture say there are crowds of people but what's emphasized is all the people who needed healing now a great thing was going on it wasn't anticipated initially he wanted to be alone but now he's doing multiple miracles now when we look at verse 15 there's a change in the text up until now it's been you sure and masses of people we don't know anything about them other than they were listening they heard about him and they wanted to follow after they wanted to pursue him and they came they brought sick people because they knew see he had been teaching about what the kingdom there's not going to be any disease there's not going to be any sickness there's not going to be anything that's lacking in the kingdom of God they heard him teaching in chapter 13 they responded in chapter 14 things were happening in a mighty way between you Shore and the masses of people but in verse 15 there's a change in the texts in verse 15 the disciples are introduced they manifest their president in that situation and so frequently when that happens well it's not good not good because these individuals and we should put ourselves in that category frequently what God is up to see where his followers where his people where his modern disciples and frequently what happens is this God is about to move God has plans he has expectations that he's going to fulfill and we come in and we want to put a stop to everything because we're not Kingdom minded we're not seeing things from his perspective we're seeing things from a worldly perspective what this passage warns us you and me is that we need to be careful because if we're not Kingdom minded we're going to be thwarting what God wants to do we're not going to be participating with him we are going to be behaving against him and that's exactly what we see in the life of the disciples here in this section and it's almost if it wasn't so sad it's almost laughable why do I say that look at verse 15 now there's a a particle that appears in the Greek it's a conjunction perhaps your Bible simply translates it and but it's not the normal Greek word for and it is to show a continuation but something in opposition something that stands against or at least minimally a different thought is being introduced to the text so we have God's thoughts and unfortunately we have the disciples thinking verse 15 but it was becoming evening so the day was coming to a conclusion now didn't Messiah say something about him and his father in the Gospel of John he says you know my father works when all the time you know we worked sunup to sundown not so with God he's constantly there's never an an opportune time for God to move to God to meet needs to God to do healing but the disciples there was something else on their mind they didn't see things from God's perspective what God was about to do they said evening let's go we've had enough of this healing we've had enough of people being restored now think don't you think that there was much rejoicing and praising God people multitudes of people disease ridden injured deformed whatever and healing not in a couple weeks couple months in a year you'll be better know immediately undeniably God is at work we've had enough of that not no more it's evening time and notice how his disciples speak verse 15 and as evening was coming about his disciples say I think you're sure I think he would prefer some disciples but doesn't say that it says his disciples and it's a word which means to come to or to come before up until this time nothing is said they're not participating with him we know nothing about them but when they look at their their watch and they see the Sun is going down and they come and they speak to him and what do they say well they say this they say this is a desolate place now who are they talking to they're talking if you understand Colossians correctly it is God the Son who created this world so he doesn't just know about that place he created he made it desolate and there say excuse me rabbi but but you are in a desolate place and by the way you may not be realizing what time it is now not only is the one they're speaking to create a time but he transcends time so they say you know this place at this time it's not good that we're here we think that you need to make a change now let me tell you it is very foolish for you to give advice to God he really doesn't need to hear from you you need to hear from him see everyone else who's getting healing they're listening and they're following after him they're pursuing him the disciples they're taking charge of this day and they're say enough with God's work we need to leave this place it's desolate and the hour has already passed so they say send away the crowd now we learn something I don't think that crowd wanted to go I think that they might have really enjoyed what was taking place I mean when God's moving don't look at your watch don't don't worry about what time it is don't worry about if God's moving in that place it's an okay place stay there a little longer but not these disciples and here again I'm not pointing my finger at them I'm identifying with them this speaks to me and I think it speaks to several of you so Dodd is moving healing it's taking place miracles are being done and he they say send the crowd away in order that they may go away into the villages in order to buy for themselves and here's the key food they are hungry they are listening to their bodies and not listening to their spirit they are interested in food let me tell you you will be better off if you don't give much thought to what you eat now that's on my opinion that's not my counsel did not you sure say to to you and me you know do the birds really worry about what they eat I mean God provides for them so don't put the emphasis upon the body upon food put the emphasis upon your spiritual condition God will take care of getting you that meal so they say send the crowd and it's in the plural crowds away in order that they might go into the village in the other words get out of this place so that they might buy for themselves and it's a a purchase that they might buy for themselves god forbid that there might be a free meal involved let them go and buy for themselves food we're not paying for this crowd that's what they say they can eat where they want just get him out now notice Yeshua's response verse 16 same conjunction see they were speaking in a way that was against Yeshua's desires so when he responds back he's going to say something that is against their desire they're saying according to our reading of the situation it's over send them away let them eat on their own but you're sure he said to them they have no need to go away now that is an emphatic statement it's not just a disagreement with what the disciples said he says there's no need what's up in other words you guys got it wrong you think that there's a need to leave this place you think there's a need to go and buy food in another location this is not the case see they did not see things for what God was going to do the miracles they said enough miracles for today he says no I have and what do we know about this miracle it's the only one that's in all four Gospels in many ways this is one of the greatest miracles of Yeshua and we'll see why before we wrap up this session so you're sure said to them they have no need to go away and he knew that they were concerned about food and they were concerned about money so he says you give to them and the emphasis is on you you give to them something to eat now that's a little bit of a problem because they are in what type of place they even know this is a place of desolation these these plants and vegetation here there's just thorns and thistles there's nothing that we can rely upon wait a second you can always rely upon God's supernatural provision that's what we see every morning in the synagogue God looks and he gives he provides so we'll talk about this tonight that victory can be experienced so he says to them no you got it wrong I disagree with what you're telling me rather you give to them something to eat verse 17 saying where it appears it's that word of disagreement this word of conflict they didn't like what he said and they were going to respond adversely we translated but but they said to him we do not have here now the emphasis and we'll see this twice is on that word here they don't like the place they want to leave that place but here's the problem dad's moving in this location see so often we look at something we say this isn't good nothing spiritual nothing good can come from this place don't be so sure don't be so sure because God can take from that which is empty that which is desolate that which is dark that which is painful he can turn that into something glorious that's his nature when they her bed anticipate God he loves to bring change that's his nature that's what he loves to reveal about himself so they say we do not have anything here but now the construction means just that we don't have anything here kind of but or accept and what they see is so trivial to the need you may have some large debt but you got a little bit of money what's this this in no way shape or form can meet that need look towards miracles God still moves in ways they're unexplainable by us so they say we don't have anything here except and it's soft except five loaves and this really isn't a loaf this is more like a a small roll we only have these five rolls and two fish and the word here you know I mean we're not talking about a nice piece of fish we're talking like a sardine that's it and we know from other gospel that this was lunch for a small boy so there's five thousand men in addition we'll see that the end of the text plus women and children this has no possibility of satisfying such a large crowd you know what that means anticipate God when you say this can never be God says oh really he loves to reveal himself and when we look at the Book of Numbers which is called bammed bar in the wilderness in the desert in Hebrew we see over and over God's supernatural provision God doing things that the people never thought could be done why don't they they remember God's faithfulness so they say all we have are these five roles now I like to pay attention to details I think there's great significance in the fact that there are five of these little loafs five is a number of lacking it speaks about a shortage it speaks about insufficiency why do I think that well if you look once born the book of Genesis remember when when Abraham and God entered into negotiations about Sodom and Gomorrah and Dodds was was ready to destroy that City and Abraham says if there's 50 people would you not so I won't what about if it's five short of that if it's lacking by five and we see keeps putting in the text the number five and that concept of lacking that which is insufficient not complete one of my favorite places in Israel is a Thesz de that acid in Hebrew and this is where there was a multitude of people and they all had something in common did they not they were all sick or blind or paralyzed they were lacking something than made them incomplete and they were all in five different portals that number 5 we see biblically not traditionally but biblically in the text there's a relationship between five and that which is lacking so they saw these five little loafs of bread and they saw lacking they saw insufficiency they saw that which was incomplete based upon the need of these multiple crowds of people but that's not all there was also those two fish now - more often than not speaks about two opinions that are in conflict two divergent thoughts and that's what we have here they're saying this is nothing we don't have anything but these things that's not gonna help that's not gonna meet the neat but Messiah he didn't scoff at that he didn't reject that but he saw that as the means what we have to provide isn't interesting we just provide the little and God will do so much what do the scriptures say you all know this verse don't despise what small beginnings don't despise the things that the world sees as insignificant lacking God can supply God sees and he makes hold that's what we saw earlier in the text so there's these five loaves and these two fishes verse 18 and he said they they weren't going to do anything with him but he says bring to me them here now it's awkward I mean we don't need that word the only worries in that word here is in the text and some English translations just leave it out its key because everything's gonna happen here in a place that we're told twice it's desolate there's no ability for that place to provide that's true in the natural stop living in the natural stop depending upon just what you can see the disciples looked five loaves to fish great crowd word we write send them away let them buy their own food it's nighttime nothing's going to happen here that can meet the needs of the people really God's there and with God what does the scripture say all things are possible do we really believe that do our lifes do our decisions reflect that or are we looking at things with their human eyes and say that'll never do that's not enough that will not solve the problem and we begin to go someplace else and gods there and he just shakes his head and he sees faithlessness rather than expectation God loves for his people to expect great things from him if we don't expect we won't think it's God and God wants to get glory God wants everyone to know when these things happen it's him so he says bring to me them here and what did he do well he commanded that the crowds recline is that what your Bible says it's a word ahna which means up and the word clay oh my which is to sit down it's almost contradictive but it's the same word we find in regard to Passover in the Greek Septuagint in the Hebrew remember on Passover they reclined this word gives this context a right context to this place it gives a Passover or a redemptive context to what's going on here just that word that they were reclining on the grass and he did something he didn't say that'll never do I'll take care of it myself it's so significant that he utilized what was there he likes to multiply he likes to take what we can provide and do great things with it now he didn't need those five loaves and two fish it didn't help him it didn't assist but he likes for us to participate with him he likes for us to give to what he's going to do he doesn't need it we need it it is a privilege to participate and what God's doing God wants to bless this person perhaps this person is lonely perhaps and no one pays attention and God cares God wants to listen what he wants you to go and listen as well God loves to jointly serve with his people why because when we participate with him we experience intimacy he desires that intimacy isn't it a shame that all too often we don't we just want the end result we don't want the fellowship that comes about through the process so he commands them to sit down in the grass and he takes he receives these 5 loaves and 2 fishes and he does something he looks up into the heavens now why is that because his whole purpose is to bring that which is defined by that term heaven heaven is a place of sufficiency it is a place of righteousness oftentimes in Matthew's Gospel we see heaven and another phrase attached to it the kingdom of heaven he's looking up gazing towards the kingdom and he's going to give them a little bit of a foretaste of a kingdom experience that's what this passage is about it is to teach those who dare to rely upon God those who want to anticipate correctly what God's about it gives us a foretaste of what we can expect about the kingdom of God so he looks up into the heavens and he does something he blesses now do we really understand what a blessing is the Hebrew word and I'm not trying to say anything about my name not not saying that but the word for bless if you just look at that three letters bait resh cuff and you look at it you don't know without the vowel pointings or the context if you're talking about a blessing or you're talking about an e same word same letters it's just the vows that we give to the word that tells us what we're talking about so you need to ask the question what is the relationship between a blessing and an e well you know what I can do because I have nice sit-down now the word liver F to bless the sages say there is a synonym to help us understand what blessing is and it's a word limb shulk limb choke is to pull so a blessing is when we pull down things from the heaven a bless is when we pull down Kingdom things Kingdom stuff to us see this whole passage is about having the right understanding of the kingdom and the kingdom there is going to be abundance we never have to worry about that which is lacking so what does you show do he looks up towards the kingdom to heaven and he blesses and he does something very important he breaks that's what the word literally is another way that we can understand it he divides now if you were to ask an Orthodox rabbi rabbi I want to a son understand the kingdom of God you know where he would take a person he would want to take them into the Holy of Holies because there in the Holy of Holies there's the Ark of the Covenant and what Rambam we talked about him last night what what he teaches in others if you were to be in that holy of Holy's and see the Ark of the Covenant if you want to pass on the right and you want to pass on the left it's the same distance it's exactly in the middle and you know what else the ark doesn't take up space if the width just let's say are 10 measurements and the ark is two measurements and it's placed right in the middle you would expect there to be four on one side right and four on the other eight plus two ten no the rabbi's teach there's five on this mark I know you're loving this right five on this and five on this why it's supernatural there is a separation between the kingdom and this world but what God loves to do is to bring the kingdom into this world that's what he's going to do that's what Messiah will talk about this in our last session tomorrow when Messiah returns for the establishment of the kingdom so in this passage of Scripture what he's doing is he's breaking why am I telling you this because when he breaks there was no we would think well if it's this long and we break it in half we're gonna have two pieces half of what they were no there's no Domitian diminishing it remains why it's the kingdom it never runs out it never goes away you can press it down it overflows that's the nature of the kingdom so massage trying to give them a description of that kingdom so he blessed he broke and he wanted to teach the disciples he gave them to the disciples this bread and the disciples to the crowds of people and from what he had it was the blessing it was the breaking and it didn't run out we read here and all I like that word in the Bible all-inclusive and they all ate and they were satisfied I hear again you need to let scripture interpret Scripture that phrase they ate and they were satisfied that's not the first time it appears in the text you go all the way back to the Torah to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8 when you eat and then you're satisfied what are you supposed to do bless God praise God see when we have a kingdom experience the natural outcome is to praise God see miracles were taking place but there is not and it takes any reference to praising God Messiah says we have no need to leave here why God hasn't been priest see we see many places in the text in the scripture where miracles happen there's a healing and Messiah says give them something to eat now the world looks of that why is there's an emphasis on food there's not an emphasis on food because when you eat the emphasis on blessing God praising God and notice what we find they all ate and they were all satisfied and in the end they took up and here's the word abundance that's what literally is it is the same word check it out in Strong's Concordance it's the same word when Yeshua says and we mentioned it earlier I come that you might have life and have it abundantly it's a kingdom context it's that same word abundance they had a foretaste of the kingdom they took up from the abundance of of fragments how many full baskets numbers are important 12 now when you hear the number 12 what should come into your mind the 12 tribes of Israel in this passage he is teaching about God's purpose with Israel there's a connection so much of Christianity doesn't see this they reject it but there's such a connection in the scripture not just in the old but especially in the New Testament between Israel and the kingdom you reject Israel you don't see any significance you think that land has no war relevance what you're saying is I don't have a kingdom perspective there are pastors and I tell you my wife knows what I'm talking about but we I don't really like Facebook by the way I don't have facebook I don't believe in Facebook I don't think it is this but she gets she gets posts from this one individual and he posts all the time about and I promised myself I wouldn't mention names I'm gonna hold to that promise but he posts all the time from this one pastor and this pastor said there's no more significance Jerusalem today or in the future that in Istanbul or London or Washington DC that's his belief he has no understanding of the kingdom of God he has no understanding of what prophetic events are going to take place so we see here there's 12 full baskets of fragments there's a connection between what your show is doing and Israel look now to the last verse verse 21 and the ones that were eating were approximately five thousand men in addition to women and children now when you hear that five thousand how would we understand that well under the laws of Hebrew numerology when we have large numbers we either divide them by ten or if we can't a hundred we want to bring it down to a common number less than 100 and if you do that you divide that by a hundred what do you get 50 50 is an important number when you hear 50 what should come into your mind Jubilee what is Jubilee it is freedom in fact if you look in the Torah in those passages for example in the Book of Leviticus when they speak about Jubilee the Hebrew word that goes which Jubilee is a word dwara it means freedom or Liberty it is a Liberty that does not allow me to do what I want but it's a liberty or freedom that compels me to obey God because I want to it's just my new nature Jubilee is when the will of God his purposes and plans are realized and what he's trying to say is this these twelve baskets of fragments they relate to a jubilee spirit a jubilee condition by the way the rabbi's teach that there's a connection between Jubilee and the kingdom so it just emphasizes Oh for an offer if we're going to experience this freedom and liberty of the kingdom you know who plays that key role Israel and that's why if you're wise you're gonna be concerned about the spiritual condition of the Jewish people you've heard me say many many times I'm just quoting Yeshua he looks and he weeps over the spiritual addition of Jerusalem 2000 years ago why they weren't anticipating they weren't able to recognize what God was up to and it brought tears to his eyes and he says I tell you the truth I will not return the kingdom will not be established until they say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord and therefore if you want to participate with God you are going to be concerned you are going to be acting in a way that tries to change that former condition into a future condition of Israel having an expectation for messiahs return [Music] 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Channel: LoveIsrael.org

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Length: 53min 5sec (3185 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 16 2017