Episode 41 - Moses wrote about Jesus (Feeding of the 5000)

In the last episode we read how Jesus told his antagonists that Moses wrote about him (Jesus). If you are like me, you might be thinking to yourself, “I’ve been back and forth through the first five books of the Bible and don’t have a clue where Moses writes about Jesus. In this episode, I’m going to suggest one area that is likely intended by Jesus to support this claim. There is probably much to learn or discuss concerning the details of this passage; things like the significance of twelve baskets of leftovers. But, I think it’s more important to recall that prior to this miracle, John has given us an account of Jesus making this claim. This miracle will lend itself to the defense of that claim. Let’s read it.

John 6:1   After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

We see how Jesus and his disciples go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We aren’t given a reason why. The account just seems to indicate that it’s a remote area but many people followed him because of the signs he was working. The account says about 5,000 men. That may not include numbers of women and children. Jesus goes up a mountain with his disciples. Now this is interesting to me because Moses himself went into a wilderness area followed by a large group of people. Moses then went up Mount Sinai to speak with God.

Jesus poses a question to the disciples about how all these people are going to get fed. One disciple indicates that it would cost too much money to afford to feed all these people. Andrew observed that there was a boy in the crowd who had five loaves of bread and two fish, “but what are they for so many?” he asked. 

These men had been present when Jesus turned the water into wine. They had also witnessed other miracles. I can’t tell whether Andrew’s response was searching in hopeful expectation that Jesus might provide enough food with these fews loaves and fish or whether he himself was still doubting. Due to the number of people, it would be easy to suspect that it might be beyond what could be done. 

Jesus instructs the disciples to have all the men sit down. Why is this important? For one, it would allow for an orderly distribution of food. Secondly, it would make it easy for people to observe Jesus working a miracle before their eyes. 

It works. Jesus takes the loaves and fish and multiplies this food until everyone has eaten as much as they wanted AND the leftovers were far more than what was originally available in the original source of food. Jesus has miraculously fed a large multitude of people in a wilderness area. Moses also fed a large multitude of people in a wilderness area by the divine power of God as well didn’t he. Is this a coincidence? Am I reading into this something that is not there? All I can say is that this appears to be how the people who were fed responded to the miracle having seen it themselves. They say, “This is indeed the Prophet that is to come into the world.”(v. 14) They recognize that what Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 has come about through Jesus. 

Deuteronomy 18:“15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

This is John’s way of helping his audience understand and believe that Jesus is fulfilling the Scriptures and that Moses truly wrote about him.