The Life of Christ

• On creation Day 5, when God (Jesus; Jn. 1:1-3,14) created the fish the Hebrew word “bara” is used. Unlike other Hebrew words used to convey the idea of creation, “bara” means to create from nothing! It’s the same Hebrew word used in Gen. 1:1 to describe how God (Jesus) created the universe.

• Gen. 1:21 was the first time Jesus multiplied the fish; it was out of nothing; this time it was much easier because He had two fish to start with!

The pattern of what just happened to the bread and fish typifies what often transpires in our own life; like the young boy’s lunch, consider ourselves to be given to Him, as were the bread and fish:

1. Bread and fish, in meager amounts, are given to Jesus.

2. He gives thanks for what lay before Him.

3. He then breaks what is before Him.

4. Through His appointed leaders He then distributes the broken pieces to feed the hungry.

Mk. 6:42-44 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. And there were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

The measure of the miracle is determined by what remained afterward; it proved more than enough!

• Had there been more people to feed, the miracle would have continued until everyone was filled.

• A similar miracle of provision occurred in 2 Kings 4:1-6. Elisha encouraged the widow woman to gather as many vessels as she could.

• Each vessel was miraculously filled by the single vessel she offered; more oil would have flowed had there been more awaiting vessels.

• God’s blessings come in one size –– pressed down, running over, all adding up to “enough” !

For what other reason were the remnants to be picked up?

• Bread was regarded in the Jewish mind as a gift from God, and it was required that scraps that fell on the ground during a meal be respectfully picked up.

THE PRINCIPLE OF PREPARATION

This story also illustrates an important kingdom principle used frequently by the Lord. Before the demonstration of His creative power, certain prerequisites must be in place. Consider the following seven steps that led up to the miracle:

1. Lk. 9:12: The need became apparent; people need to be fed! There is a definite need.

2. Lk. 9:13a: Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” It’s not long before we realize that this is “beyond my own ability to sol ve”; this prepares our heart to better appreciate what God is about to do. 3. Lk. 9:13b: Jesus now lets them see how many loaves they can come up with from their own feeble efforts — certainly not enough! This will require an authentic miracle. Without this prerequisite, someone could later challenge the miracle, claiming there was plenty of bread already on hand.

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