Chapter # 8 Paragraph # 1 Study # 3
August 16, 2022
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Jesus deliberately used the "numbers" involved to give His disciples "pause" in regard to how they were dealing with their experiences.
Introduction: In our last study we saw that Mark presented Jesus in respect to the magnitude of His task in bringing people who are significantly hindered by their heritage in Sin into an understanding of the Truth for their own benefit. The disciples were decidedly obtuse, having ignored the significance of what Jesus did when He fed the five thousand men. Apparently, it was just another day in the park for them ("nothing to see here, move along..."). They had become so familiar with Jesus and His powers that they were missing the forest by reason of the trees. There were terrible days ahead of them, but they did not know that. They had been lulled by extraordinary privilege into complacency, apparently expecting that "life" would simply "go on" with Jesus using His "might" to smooth out all the bumps. The coming days that are recorded by Mark are attended by Peter's "Satanic" attitude (
8:31-33); a revelation of just how many of the "lessons" of life were being missed.
This evening we are going to consider how Jesus used even the "numbers" to get His message across.
- I. The Amount Of Bread Available And Left Over.
- A. In Jesus' "warning/questioning" of the clueless disciples, He made a point of the "numbers" in respect to the loaves (8:17-21).
- B. In the records of the episodes, there were five loaves with twelve baskets left over.
- 1. The "five" is typically used when there is a significant "lack" of something involved.
- a. There were "five" loaves (6:38), easily seen as significantly deficient.
- b. Before He fed the crowd, He took the "five" loaves and "looked up toward heaven" before He "blessed" and broke them (6:41); indicating His dependence upon God to accomplish the task; another indication of the significant lack of "enough".
- c. When the task was completed, there was a count of the "men" and there were "five" thousands of them that had been seated in groups of hundreds and fifties (6:39 and 44; a martial array that would have been hopelessly outclassed by a Roman legion).
- d. And when Jesus questioned the "hard hearted disciples" in 8:19 there were "five" loaves for "five" thousand.
- 2. The "twelve" is typically a group that combines "four" with a multiple of "three" and it is used when the ideas of "representation" and "sufficiency" are present.
- a. In the introduction to Jesus' "discipling plan" in Mark 1, He calls "four" (the number of "thousands" in our current record and the number of "winds" from whence the angels will gather the "elect" ((13:27)).
- b. In our current record, the crowd has been with Him "three" days (8:2) and in multiple places the resurrection was "after three days" (8:31; 9:31; 10:34; 14:58 and 15:29) and "three" tabernacles were Peter's plan to identify the Kingdom (9:5) and Peter's denials numbered "three" (14:30 and 72).
- c. When He called those whom He intended to train, there were "twelve" (3:14 and 16) who were called "The Twelve" (4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 10:32; 11:11; 14:10, 17, 20 and 43) and in Matt. 19:28 there will be "twelve" thrones with "twelve" disciples who sit in judgment over "twelve" tribes.
- d. And there were "twelve" baskets full of left-overs after the initial demonstration of Jesus' ability to "adequately represent" Himself to the "Twelve" as well as to the nation.
- 3. The "seven" is typically presented as "completeness".
- a. In 8:5 there are "seven" loaves and in 8:6 Jesus does not "look up to heaven"; rather, He gives thanks.
- b. In 8:8 there are "seven" large baskets of left-overs; this is the number emphasized in 8:20.
- c. In 12:20, 22, and 23 there are "seven" brothers who all had one woman as their "wife" as a snide rejection of "resurrection" by the Sadducees.
- d. And, thus, there is a strong suggestion to The Twelve that this feeding of the four thousand will be the last episode and the last opportunity to "get the point".
- II. That The Record Of The Feeding Of The Five Thousand Was Enormously Important Is Indicated By Its Place In All Four Gospels And By John's Use Of It As The Basis Of His "Jesus As The Bread Of Life" Thesis:
- A. The "feeding" is the most basic activity of "The Compassionate Shepherd".
- B. The "feeding" is one of the two issues of our "Great Salvation" through the body and blood of Jesus; a concept we are to mirror when we observe "The Lord's Supper".
- C. There is a lot going on with the concept of "bread" and it is a critical issue in Mark 8.
