What's the plan?

 

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know.  --CS 2:22

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? --Hebrews 2:3-4

 In our fast-paced world, we may feel burdened and overwhelmed by evil.  Whenever we see random acts of kindness or even what may be called supernatural acts--miracles, if you will--we may think of them as just that: random.  We see good things happen all around us, but to what purpose?

The Apostle Paul answers that question for us in Romans 8:28, when he says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  In this world we see chaos, but God has ordered all things, and has a purpose for the works that He does in and through our lives.

The Gospel of John shows us seven specific signs, meant to bring us to faith in Jesus Christ.  John explained this purpose in John 20:30-31: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."  The seven specific signs in John's Gospel are: 

1. John 2:1-11 — Water into wine.
2. John 4:46-54 — Healing of the nobleman’s son.
3. John 5:1-15 — Healing at the pool of Bethesda.
4. John 6:1-14 — Feeding the 5,000.
5. John 6:15-21 — Jesus walks on water.
6. John 9:1-12 — Healing of the man born blind.
7. John 11:1-44 — Lazarus raised from the dead.

We've already looked at the first three (you can read about them in my prior posts on this blog).  Today I want to look at the fourth and fifth signs, quickly going over them and then sharing what they mean to me.  The interpretations are my own, and not necessarily supported in any of the commentaries that I read in preparation for this lesson.  I don't claim some special revelation--the Word of God stands alone.  However, if after you read this you see the Scripture illuminated just a bit more, then maybe God can use the little light I can shed from my own thoughts and experience.

Let's dive right in.

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the See of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test Him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world."  --John 6:1-14

 Notice that it says that Passover was almost upon them.  This may be why so many people were gathered there, traveling as pilgrims toward Jerusalem for the solemn feast.  Looking forward in our Gospel narrative, the next time the Passover is celebrated, it is with the Last Supper just before Jesus's crucifixion.  On this day, however, we see some foreshadowing.

Interestingly, only two miracles that John writes about are also described in the other four Gospels--the feeding of the five thousand here, and the account of Jesus walking on the water, which we will discuss a bit later.  When we read about Jesus feeding the five thousand in the other Gospels, they all say that He broke the bread; John simply says He distributed it to the disciples, who then passed it on to the crowd.  What is significant about Him breaking the bread?  Well for one thing, Jesus described Himself as the Bread of Life.  As the bread was broken, so was His body broken as a sacrifice for our sins.

In Jewish homes, when the Passover meal is shared, the bread was to be unleavened; in fact, they were commanded to cleanse the entire house of leaven before the Passover feast.  Leaven represented sin, and by purging all the leaven from the home up to seven days prior to the feast, it represented purging sin out of their lives.  Jesus, we know, was sinless His whole life.  If He is the Bread of Life, we know He is unleavened, or without sin.

But wait, there's more!  When a family eats the Passover meal, or seder, the bread is is placed in a bag called an echad, which means "one" in Hebrew.  Yet the bag is divided into three chambers or pouches, and one piece of bread is placed in each pouch.  The bread in the first pouch is never touched, never used, never seen; it represents God the Father.  "No one has ever seen God," the Scriptures say.  The second piece of bread is broken in half; one half is placed back in the echad pouch, and the other is placed on a linen cloth.  This second piece of unleavened bread could represent the Son, who was broken for our transgressions (see Isaiah 53:5-12); the linen cloth could represent His burial shroud.  The third piece of bread is used to eat the other elements of the seder plate.  This could represent the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us.  On the website https://www.gotquestions.org/Passover-Seder.html, under "How do the elements of the Passover Seder point to Christ?" it says: "Many Jews consider the three matzohs to represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But they cannot explain why they break 'Isaac' in half or why they place half of the middle matzoh back in the echad and keep the other half out, wrapped in a cloth." Both Christians and Messianic Jews see a greater lesson here.

Of course, the meal that Jesus and the disciples shared with the crowd that day was not a Passover meal.  Notice that the bread the boy shared was made of barley.  Barley loaves were never used in a seder meal.  In fact, many people would not eat barley, as they thought it was fit only for animal feed.  This shows how poor the lad was, that his family would send him with barley biscuits or rolls.  That Jesus would use this type of bread to do His work speaks volumes about how He can use us in our lowly state to His great purpose.  He came to seek and to save the lost from every class or caste of people, not just to the wealthy.  Just as many of the wealthier people would not be caught eating barley bread, many would reject Jesus of Nazareth.  Again, referencing Isaiah 53:5-12, "He was despised and rejected of men."

Finally, we see that Jesus had the leftovers gathered, so that "nothing may be lost."  It is significant that the amount of food that was gathered up after the event was so much more than they began with.  If you plant a seed, the harvest will be plentiful.  If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will see great results.  I also think it is significant that twelve baskets were gathered.  Many of the commentaries I read said not to read too much into this, that it only means each of the twelve disciples went out to gather broken pieces, and each of them carried his own basket.  I, however, can't help but think that the twelve baskets represents the twelve tribes of Israel, and that they were gathered that "none would be lost."  A similar thing happened in the Decapolis during the feeding of the four thousand that we read about in Matthew 15:29-39.  At the end of that event, seven baskets of broken bread were gathered.  Seven is usually the number of completeness, and the fact that these participants were non-Jews signifies that Jesus came and His body was broken for the whole world, not just the Jews.

Let's look at the next miracle.

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.  Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the Sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come with them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  They they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  --John 6:15-21

Other Gospel accounts say that Jesus compelled the disciples to leave Him, to get in the boat and start the journey to the other side.  The other Gospel accounts also mention that, though they started out about dusk, they did not see Jesus until dawn the next day.  That means it took them six to eight hours to row halfway across the lake.  Many of the disciples were fishermen, accustomed to operating a boat and experienced on the sea.  Imagine the frustration!  Their slow progress was underscored by Jesus being able to overtake them on foot.  When Jesus arrived and got into the boat, then not only did the storm abate, but they were immediately on the other shore, at their destination.  As we apply this to our lives, we know that sometimes Jesus asks us to perform nearly impossible tasks.  We may not see that we are making much progress, if any at all; but when we see Jesus, He makes our task infinitely easier.

We also see Jesus's mastery of the physical world.  The wind and the waves obey His voice, as the disciples knew full well.  In times of fear and frustration, we need only speak His Name.  When Jesus shows up in our lives, miracles happen.

Finally, I want us to notice that in the Bible, the accounts of rivers or seas are often associated with chaos.  In Revelation 21:1 says in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no more sea.  Why? Because the sea is unruly, chaotic, and dangerous.  Chad Bird writes:

In the remarkable psalm which concludes the book of Habakkuk, the Lord is described as a warrior who “rode on [his] horses, and on the chariot [merkava] of salvation” (3:8). Horses and chariots, ordinarily associated with Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea, are here linked with the Lord’s saving battle for his people as he defeats rivers and seas: “Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation?” (3:8).
This is one of several places, in both the OT prophets and psalms, where the Lord wages war against rivers and seas. For instance, Isaiah says the Lord will utterly destroy the Euphrates River (Isa. 11:15) and rebukes the sea (Nahum 1:4). Habakkuk echoes this with the Lord’s anger and indignation against rivers and seas.
So, you might be wondering, what does the Lord have against seas? Why does he attack rivers? Why harness horses and ride in a chariot of salvation?
Rivers and (especially) the sea are, in the Hebrew mind, iconic of chaos and disorder in the world. Historically, they are linked with the Red Sea, where the Lord exercises his authority over those waters to rescue his people and destroy their enemies.
All this is in the background when Jesus walks atop the Sea of Galilee, during a storm no less. He marches over and amidst the chaos, as the great “I am,” Yahweh incarnate. Then by his word alone he brings calm. He curbs the chaos. What’s more, he brings his disciples to the other side of the sea safely, in a Red-Sea-crossing fashion.
Jesus doesn’t just walk on water to “wow” us. He walks atop the sea of chaos to reveal that he is the same Yahweh who rode on his chariots of salvation, and who now walks in our own flesh and blood.

Next time we will discuss further how Jesus compares Himself with the manna of Moses.  He is truly the Bread of Heaven.  He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that led Moses and the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry ground.  He is God in the flesh.  That is the purpose of our reading about these two miracles together--because they had a significant back-story of significant importance to the Jews.   The New Testament narratives are encouraging to us, but even more so if we see the symbolism of the seder, and remember the deliverance of the Jews from Pharaoh's army.  Remember, the signs were given so that we would believe in Jesus.