The Two Miraculous Feedings and the Second Exodus.

The Two Miraculous Feedings and the Second Exodus

1.) "The Feeding of the 5,000" at Bethsaida is the only miracle (apart from the resurrection) which is mentioned in all four canonical Gospels (Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15. Jesus here feeds the Jewish people - 12 tribes and twelve baskets of remnants with 5 loaves (the Pentateuch) and 2 fish (The two great Commandments). The multitude was from nearby and were with Jesus for only one day - afterward there was a storm - ("Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah." - Romans 9:27-29)

And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were all filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve (hand) baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto Capernaum on the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain alone to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea that arose, tossed with waves: for the great wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. So when the disciples had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were troubled and afraid, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Peter could have walked back) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of G-d. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. .

2.) When Jesus fed the 4,000 Gentiles in Decapolis - the multitudes sat on the ground and had been with Him for three days (we are now in the third day) and He fed them with seven loaves (The Seven Churches - Revelation 2 & 3) and a few fish. Afterwards, they collected (Second Exodus) seven big basketfuls of remnants - this miracle is found only in Matthew 18:21-39 and Mark 8:1-10 and there was no storm recorded afterwards in either of these two Gospels. Both Matthew and Mark show this feeding of the Gentiles occurred only after Jesus had fed the Jews.

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the G-d of Israel. In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples [unto him], and saith unto them: I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these [men] with bread here in the wilderness? Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven (Revelation 2 & 3), and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples to set before [them]; and they did set [them] before the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven (big) baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala into the parts of Dalmanutha.

Jesus does not want us to come to him only for natural bread - He wants us to desire His spiritual bread. In Revelation 3:20 we read: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear (John 10:27) my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." In John 6:35 we read: "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

Pentateuch - The five books of Moses. The word is a Greek adaptation of the Hebrew expression "ḥamishshah ḥumshe ha-Torah" (five-fifths of the Law) applied to the books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and indicating that these five books were to be taken as a whole. As a consequence the various books are named in Hebrew by the first significant word of the section: Bereshit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Wayiḳra (Leviticus), Bemidbar (Numbers), and Debarim (Deuteronomy); but in the Septuagint, where the different sections had already obtained a separate individuality, they are known by names roughly indicating their contents as dealing with "the beginnings of things," the "exodus" from captivity, the "Levitical" laws, the "numbers" of the Israelites, and the "repetition of the Law".

The Two Great Commandments - In Matthew 22:36 we read: “[Jesus], which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, ’You shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

The first is from the Shema: Deuteronomy 6:6: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our G-d is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” In Deuteronomy 6:6 we read: “These words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The Second is from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The Jewish sage Yohanan ben Zakkai, most respected among the founders of Yavneh, taught that “loving our neighbor” means we have to take care of our neighbor’s honor as much as our own, our neighbor’s property as much as our own. Yet the ancient Israelites did not even love themselves very much. G-d called them to what is best for themselves but they rebelled, hurting themselves. Jesus raised this commandment dramatically. He said, in Matthew 5:43: “You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” The Hebrew Scriptures accepted hating the enemies of G-d. In Psalm 139:21: “Do I not hate them that hate Thee, O Lord? And do I not loathe them that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.” Jesus changed Leviticus 19:18: “love your neighbor” to Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies,” expanding the range of our love from the neighborhood to the world. G-d loves all His covenant family; the most miserable refugee remains G-d’s image and likeness. Jesus told us, in Matthew 25:40: “As you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” The “coveting” commandments, Exodus 20:17 prohibiting near occasions of sin, prefigured our Lord’s raising several “love one another” commandments to new heights. The fifth commandment, Exodus 20:14: “You shall not kill,” became, Matthew 5:22 “Every one who is angry … shall be liable to judgment.” The sixth, Exodus 20:14: “You shall not commit adultery,” became, Matthew 5:28: “Every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The eighth, Exodus 20:16: “You shall not bear false witness,” became, Matthew 5:34: “Do not swear at all … Let what you say be simply ’Yes’ or ’No.’”

In all of Torah, only ten commandments were written Exodus 31:18: “with the finger of G-d.” (See my teaching - What is Adultery?) The first three teach us how to love G-d: “You shall worship the Lord your G-d and Him only shall you serve,” “You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain,” and “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The remaining seven teach us how to love one another: “Honor your father and your mother,” “You shall not kill,” “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s property.”

The Second Exodus - "After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!'" (Revelation 18:1,2). "And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and G-d has remembered her iniquities'" (Revelation 18:4,5).

Babylon (or Babel) was the capital of an ancient empire. The name means "confusion" and originates from the confusion of languages which halted the building of the tower of Babel. (And the confusion that has now halted the building of the true church.) Symbolically, Babylon represents the confusion of idolatry and false religion. "And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen! And he answered and said, 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground'" (Isaiah 21:9). "Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim, and do not conceal it -- Say, 'Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces'" (Jeremiah 50:2). "And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). Harlotry represents unfaithfulness to the true G-d through the worship of idols and man's doctrines (Exodus 34:15,16; Leviticus 20:5; Deuteronomy 31:16; Psalm 73:27; Judges 2:17; 8:33; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:1; Ezekiel 16:15-17). In all ages, Satan -- that old serpent, the enemy of G-d and man -- has deceived us with confusion and created divisions or denominations.

Israel was carried away into Babylonian captivity as punishment for its apostasy and idolatry. G-d's temple was destroyed. In Babylon, the Israelites could not worship G-d according to His word (Psalm 137:1-4). Afterwards, G-d's people were commanded to flee from Babylon and return to Zion. After 70 years of captivity, the Israelites were allowed literally to return to Jerusalem. This was on the condition that they would repent of their idolatry to restore the true religion at Jerusalem. Today we can begin the second exodus - "Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldees! With a voice of singing, declare, proclaim 'The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!'" (Isaiah 48:20). See verses 12-22. "Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD" (Isaiah 52:11). See verses 7-12.

"'In those days and in that time,' says the Lord, 'The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the Lord their G-d. They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, "Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten"'" (Jeremiah 50:4,5). "Move from the midst of Babylon, Go out of the land of the Chaldeans; And be like the rams before the flocks" (Jeremiah 50:8). "Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He shall recompense her" (Jeremiah 51:6). "We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies. The Lord has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our G-d" (Jeremiah 51:9,10). "My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord" (Jeremiah 51:45). See chapters 50 and 51. "Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon" (Zechariah 2:7).

Come back to Him dear one! Shalom!