Jesus, The Bread of Life for the Gentiles
Truth Taught- Jesus is the Bread of Life for both the Jews and the Gentiles
As we read the text for today, you may think I’ve heard this story before. This account of the Feeding of the 4,000 is recorded by Mark to be as similar as possible to the account of the Feeding of the 5,000. He does so with a purpose.
You will, no doubt, see the similarity of the accounts…
Both record the feeding of the multitude with just a very small amount of bread, Both show Jesus’ compassion on the crowd, Both show the disciple’s unbelief in the impossibility of feeding such a large multitude with the provisions on hand, Both record Jesus seating the crowd on the ground and praying, Both record that the crowd had plenty to eat and that the disciples gather baskets of leftovers, Both record that immediately after the event, Jesus and His disciples get into a boat and cross the sea.
What is somewhat unexpected in this second feeding miracle is the dullness of the disciples. However, we will take notice in a couple of weeks, Lord willing, that the disciples here, have ears but do not hear and have eyes but do not see. It is through this event which so closely resembles the other feeding miracle that the disciple’s eyes and ears begin to open to the glory of Jesus. They begin to see Him and perceive that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. It is in this great Chapter that we have Peter’s confession of who Jesus is…You are the Christ!
There is awrong argument that is fairly common that teaches there was only one feeding miracle and that the reason there is such similarity is because these two events are really one and the same. Those who hold this view also speak to the fact that the disciples would not have forgotten the first one so quickly. Those who believe this unfortunately don’t realize what Jesus is doing, they don’t understand the dullness of the disciples, and they simply don’t keep reading.
Mark 8:14–21 (ESV)
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Jesus speaks of both occasions; Mark believes there were two separate occasions as well.
Please Stand…
Mark 8:1–10 (ESV)
8 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
1. Jesus’ Teaching and Compassion (8:1-3)
8 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.”
Our Lord is a very caring and compassionate Teacher. This is shown in both Feeding miracles. He is always thoughtful of our needs. Here, He was concerned that those who were following Him had no food to eat.
The reality is that the people had been listening to Jesus’ teaching for three days. Some or even many had run out of food. These people were feasting on God’s Word rather than eating physical food. This was an intensive time of teaching for Jesus and learning for the crowd.
Another reality was that this was a fast for the people. They had made the choice to go without food in order to be fed the Word of God. They would rather sit under Jesus’ teaching and be fed by the Word than eat physical food.
John Piper…
The crowd has engaged in true Christian fasting and have been weakened by hunger. Some of the people were from nearby villages while others travelled a great distance to see Jesus. Our Lord cares for the needs of these people. He is about to feed them bread.
We should notice and make sure to see that there is with Jesus always Teaching coupled with Compassion. Here we must seek to model this as well. Our Lord did not feed everyone who passed by but those who were listening to His Word. He fed those who had come to hear Him teach. This speaks against our modern-day view of the Church as some social needs meeting organization. Food pantries etc are not the biblical model for charity. The biblical model is to care for Christians who have need, not the world. Because physical needs are second to spiritual needs. Remember it’s teaching and compassion.
2. The Disciple’s Lack of Faith and Memory (8:4-5)
4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
How short are the memories of the disciples. Their question is practically the same as the first time Jesus did this.
Mark 6:37–38 (ESV)
37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
I want us to see something here. Jesus is showing that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. He is a different kind of King and God’s Kingdom is a different kind of Kingdom.
Jesus is gradually making known the distinctive nature of his kingdom. Essential to this growing knowledge is an increased understanding of who he is.
“I have compassion” (Mark 8: 2). What kind of monarch is this? He has deep emotional feelings for the crowd. A mass of humanity numbering up to 4000 has been listening to Him teach for three days. Jesus has the most tender affections in his heart for this mob of people. Is this not a different kind of monarch?
I wonder, what do you think of when you think of Jesus? Is He like the modern rulers or kings that can murder thousands and not bat an eye? Is He to you, just waiting for you to mess up and sin so He can judge you? This is not Jesus. He is a Monarch who has deep affections for His people and cares for us with great love.
We also see, in both cases that the disciples were not believing. They are questioning the whole thing rather than trusting Jesus. Their attitude is basically, Jesus, just send them away hungry and they can fend for themselves. That may be true. Probably no one is going to starve to death here. However, this is not the picture Jesus wants of Himself and God’s Kingdom. This is not how the Kingdom of God functions.
Matthew 4:3 (ESV)
3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and was extremely hungry but He would not listen to the devil. Here, He shows that He is the Son of God by multiplying the bread so others can eat.
These people came to hear our Lord teach and He is a kind and compassionate Host. He will feed them in a miraculous way so that what He has taught them will have even more weight. When they see who Jesus really is, His Words will carry even more authority.
We too are called to show compassion to those who come week after week to hear God’s Word preached and taught. Are there any needs among us? Is there someone in our Church you can show love and kindness to?
When we model our King’s compassion and care to those who are His, His Word begins to take on another dimension. It leaves the realm of theory and enters every day life. We are called to show the same love as Jesus did. We are called to show each other what the Kingdom of God looks like and model our King.
In order to model Jesus’ care for His own, we must not be like the disciples who had forgotten what Jesus can do and what He did. Our faith must be active and our memory clear and fixed. He has done so many things in our lives. He has brought us through so many storms and trials. He can be trusted in everything.
3. Jesus Breaks the Bread (8:6-7)
6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.
There are a few things here we can glean from this section.
Jesus breaks the bread…He is the Bread of Life. As our Lord was teaching the crowd, He was giving them true life. God’s Word is eternal life for us. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the true manna…
John 6:48–51 (ESV)
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Jesus came down from heaven at the incarnation and in a similar way, God sent the manna, the bread from heaven down to the people. They ate and it was life for them. Our Lord tells us that all who partake of Him by faith will be given eternal life. He alone is the Bread of Life.
So, it is fitting here, that He breaks the bread after He has broken the spiritual bread to the people.
Another reason, and I believe one of the reasons this miracle is repeated in the Decapolis is that this is where Gentiles live. He is the Bread of Life for these people also. The Gentiles can partake of the great blessing of Jesus’ Word of life and be fed by the Bread of Life. Our Lord is the King for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. His Kingdom is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Jesus is spiritual bread for the pagan world also.
If His disciples can make this connection then they will understand much more of the Person of Jesus. We are blessed because we can read all about it and have the special revelation from the Bible to show us all these things.
Another important point here is that Jesus taught them and fed them.
Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Remember when Jesus used this verse in His temptation to battle Satan? Our Lord shows us by example that there is a more valuable and more life sustaining Bread, the Word of God.
Matthew 4:1–4 (ESV)
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
There is no real life apart from God’s Word. God, the Father sends us the Bread of Life, Jesus, His Son, the Word of God.
4. The People Ate and Were Satisfied (8:8-10)
8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
We should see that the people came to Jesus starving and famished. They deeply needed to hear from God. They needed the Word of Life and the Bread of Life. He filled them first on God’s Word and then as God did in the Wilderness, Jesus allowed them to get physically hungry.
3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna…
The people are now physically hungry. King Jesus strong and kind knew they were hungry now for physical food. He gave them bread to eat.
Will the disciples see with their eyes and hear with their ears? Will they perceive that what they had just witnessed was a great miracle, not so much that everyone had plenty to eat but that the One who supplied this Bread is the God who supplied the manna. Will they see that Jesus is the living, Bread? Will they see and understand that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God?
Well, read ahead in Mark 8 and you can find out for yourself…
Do you need the true Bread from Heaven, Jesus Christ? Are you spiritually hungry? He is the compassionate King who cares for His people and He will care for you.
When you think there is no way this situation (whatever it is) can ever end up well, remember, God’s blessing is worth more than abundant provisions. Our Lord knows our needs. He can and will provide for our needs. Sometimes, He lets us get hungry before He feeds us.
Are you hungry for the Word? Are you hungry for Jesus?
Resources Used:
Mark by R. Kent Hughes
Mark by J C Ryle
Words of grace
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