Every now and again, I discover something during sermon prep that doesn’t fit in the flow of the message. These delicious little nuggets of truth go no further than the pile of post-it notes that litter my desk throughout the study and composition process. A few such morsels have been simmering in my head for the better part of two weeks now. They are found in the story of The Feeding of the 5000.
Mark reveals that they had been so consumed with caring for the constant stream of people who were coming to see Jesus that they hadn’t been able to find the time to eat. So, they hopped on a boat and sailed off to the more remote side of the Sea of Galilee. Their lunch break was over before it started, however, as the crowd followed them on foot because of all the miracles they’d seen Jesus perform.
This is where we find the first oft overlooked detail. In John 6:4, we read, “The Jewish Passover Festival was near.” This seems like a super random detail with no meaningful connection to the narrative at hand. An even more random detail is found in John 6:10. We’re told that there was an abundance of grass upon which the people could sit. This second detail is a seasonal indicator to confirm that it was Passover time. But, why include these details?
Those present rightly saw the truth the miracle revealed: Jesus was the promised Messiah! They wrongly determined it was their responsibility to wage war to put Him in power.
The next detail is found in the questionable accounting that defines the story. As has been noted, this story is widely known as The Feeding of the 5000. But, all four gospels reveal that the 5000 only accounts for the men, failing to include the vast number of women and children that were also present. In Matthew 14:21, we read, “The number of those who ate was about 5000 men, besides the women and children.” Most estimates place the full complement of people between 12,000 and 15,000 people! This larger number serves the story better. It makes Jesus’s miracle of feeding them multitude with what amounts to a first century Lunchable even more amazing. Why then would the gospel writers limit their census to the men? The standard explanation for the marginalization of so many is that men mattered more in that day. Women and children didn’t count in most aspects of society, so there was no point including them in the final tally. But, there may be more going on here.
The final, and most consequential detail is found in the conclusion of the story. In John 6:14-15, we read, “After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.” Those present rightly saw the truth the miracle revealed: Jesus was the promised Messiah! They wrongly determined it was their responsibility to wage war to put Him in power. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Longman and Garland write, “…the specification of five thousand men is a way of drawing attention to a potential guerrilla force of eager recruits willing and able to serve the right leader.”[1] They are ready to march to Jerusalem and begin the revolution NOW. And, they have sufficient numbers to force the issue.
This is a recipe for disaster. This 5000 man army saw the miracle, found faith in the Messiah, but missed the point. If Jesus had the power to make a little lad’s lunch sufficient to the needs of an army of men, women, and children, He surely had the power to bring about His Kingdom. As is often the case, though, the ways of Jesus aren’t in keeping with the ways of this world. Rather than ushering in the Kingdom of God through military might, Jesus would establish His Kingdom through His supernatural love and providential grace. The job of His followers was to serve as witnesses of the miraculous works of Jesus, place their faith in Him, and spread the good news to all who would hear.
Christ’s Kingdom isn’t built by human force, but by humble faith.
There is an old Sunday School song we used to sing when I was a kid. We sang, “I may never march in the infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery. I may never fly over the enemy, but I’m in the Lord’s army.” Jesus is looking for soldiers to join His army, but we must follow His lead. Christ’s Kingdom isn’t built by human force, but by humble faith. The defining victory came by way of His sacrificial death on a cruel Roman cross. In the same way, our greatest weapon is sacrificial love in light of our abiding faith in Jesus. The means may seem insufficient for the task to our human understanding, but our God has a rich history of making more than enough out of what seems laughable inconsequential.
