“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 9:10-17:

Text #1:

Luke 9:10 “And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida .”

Also see: Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:30-32; John 6:1.

Now normally we start these lessons with an introduction; however, in this particular lesson the first text actually acts as an introduction.

In our previous lesson, the Lord sent out the twelve disciples to the lost sheep of Israel to preach the kingdom of heaven is at hand and to perform signs and wonders to confirm their message. In our text the chosen have returned from their brief commission. As each pair reported in, they conveyed the details of their work to the Lord (Mark 6:30).

The Lord intended for them to go out privately to rest and to take food (to eat - Mark 6:31). So they went by boat to the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee , to a place that belonged to Bethsaida .

Bethsaida is very close to Capernaum (about three miles along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee), this area is believed to be the fishing district for the larger city of Capernaum (Peter and Andrew and Philip were from Bethsaida – John 1:44; 12:21).

At any rate, the multitudes saw them departing and ran ahead of them on foot and arrived before the Lord and awaited Him (Mark 6:33). This now brings us to the beginning of this lesson, “Feeding the Five Thousand”.

This miracle of Jesus is recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; John 6:1-15.

Text #2:

Luke 9:11-12 “But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God , and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

He Received them: This deserted place that belonged to the city of Bethsaida was the narrow and secluded plain of El Batihah. It was near the time of the Passover (John 6:4), which is during the month of Nisan (our late March or early April), this means that a large amount of grass would be on the plain. John's account says that Jesus went up on a mountain and sat with His disciples (John 6:3). From here He was able to see the great multitudes and was moved with compassion towards them, note:

Mark 6:34 “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”

His compassion led the Lord to ignore His and His disciples own needs for food and rest. He thus taught the multitudes concerning the coming of the kingdom of God and healed them of their infirmities.

The Day Began to Wear Away: As all this transpired, it began to get late in the day. This caused the twelve to come to Him and indicate that before it was too late, they should go and find lodging and provisions. Keep in mind that there are five thousand men on the plain in front of them (this does not even account for woman or children – Matthew 14:21); yet, the disciples were only concerned about their needs (see: Mark 6:36).

Also keep in mind that they have just returned from the limited commission where they had performed miracles and were to only rely on the generosity of others to sustain them. It seems that the Lord saw this as an opportunity to teach them concerning the generosity that they had already forgotten.

Text #3:

Luke 9:13-15 “But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men.
Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.”

You Give Them Something to Eat: In Matthew's account the Lord would rebuke His disciples and tell them that the people don't need to go away (Matthew 14:16). John's account however, would record the most detail concerning this particular command of the Lord to Philip:

John 6:5-7 “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?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

Jesus tested Philip to see which way he would turn in his weakness. Jesus knew that the time to buy supplies for this large crowd was past and that they didn't have the money. He also knew that the power to feed the multitude rested solely within Him. Thus the challenge to Philip was to see if he recognized the same thing.

Missing from Luke's account is the question the Lord would ask His disciples, “How many loaves do you have?” Mark 6:38. When they went to see what was in their supply, they found nothing. However, Andrew found a boy who had five loaves and two fish (small loaves like crackers and small salted fish, like sardines in size; basically the boy's lunch).

Knowing now what they had to work with, Jesus had the supplies brought to Him (Matthew 14:18), then commanded them to have the multitude to sit in groups of fifty. This last command would insure that the disciples could make sure that all received a portion; in addition, it also would enable all that were witness to the event to be able to see the true number of people this miracle would affect.

Text #4:

Luke 9:16-17 “Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.”

All Ate: He blessed the food by returning thanks to God for it and this practice stands as a precedent for all the children of God to this day. It is noteworthy to recognize at this point that the multitudes didn't just get a taste, but they all ate and they were filled, this was recorded in Mathew's and Mark's account as well. John's account said that they ate as much as they wanted (John 6:11).

It is also noteworthy that all four Gospels would record that there was food left over afterward and it was taken up.

The purpose for taking up the left-over food has produced much speculation; however, the Lord gave the reason for the collection:

John 6:12 “So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

What was to be done with the extra was never divulged; however, these kinds of supplies were always needed.

Note: Luke does not record the result of the miracle; however, John would, note:

John 6:14  “Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

This statement from the men, who witnessed the miracle concerning “the Prophet”, is not a random statement concerning just any man of God. Just as virtually all can quote John 3:16; all the children of Israel learned of Moses' great statement concerning a prophet greater than him, note:

Deuteronomy 18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,”

Now also keep in mind that before Jesus performed this miracle, He preached to them concerning the kingdom of God . It was His desire that they not only be fed, but that they also be fed the bread of life.

Deuteronomy 8:3 “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”

The Lord took this occasion to establish a multitude of things:

#1. To teach His disciples about generosity and compassion.

#2. To teach them faith in God and Him as the Christ of God (more on this in the next lesson).

#3. To create an opportunity to teach the kingdom of God .

#4. To confirm His teaching by miracles.

#5. To allow the people to see Him as the Messianic Prophet that Moses spoke concerning.

Next: “The Christ of God”