WEBVTT 00:00:02.090 --> 00:00:05.870 If you have your Bibles with you, I invite you 00:00:05.870 --> 00:00:08.570 to open them to the 14th chapter of Matthew's 00:00:08.570 --> 00:00:18.210 Gospel. I'm going to look at a very familiar 00:00:18.210 --> 00:00:24.449 passage of Scripture this morning, beginning 00:00:24.449 --> 00:00:29.350 in verse 13. When Jesus heard it, that is the 00:00:29.350 --> 00:00:31.530 death of John the Baptist. That's the context. 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:35.670 When Jesus heard it, he departed from there, 00:00:35.729 --> 00:00:39.609 that is Capernaum, his hometown, by boat to a 00:00:39.609 --> 00:00:42.909 deserted place by himself. Now we know from Mark's 00:00:42.909 --> 00:00:46.469 Gospels his disciples are with him. But when 00:00:46.469 --> 00:00:48.990 the multitudes heard it, they followed him on 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:53.429 foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out, 00:00:53.469 --> 00:00:56.710 he saw a great multitude. And he was moved with 00:00:56.710 --> 00:00:59.590 compassion for them, and he healed their sick. 00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:02.929 And when it was evening, his disciples came to 00:01:02.929 --> 00:01:06.030 him, saying, This is a deserted place, and the 00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:09.109 hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, 00:01:09.250 --> 00:01:11.290 that they may go into the villages and buy themselves 00:01:11.290 --> 00:01:16.129 food. But Jesus said to them, They don't need 00:01:16.129 --> 00:01:20.030 to go away. You feed them. You give them something 00:01:20.030 --> 00:01:23.890 to eat. And they said to him, well, we have only 00:01:23.890 --> 00:01:30.010 here five loaves and two fish. That's it. And 00:01:30.010 --> 00:01:32.790 he said, bring them here to me. And then he, 00:01:32.870 --> 00:01:34.829 that is Jesus, he commanded the multitudes to 00:01:34.829 --> 00:01:38.150 sit down in the grass. And he took the five loaves 00:01:38.150 --> 00:01:41.829 and the two fish. And looking up to heaven, he 00:01:41.829 --> 00:01:46.370 blessed. And he broke and gave the loaves to 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:49.129 the disciples. And the disciples gave to the 00:01:49.129 --> 00:01:52.329 multitudes. So they all ate and were filled. 00:01:53.129 --> 00:01:56.049 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments 00:01:56.049 --> 00:02:00.170 that remained. Now those who had eaten were about 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:04.049 five thousand men, besides women and children. 00:02:04.989 --> 00:02:10.830 Let's pray. Oh, Father, Lord, would you help 00:02:10.830 --> 00:02:18.069 us this morning to behold your Son, who he is, 00:02:18.250 --> 00:02:23.969 the Christ, sent from heaven. Lord, I am utterly 00:02:23.969 --> 00:02:29.069 incapable and inadequate of preaching the glory 00:02:29.069 --> 00:02:34.669 of Christ. Lord, I need you, Lord. God, I pray 00:02:34.669 --> 00:02:37.669 for your help. Lord, I pray that you'd anoint 00:02:37.669 --> 00:02:39.990 my tongue and my lips and give me help from heaven 00:02:39.990 --> 00:02:45.129 to preach Jesus before your people. And I would 00:02:45.129 --> 00:02:49.879 ask this in his name. Amen. We've been studying 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:53.180 Matthew's Gospel now for two years. We're right 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:55.960 in the middle. It's important that we remind 00:02:55.960 --> 00:02:58.120 ourselves, really, what is his purpose in writing? 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.860 You have to keep in mind that Matthew, also known 00:03:00.860 --> 00:03:05.039 as Levi, he is a Jew, and he's writing primarily, 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:09.539 not exclusively, to a Jewish audience. He's wanting 00:03:09.539 --> 00:03:12.800 to convince all those Jewish readers that Jesus 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.139 is the Christ. So he opens his gospel in a unique 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:21.139 way. He opens showing that Jesus is the true 00:03:21.139 --> 00:03:25.719 fulfillment of Israel. He's the true Israel succeeding 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:30.139 everywhere the nation Israel failed. Now, how 00:03:30.139 --> 00:03:33.460 does he do that? Well, he deliberately traces 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:37.860 the nation's history showing how Christ fulfills 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:41.280 Israel's calling. For example, you don't need 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:44.680 to turn there, but in chapter 2, verse 15, Matthew 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:48.539 quotes Hosea 11 .1, which says, out of Egypt 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:52.680 I've called my son. But he applies that to Jesus 00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:56.139 and his escape from Herod when he was just a 00:03:56.139 --> 00:03:59.479 child, when they fled into Egypt to escape Herod's 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:03.620 wrath. So just as the nation Israel, which was 00:04:03.620 --> 00:04:05.780 called God's son, if you go back to the Old Testament, 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:09.000 Israel was known as the son of God. So Israel 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:11.819 the nation, God's son, was taken out of Egypt 00:04:11.819 --> 00:04:16.980 in the Exodus. Jesus, God's true son, was taken 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:21.560 out of Egypt leading to a new and greater Exodus. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:27.019 Israel, after the Exodus, was tested in the wilderness 00:04:27.019 --> 00:04:33.639 for 40 years. Jesus was tested in the wilderness 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:38.459 fasting 40 days. Later, Satan came to him at 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:40.519 the end of that fast and tested him severely. 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:43.959 We go to Matthew 5 in the great sermon on the 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:47.620 mount. Jesus is on a mountainside as Moses was 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:51.060 when he gave the law. Jesus is the new lawgiver, 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:54.519 preaching from that mountainside. He's the new 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:57.439 and greater Moses. And what is he doing in the 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:01.189 sermon on the mount? He is giving. the definitive 00:05:01.189 --> 00:05:04.389 interpretation of God's law. You've heard it 00:05:04.389 --> 00:05:08.509 be said, but I say to you. So just as Israel 00:05:08.509 --> 00:05:12.410 was baptized as they passed through the Red Sea, 00:05:13.069 --> 00:05:17.029 the Lord Jesus began his public ministry by being 00:05:17.029 --> 00:05:21.410 baptized. Additionally, Matthew opens his gospel 00:05:21.410 --> 00:05:27.329 giving Jesus' genealogy. He is the ultimate descendant 00:05:27.329 --> 00:05:31.720 of both Abraham, And David. He is called, in 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:35.800 verse 1 of Matthew 1, he is the, not a, the son 00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:40.500 of David, the son of Abraham. Jesus is the true 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:44.439 and faithful heir of all God's covenant promises. 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:48.639 But that's not the only reason. Matthew has even 00:05:48.639 --> 00:05:51.519 a greater reason. He doesn't want to just show 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.379 the Jewish audience that Jesus is the true Israel. 00:05:55.149 --> 00:05:58.029 Not only is Jesus the new and greater Moses, 00:05:58.250 --> 00:06:00.269 the prophet likened to him but far superior, 00:06:00.689 --> 00:06:04.329 but this is what we're going to see today. And 00:06:04.329 --> 00:06:06.350 this is where I feel totally incapable of presenting 00:06:06.350 --> 00:06:12.290 this. Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh. The Christ 00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:14.970 who's been sent from God, he's not just a deliverer. 00:06:15.889 --> 00:06:20.269 He's not just a man. He is God. How does Matthew 00:06:20.269 --> 00:06:25.040 show that? In chapter 1, he quotes Isaiah. And 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.540 he says that Jesus' name, he will be called Emmanuel, 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:33.139 which means God with us. Do you remember how 00:06:33.139 --> 00:06:36.879 God, Yahweh of the Old Testament, first dwelt 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:40.560 in the tabernacle? Later, he dwelt in the temple. 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:45.259 And here we see Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh, 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:49.579 dwelling among his people. In chapter 9, Jesus 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:54.089 forgave a paralytics man his sins. Man, the religious 00:06:54.089 --> 00:06:57.129 leaders were just dumbfounded. They were so mad. 00:06:57.209 --> 00:06:59.730 They were outraged. And they correctly claimed, 00:06:59.910 --> 00:07:04.930 who are you? Only God can forgive sins. Jesus 00:07:04.930 --> 00:07:09.389 was forgiving sins. In chapter 12, Jesus got 00:07:09.389 --> 00:07:11.889 in more trouble with the religious leaders because 00:07:11.889 --> 00:07:15.110 he said of himself that he is the Lord of the 00:07:15.110 --> 00:07:19.990 Sabbath. What audacity. Jesus claimed authority 00:07:19.990 --> 00:07:22.910 over the Sabbath day, which was instituted by 00:07:22.910 --> 00:07:26.230 God himself in the law? This would have been 00:07:26.230 --> 00:07:29.829 blasphemy had any other individual claimed such 00:07:29.829 --> 00:07:34.550 authority. Not even Moses had authority over 00:07:34.550 --> 00:07:38.370 the Sabbath. But Jesus said he was Lord of it. 00:07:38.670 --> 00:07:44.009 How? He was God in the flesh. In chapter 8, Jesus 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:47.610 calmed a raging storm. Remember the disciples 00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:50.449 thought they were going to die. Jesus awakes 00:07:50.449 --> 00:07:54.290 and rebukes the wind and the sea, and they immediately 00:07:54.290 --> 00:07:58.170 obeyed his voice. But don't forget what the psalmist 00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:02.410 said in Psalm 89. O Lord, that's O Yahweh, God 00:08:02.410 --> 00:08:08.470 of hosts, who is mighty like you, O Yahweh? Your 00:08:08.470 --> 00:08:10.449 faithfulness also surrounds you. Now look at 00:08:10.449 --> 00:08:15.269 verse 9. You rule the raging of the sea. When 00:08:15.269 --> 00:08:21.410 its waves rise, you still them. Yahweh, God, 00:08:21.610 --> 00:08:27.329 rebukes wind and waves. In Matthew 8, Jesus rebukes 00:08:27.329 --> 00:08:30.750 wind and waves. This is what we see the Lord 00:08:30.750 --> 00:08:34.909 doing. Jesus does what only God can do, and he 00:08:34.909 --> 00:08:38.090 has the rights. that only God possesses. See, 00:08:38.149 --> 00:08:40.909 Matthew does not come out and immediately say, 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:43.529 Jesus is God in the flesh. Had he done that, 00:08:43.570 --> 00:08:45.149 that would have been off -putting to his Jewish 00:08:45.149 --> 00:08:48.570 readers immediately. He's showing through his 00:08:48.570 --> 00:08:51.549 actions, through these titles, who he is. He's 00:08:51.549 --> 00:08:54.009 pointing to the fact that Jesus is no ordinary 00:08:54.009 --> 00:08:58.629 man. He is Yahweh in the flesh. Remember back 00:08:58.629 --> 00:09:00.610 in Matthew chapter 2, we call him the wise man 00:09:00.610 --> 00:09:03.840 or the magi. Remember, they came from the east, 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:06.580 and upon seeing the Christ child, they come into 00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:08.480 the house, and they fall down, and what do they 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:12.980 do? They worship him. Matthew 2 .11. And when 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:14.659 they had come, that is the wise men, into the 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:18.019 house, they saw the young child with Mary his 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:22.279 mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. 00:09:22.820 --> 00:09:27.720 Friends, worship is reserved only for God. To 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:31.830 worship anyone other than God is idolatry. These 00:09:31.830 --> 00:09:35.529 wise men were not idolatrous. They were worshiping 00:09:35.529 --> 00:09:39.909 God. Jesus forgives sins. He has authority to 00:09:39.909 --> 00:09:42.850 rule over nature. He has authority over the law 00:09:42.850 --> 00:09:46.990 of God. He is to be worshiped. What is Matthew 00:09:46.990 --> 00:09:52.440 saying? Jesus is God incarnate. And today in 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:54.519 our text, we will see another example proving 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.200 that Jesus is the prophet greater than Moses. 00:09:57.379 --> 00:10:00.340 Just as Moses gave them bread, so Jesus will 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:02.799 give them bread. But he is no ordinary man like 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:06.019 Moses. He's God in the flesh. Now, we're in chapter 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:09.299 14. If you look at chapter 14, it kind of divides 00:10:09.299 --> 00:10:12.220 itself. There are four movements. The last time 00:10:12.220 --> 00:10:13.820 I preached, we looked at the beheading of John 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:16.559 the Baptist. Today, we will see what we call 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:18.799 the feeding of the 5 ,000. But it's the feeding 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:21.889 of the 5 ,000 men. And then you see next week, 00:10:21.929 --> 00:10:25.029 Lord willing, Jesus walking on the water. And 00:10:25.029 --> 00:10:27.289 then the last movement, we'll see Jesus go into 00:10:27.289 --> 00:10:31.269 Gentile territory where he will do several healings. 00:10:31.690 --> 00:10:34.289 Now the feeding of the 5 ,000, this is interesting. 00:10:34.950 --> 00:10:38.210 This is the only miracle that is recorded in 00:10:38.210 --> 00:10:41.649 all four Gospels except the resurrection of Jesus. 00:10:42.590 --> 00:10:45.549 That's it, just the feeding of the 5 ,000. So 00:10:45.549 --> 00:10:48.679 clearly this is very important. It also must 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:51.200 have left some deep impression upon the disciples' 00:10:51.500 --> 00:10:53.399 and apostles' minds because they were present 00:10:53.399 --> 00:10:56.899 to witness it. It left an extraordinary impact. 00:10:57.820 --> 00:11:00.320 Now, when the chapter opens, chapter 14 opens, 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:03.379 you have John the Baptist, the forerunner of 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:07.259 Jesus. He was brutally executed by Herod Antipas. 00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:10.980 Now, John's disciples, they take the grim news 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:14.620 to Jesus in verse 13. So Jesus hears about it, 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:17.679 and we pick up our text in verse... or verse 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:21.759 13, excuse me. When Jesus heard it, the news 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:24.580 of John the Baptist dying, he gets out of there. 00:11:25.100 --> 00:11:28.279 He goes by boat. Notice it says to a deserted 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:31.139 place. Again, Mark chapter 6, the parallel gospel, 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:33.679 says that Jesus and his disciples got into a 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.100 boat. But when the multitudes, the crowds had 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:38.039 been there in Capernaum. Remember, Jesus is popular. 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:40.620 When they heard about it, they know there's not 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:42.539 a lot of places. The Sea of Galilee is not a 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:44.799 large body of water. They know where he went, 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:47.340 and they're going to follow him there. So what 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:49.879 you find here is Jesus wants to get out of Capernaum. 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:53.620 Matthew doesn't tell us why. Perhaps Herod's 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:55.779 already been jealous of John the Baptist. Jesus, 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.259 his popularity is rising. Maybe he's going to 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:00.639 garner too much attention. But for whatever reason, 00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:02.259 because he knows he has to die in Jerusalem. 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:06.139 So he gets out of Capernaum, gets into a boat, 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:08.879 and he goes on to the northeast side of the Sea 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:11.419 of Galilee. We call it the Sea of Galilee. It's 00:12:11.419 --> 00:12:14.299 a lake. It's also known as Lake Gennesaret. If 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:16.419 you read some Gospels, we'll call it that. It's 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:18.460 a big lake. Some of you, I've been there myself. 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:21.720 So now he and his disciples, we know, have been 00:12:21.720 --> 00:12:25.740 busily serving the people. They're tired. They 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:29.480 want to rest a while. But when the multitude 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.240 who had been around Jesus got word of it, they're 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:35.419 like, ah, wherever he goes, I'm going. So they 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:38.480 decide to walk around the lake to the place where 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:43.080 Jesus was. Why? Well, Jesus is wildly popular 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:45.639 at this point. Wherever he was is where they 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:49.299 wanted to be. He's healing sick people. And everyone 00:12:49.299 --> 00:12:51.440 knows someone, and Jesus can do this. You have 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:53.299 someone in your family that's sick or that's 00:12:53.299 --> 00:12:55.019 on their deathbed, let's get him over to Jesus. 00:12:56.059 --> 00:12:58.159 Now this would not have been a very long walk. 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:00.220 It's probably about four miles away, so it wouldn't 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:02.320 have been too long of a journey. But four miles 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:07.100 is no walk in the park either. Verse 14. And 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:09.620 when Jesus went out, he saw the great multitude. 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:13.620 He went out of the boat. And he was moved with 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:19.120 compassion. And he healed their sick. Now, in 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.840 Mark's gospel, later on, if you want to study 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.919 this on your own, go to Mark 6. We are told that 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:27.820 Jesus and his disciples didn't even have time 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:30.399 to eat. That's why they left. They wanted to 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:32.899 get away, be by themselves, refresh, and eat. 00:13:33.059 --> 00:13:35.059 They'd been so busily serving the people, they 00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:37.580 hadn't eaten. So they're tired, Jesus and his 00:13:37.580 --> 00:13:39.639 disciples are tired, and they're hungry. You 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:42.559 ever been tired? That's a bad combination, right? 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:44.879 Because you have tired and hunger. That makes 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:47.440 you irritable. At least it makes me irritable. 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:49.659 You're hangry, we call it. You're hungry and 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:53.620 you're angry. You're impatient. Now, had I been 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:56.220 there and seen the people following me, I think 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:59.620 I would have been aggravated. I would have said, 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:02.220 come on, don't you see that I'm tired? I've been 00:14:02.220 --> 00:14:05.460 with you people all day. I haven't even had time 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:07.360 to eat. Do you all care about me or do you only 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:10.610 care what you can get from me? That's not Jesus 00:14:10.610 --> 00:14:15.269 at all. I mean, Jesus left so he could eat and 00:14:15.269 --> 00:14:20.090 rest. But he comes out of the boat and he sees 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:23.389 this multitude. And he's not aggravated at all. 00:14:23.549 --> 00:14:27.149 In fact, Matthew and Mark both say that he was 00:14:27.149 --> 00:14:30.750 moved with compassion when he saw them. Mark 00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:34.269 6, 34. And Jesus, when he came out, he saw a 00:14:34.269 --> 00:14:36.230 great multitude, moved with compassion for them. 00:14:36.570 --> 00:14:40.519 Why? Because they were like sheep, not having 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:43.519 a shepherd. Now notice what Mark tells us that 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.940 Matthew doesn't. So he began to teach them many 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:48.820 things. What had they been doing all day earlier? 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:52.679 Healing and teaching. What's he now doing? Healing 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:56.039 and teaching. But I find this interesting. Jesus 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.200 is moved with compassion. He's not bothered. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:03.200 He's not annoyed by their neediness or their 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:05.779 presence. You ever think God gets tired of hearing 00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:08.990 from you? You ever think God's like, oh, not 00:15:08.990 --> 00:15:12.889 again. Friends, this isn't our God at all. There's 00:15:12.889 --> 00:15:17.070 no even vestige or semblance of annoyance in 00:15:17.070 --> 00:15:21.450 Christ. He's their shepherd, and the sheep needed 00:15:21.450 --> 00:15:24.950 him. And the good shepherd is always willing 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:27.750 to sacrifice himself and his desires for the 00:15:27.750 --> 00:15:30.509 needs of the sheep. The good shepherd will never 00:15:30.509 --> 00:15:34.870 put his own needs first. He won't do it. But 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:36.850 you know the religious leaders. They're also 00:15:36.850 --> 00:15:40.250 called shepherds, the shepherds of Israel. In 00:15:40.250 --> 00:15:43.570 Ezekiel chapter 34, God himself rebukes the religious 00:15:43.570 --> 00:15:46.409 leaders, the leaders of Israel, the shepherds. 00:15:46.409 --> 00:15:49.450 Why? Because they're derelict. They're not doing 00:15:49.450 --> 00:15:51.389 what they're supposed to be doing. They took 00:15:51.389 --> 00:15:53.710 care of themselves and neglected the people. 00:15:53.909 --> 00:15:58.669 And we see this in Ezekiel 34. Now notice the 00:15:58.669 --> 00:16:02.389 contrast. And the word of the Lord, the word 00:16:02.389 --> 00:16:06.139 of Yahweh, came to me, Ezekiel, saying, Son of 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:08.600 man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:10.919 Prophesy and say to them, you go preach this 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:14.519 to them. Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds, 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:19.039 woe. Woe to the shepherds of Israel. Why? They 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:21.860 feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:25.200 the flocks? But you eat the fat and clothe yourselves 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:29.120 with the wool. You slaughter the fatlings, but 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:31.679 you don't feed the flock. The weak you've not 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:34.559 strengthened. Nor have you healed those who were 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.100 sick. What's Jesus doing? Healing the sick. Nor 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:41.100 bound up the broken. What's Jesus doing? Binding 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:43.840 up the broken. Nor brought back what was driven 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:47.379 away. You've not sought what was lost. What's 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:51.820 Jesus doing? Seeking the lost. But with force 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:55.820 and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:57.840 scattered because there was no shepherd. And 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:00.519 what does Mark tell us in Mark 6? Jesus was moved 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:03.120 with compassion because he saw them as sheep 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:06.359 having no shepherd. He's going to fill in the 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.559 gap. Jesus, the good shepherd, he'll feed those 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:12.519 people. He will feed the sheep before even feeding 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.480 himself. What do we see him doing? Well, we know 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:18.099 from Matthew he's healing. We also know that 00:17:18.099 --> 00:17:20.359 he's teaching. He's binding up the broken. He's 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:24.000 caring for the weary. He's seeking the lost sheep 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:27.900 of Israel. What's Matthew saying without saying 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:32.339 it directly? Jesus is the good shepherd sent 00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:34.319 by God. And friends, this is what I want you 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:37.440 to see, how the Bible ties itself together. You 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:39.980 start to see echoes of Psalm 23, and I hope to 00:17:39.980 --> 00:17:42.880 point that out to you today. Psalm 23, verse 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:46.529 1. The Lord. Most of you know this, but some 00:17:46.529 --> 00:17:48.809 of you may not. In the Old Testament, when you 00:17:48.809 --> 00:17:51.690 see the word Lord, and it's in all caps, L -O 00:17:51.690 --> 00:17:54.630 -R -D, all capitalized, that is a special meaning. 00:17:54.670 --> 00:17:57.509 That's the covenant name of God for Israel. It's 00:17:57.509 --> 00:18:00.210 the word Yahweh, every time. Now, if you see 00:18:00.210 --> 00:18:03.210 L, capital, then little O -R -D, that's the word 00:18:03.210 --> 00:18:06.490 Adonai, master. But when it's capitalized like 00:18:06.490 --> 00:18:09.230 this, this is God's name, Yahweh. They don't 00:18:09.230 --> 00:18:12.589 like to pronounce it. So, Yahweh is my shepherd. 00:18:14.250 --> 00:18:21.130 I shall not want. Jesus is the shepherd spoken 00:18:21.130 --> 00:18:24.690 of in Psalm 23. Now Matthew said Jesus healed 00:18:24.690 --> 00:18:27.210 the sick who came to him, but Mark adds a little 00:18:27.210 --> 00:18:29.430 bit of a detail saying he also was teaching them. 00:18:30.109 --> 00:18:34.730 But Jesus himself, he's already tired, he's already 00:18:34.730 --> 00:18:37.309 hungry, and he proceeds to spend the rest of 00:18:37.309 --> 00:18:40.809 the day until evening ministering to the people. 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:46.049 Verse 15. And when it was evening, his disciples 00:18:46.049 --> 00:18:49.150 came to him saying, as if he didn't know this, 00:18:49.309 --> 00:18:51.730 this is a deserted place. It's a remote place. 00:18:51.990 --> 00:18:55.329 No villages nearby. And the hour, it's already 00:18:55.329 --> 00:18:58.450 late, Jesus. Send the multitudes away that they 00:18:58.450 --> 00:19:00.390 may go into the villages and buy themselves food. 00:19:00.549 --> 00:19:03.210 You almost get the idea that the disciples are 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:05.569 standing in the wings. Now, I know they don't 00:19:05.569 --> 00:19:07.569 have watches, but stay with me. Looking at their 00:19:07.569 --> 00:19:10.250 watches, I'm like, hurry it up, Jesus. Listen, 00:19:10.369 --> 00:19:12.049 it's getting late. We've not eaten. You've not 00:19:12.049 --> 00:19:15.680 eaten. Let them go. A crisis is mounting here. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:20.200 Sunlight is fading. They're in a remote place. 00:19:21.380 --> 00:19:23.440 People are now hungry. They've been there all 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:26.259 day. There's no place nearby where they can even 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:30.140 go buy food, even if they had the money. So you 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:32.500 start to see a little bit of panic in the disciples. 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:35.700 So they're letting Jesus know it's time, Jesus. 00:19:35.980 --> 00:19:38.599 Dismiss the crowds. Send them on their way. They 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:40.619 need to get back. They still have a long walk 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:43.640 ahead of them. We know at least four miles. and 00:19:43.640 --> 00:19:48.720 evening's already upon us. Makes sense. But to 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:50.779 their surprise, Jesus had another plan. Look 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:55.119 at verse 16. Jesus said, no, they don't need 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:58.940 to go away. You, and in Greek, you is emphatic. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.119 The pronoun's there. You give them something 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:05.720 to eat. You, disciples, feed them. Now, you know, 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:07.140 if you're sitting there, and Peter, it's not 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:09.140 said, Peter, we don't know, I'm sure, what he's 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:11.480 thinking. He's like, what? What do you mean? 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:16.039 You want us, 12, to feed them, the multitude? 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:18.859 Now keep in mind, this is a massive amount of 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:22.299 people. In verse 21, we're told it's 5 ,000 men 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:26.619 apart from women and children. So we call this 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:29.359 the feeding of the 5 ,000. But even conservative 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.720 estimates, easily 15 ,000 to 20 ,000 people. 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:35.279 Easily. Now they must have thought, the disciples 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:37.140 must have thought, Jesus is either joking or 00:20:37.140 --> 00:20:40.119 he's out of his mind. There's not enough food 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:43.279 for themselves. How do I know that? Because in 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:45.819 just a minute, Andrew, we know, is going to tell 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:48.440 Jesus, all we have here is five loaves, two fish. 00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:52.240 That's all they have, verse 17. And they said 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:54.019 to him, they, we know that remember the boy brought 00:20:54.019 --> 00:20:56.140 his lunch to Andrew. And they said to him, we 00:20:56.140 --> 00:20:59.640 have here only five loaves and two fish. So this 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:01.700 is the little boy's lunch, probably. That is 00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:04.359 mom packed for him. And by the way, the five 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:06.400 loaves are not like big loaves like we think 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:09.140 of. This is barley loaves, the bread of the poor. 00:21:09.539 --> 00:21:13.519 It's a poor little boy. Two fish, more like sardines. 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:16.799 It's a small pickled fish. So five loaves of 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:19.819 poor bread and two sardines. That's all the food 00:21:19.819 --> 00:21:22.539 they could muster. So there's not even food that 00:21:22.539 --> 00:21:25.599 they have. So what could this small amount of 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:29.940 food do with such a massive crowd? Now friends, 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:34.880 that's a reasonable thought if you discount the 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:38.099 one with whom they were speaking. You have meager 00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:41.420 resources and a large crowd, and they are hungry. 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:43.660 That usually does not produce a good outcome. 00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:49.079 It doesn't. Five loaves, two small fish, 15 ,000 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:51.299 people, no matter any way you slice it, it's 00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:56.059 insufficient. If you take Jesus out of the equation. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:22:00.480 Although that is all the food the disciples had, 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:06.039 it is enough. When you factor Jesus into the 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:08.779 equation. And this is what I'm saying for us, 00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:13.019 friends. Your resources, whether they be meager 00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:20.039 or massive, your resources plus Jesus is more 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:24.539 than enough every single time. Because he's not 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:29.200 limited. Verse 18, Jesus says, bring them here 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:32.380 to me. Give me what you have. It's an act of 00:22:32.380 --> 00:22:33.779 faith. Give it to me. Give me the five loaves. 00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:36.599 Give me the two fish. Remember Psalm 23. The 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:39.740 Lord, Yahweh, is my shepherd. I shall not want. 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:43.099 It means I shall not lack. There's no need here. 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:47.140 Why? If God, because God is the one taking care 00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:49.500 of me, there is no reason for fear. There's no 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:51.700 reason to panic. There's no reason for worry. 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:55.019 Why? Because God is my shepherd. He's the one 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:57.880 taking care of me. And the good shepherd is always 00:22:57.880 --> 00:23:02.019 faithful to provide for his sheep. Look back 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:05.640 at the Old Testament. God fed a couple million 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:10.660 Hebrews in the desert for 40 years with manna. 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:16.140 Every day. For 40 years in a hot desert, God's 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:20.079 people did not have replacement shoes or clothing. 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:22.660 But their shoes did not wear out. Their clothes 00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:24.900 did not rip. There was no dry rotting there. 00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:29.480 There was no lack. How do you explain that? Who's 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:33.000 your shepherd? It's God. The message that we 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:35.940 need to see over and over again is that God's 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:39.640 hand is not shortened. He is not limited by our 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:44.380 scarce resources. Ever. Scarcity does not mean 00:23:44.380 --> 00:23:48.839 insufficiency when we're talking about God. In 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:51.400 2 Kings 6, Pastor Kyle has been going through 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:55.539 the kings in this passage on Sunday nights. In 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:58.470 2 Kings 6, you have the king of Syria. He wants 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:00.809 to kill the prophet Elisha because Elisha keeps 00:24:00.809 --> 00:24:04.289 informing the invading army, the opposing army, 00:24:04.390 --> 00:24:06.809 of the king of Syria's plans. That's the backdrop. 00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:10.390 So he wants this prophet dead. And he tells his 00:24:10.390 --> 00:24:12.130 commanders, go get, and they're like, he's like, 00:24:12.230 --> 00:24:13.589 who's the traitor? And they're like, there's 00:24:13.589 --> 00:24:15.450 no traitor. There's a prophet in Israel whose 00:24:15.450 --> 00:24:17.289 name's Elisha, and he always tells about your 00:24:17.289 --> 00:24:20.470 plans. And he says, go kill him. So they go. 00:24:20.950 --> 00:24:24.710 The army of Syria goes to Dothan, where Elisha 00:24:24.710 --> 00:24:27.039 and a servant were. Well, early in the morning, 00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:29.839 Elisha's servant, Gehazi, he wakes up and he 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:33.279 sees that they are surrounded by the Syrian army. 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:36.980 And you know what his response is? The same ours 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:40.900 would be. He's afraid. We're dead men. We're 00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:44.440 two and there are thousands. Now, he goes and 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:47.200 gets Elisha. And he's like, look, we're vastly 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:51.299 outnumbered. What's Elisha do? And when the servant 00:24:51.299 --> 00:24:53.220 and the man of God arose early and went out, 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:55.980 there was an army. the Syrian, surrounding the 00:24:55.980 --> 00:24:58.960 city with horses and chariots. And the servant 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:01.960 said to him, alas, my master, what shall we do? 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:05.579 So he, that is Elisha, answered, don't fear. 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:08.259 What? Yeah, that's exactly what I had to do. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.619 No. For those who are with us are more than those 00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:12.799 who are with them. Again, are you out of your 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:17.339 mind? Verse 17. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord 00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:21.819 Yahweh, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:25.039 Then the Lord, Yahweh, opened the eyes of the 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.900 young man and he saw. And behold, the mountain 00:25:27.900 --> 00:25:33.460 was full of horses and chariots of fire all around 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:36.859 Elisha. Elisha wasn't afraid. He had no fear. 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:41.519 Why? Yahweh was his shepherd. I will not fear. 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:47.240 I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Remember 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:49.849 the widow of Zarephath. Do you remember? She 00:25:49.849 --> 00:25:53.869 had flour and oil, just a little bit. But Elijah, 00:25:53.990 --> 00:25:57.369 this time, told her, it's not going to run out. 00:25:57.450 --> 00:26:01.849 What do you see? 1 Kings 17. For thus says the 00:26:01.849 --> 00:26:04.869 Lord God of Israel. Now notice, this is God making 00:26:04.869 --> 00:26:07.150 a promise to a widow. Just trust me is what he's 00:26:07.150 --> 00:26:10.089 saying. The bin of flour shall not be used up, 00:26:10.150 --> 00:26:13.809 nor shall the jar of oil run dry until the day 00:26:13.809 --> 00:26:15.430 the Lord sends rain on the earth. It's not going 00:26:15.430 --> 00:26:18.029 to rain for about three and a half years. Verse 00:26:18.029 --> 00:26:22.589 16. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did 00:26:22.589 --> 00:26:25.569 the jar of oil run dry, according to the word 00:26:25.569 --> 00:26:27.549 of the Lord, according to the word of Yahweh, 00:26:27.690 --> 00:26:31.609 which he spoke by Elijah. Do you see what the 00:26:31.609 --> 00:26:34.210 scriptures are saying? To God, it matters not 00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:36.849 whether we have a little or whether we have a 00:26:36.849 --> 00:26:41.309 lot. What matters is whether we have him. This 00:26:41.309 --> 00:26:44.910 is what we need to see. God's the deciding factor, 00:26:45.069 --> 00:26:48.829 not our resources. Now the disciples should have 00:26:48.829 --> 00:26:50.730 known by now, because they've seen lots of miracles 00:26:50.730 --> 00:26:53.390 take place, that when Jesus commanded them to 00:26:53.390 --> 00:26:56.150 feed the multitudes, he was going to see to it 00:26:56.150 --> 00:26:59.309 that they would have enough food. Verse 19 again. 00:27:00.589 --> 00:27:03.950 So he, Jesus, commanded the multitudes to sit 00:27:03.950 --> 00:27:05.970 down on the grass. We know that they got into 00:27:05.970 --> 00:27:09.950 groups of around 50. Now notice here, there's 00:27:09.950 --> 00:27:11.549 small little things that we need to pay attention 00:27:11.549 --> 00:27:14.009 to. He told the crowd to have a seat on the grass. 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:18.079 If you look at Mark 6 .39, he says, have a seat 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:22.240 in groups on the green grass. Doesn't that seem 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:25.900 redundant? Why does Mark tell us the grass is 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:29.460 green when we know that grass is green? Where 00:27:29.460 --> 00:27:33.240 are they? They're on the Sea of Galilee. Water. 00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:36.099 Still water, by the way, on the shoreline. And 00:27:36.099 --> 00:27:37.880 he's commanded them to sit down in the green 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:41.799 grass by the still waters. What Psalm 23 says. 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:47.380 He makes me to lie in green pastures. He leads 00:27:47.380 --> 00:27:51.519 me besides still waters. What's Matthew showing 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:54.980 us? Jesus is the good shepherd, spoken of in 00:27:54.980 --> 00:27:57.960 Psalm 23. But who is the shepherd in Psalm 23? 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:06.500 YAHWEH. Who is Jesus? He's Yahweh. We know that 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:10.430 the psalm says, He restores my soul. He nourished 00:28:10.430 --> 00:28:12.490 their body with physical food, but he had also 00:28:12.490 --> 00:28:15.390 nourished their soul, Mark tells us, teaching 00:28:15.390 --> 00:28:19.450 them all day. Okay, so now let's see the miracle 00:28:19.450 --> 00:28:22.109 here. The latter part of verse 19. And he took 00:28:22.109 --> 00:28:25.069 the five loaves and the two fish. He looks up 00:28:25.069 --> 00:28:26.750 to heaven. That's the typical way that they would 00:28:26.750 --> 00:28:29.230 have given thanks. He blessed. He gave thanks. 00:28:29.509 --> 00:28:33.390 He broke and he gave the loaves to the disciples 00:28:33.390 --> 00:28:36.390 and the disciples to the multitudes. Does that 00:28:36.390 --> 00:28:41.569 language sound familiar to you at all? Many commentators, 00:28:41.609 --> 00:28:43.849 and I think they're right on, they see a foreshadowing 00:28:43.849 --> 00:28:47.390 here of the Lord's Supper. In Matthew 14, he 00:28:47.390 --> 00:28:50.390 took the loaves. In 1 Corinthians 11, he takes 00:28:50.390 --> 00:28:52.930 the bread. In Matthew, he looks up to heaven 00:28:52.930 --> 00:28:54.950 and bless. He's given thanks. In 1 Corinthians 00:28:54.950 --> 00:28:57.730 11, he gives thanks. In Matthew, he broke the 00:28:57.730 --> 00:29:00.009 bread. At the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 00:29:00.009 --> 00:29:02.910 11, we read he broke the bread. In Matthew, he 00:29:02.910 --> 00:29:05.730 gave to the disciples. 1 Corinthians 11, he gave 00:29:05.730 --> 00:29:10.829 to the disciples. The miracle. of providing bread 00:29:10.829 --> 00:29:17.190 points forward to Jesus, who gives himself as 00:29:17.190 --> 00:29:20.589 the bread of life. Now, I told you this miracle 00:29:20.589 --> 00:29:23.930 was mentioned in all four Gospels. John's Gospel, 00:29:24.210 --> 00:29:27.490 as soon as this miracle is finished, he goes 00:29:27.490 --> 00:29:29.630 into what's known as the bread of life discourse. 00:29:30.509 --> 00:29:37.230 John 6, 33. For the bread of God is he who comes 00:29:37.230 --> 00:29:40.400 down from heaven. and gives life to the world. 00:29:41.099 --> 00:29:45.500 And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:49.180 He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:51.420 who believes in me shall never thirst. Look down 00:29:51.420 --> 00:29:53.539 at verse 40. And this is the will of him who 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:56.240 sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, who 00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.019 is that? That's Jesus, and believes in him may 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:01.500 have everlasting life. And I'm going to raise 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:04.500 him up at the last day. See, Jesus' miracles 00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:08.299 were never designed to be sensational. They're 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:10.779 not there to satisfy any intellectual curiosity. 00:30:11.319 --> 00:30:15.140 Rather, they are signs that point to him as the 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:19.000 promised Christ who had come to save his people. 00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:22.720 Can you get a sense of what Matthew's doing here? 00:30:23.740 --> 00:30:28.559 My friends, I love it. He is showing that Jesus 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:33.039 is Yahweh. He's the good shepherd of Psalm 23. 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:36.160 He's the one who provides for his people. But 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:39.619 God doesn't just provide for his people by giving 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:45.900 them bread. He provides for his people by giving 00:30:45.900 --> 00:30:51.619 himself as the bread. He's the food. As he says 00:30:51.619 --> 00:30:56.700 in John 6, 33, he's the bread of life. When the 00:30:56.700 --> 00:30:59.210 nation of Israel... Remember when they were wandering 00:30:59.210 --> 00:31:00.690 in the wilderness, they were always tempted to 00:31:00.690 --> 00:31:03.549 complain, and that's understandable. And they 00:31:03.549 --> 00:31:06.329 complained against God. And they asked this question 00:31:06.329 --> 00:31:10.210 in Psalm 78. Yes, they spoke against God, and 00:31:10.210 --> 00:31:12.569 they said, now notice the question that they 00:31:12.569 --> 00:31:17.170 asked. Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 00:31:17.390 --> 00:31:20.190 We're in a desolate place. Can God give us food 00:31:20.190 --> 00:31:26.099 here? Verse 20. Can he give bread also? So Israel, 00:31:26.220 --> 00:31:29.500 the nation, is questioning, can God provide food 00:31:29.500 --> 00:31:34.519 for them in a remote wilderness place? What's 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:38.359 Jesus doing in Matthew 14? Providing food for 00:31:38.359 --> 00:31:40.880 his people in a remote wilderness place. Can 00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:43.240 God provide a table in the wilderness? What's 00:31:43.240 --> 00:31:45.839 Jesus doing there? He's providing a table of 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:49.039 bread in the wilderness. What does Psalm 23? 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:55.250 You prepare a table before me. Whoever has God 00:31:55.250 --> 00:32:01.410 as their shepherd will not lack. And I love this. 00:32:01.509 --> 00:32:04.809 We're almost finished here. Jesus didn't just 00:32:04.809 --> 00:32:07.869 provide a paltry dinner. He didn't provide just 00:32:07.869 --> 00:32:11.890 a little bit, some snack to hold them over. This 00:32:11.890 --> 00:32:14.549 is a meal of abundance. Look at verse 20 and 00:32:14.549 --> 00:32:19.329 21. So they all ate and were filled, all 15 to 00:32:19.329 --> 00:32:23.099 20 ,000. And they took up 12 baskets full of 00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:26.619 the fragments that remained. No waste. Now those 00:32:26.619 --> 00:32:28.640 who had eaten were about 5 ,000 men besides women 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:31.180 and children. Now notice, they all ate and were 00:32:31.180 --> 00:32:34.799 filled. Liberal people, liberal commentators 00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:38.099 said, they all just got a little bit. That's 00:32:38.099 --> 00:32:39.819 so dumb. What do you mean? They ate and were 00:32:39.819 --> 00:32:43.859 filled. 20 ,000 people here filled to the brim 00:32:43.859 --> 00:32:46.900 because our Lord multiplied five loaves and two 00:32:46.900 --> 00:32:51.500 fish. In fact, there was such abundance. People 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:53.539 could eat all they wanted, and there's still 00:32:53.539 --> 00:32:58.559 some left over. How much? Twelve basketfuls. 00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:01.220 Now, twelve, why? Because the apostles, each 00:33:01.220 --> 00:33:02.799 one of the twelve would have been carrying a 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:07.299 basket. Twelve baskets, twelve apostles. Each 00:33:07.299 --> 00:33:13.200 one carrying a full basket. Now, why? Those full 00:33:13.200 --> 00:33:19.039 baskets foreshadowed their future mission, or 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:22.279 they're going to go throughout the nation, distributing 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:28.319 spiritual bread to the world. These baskets show 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:31.700 us something. That our good shepherd, he's not 00:33:31.700 --> 00:33:35.400 selfish, friends. He's not begrudging. He is 00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:40.019 abundantly generous. Abundantly, exceedingly 00:33:40.019 --> 00:33:43.900 abundant above all we could ever ask or think. 00:33:44.700 --> 00:33:48.619 God. is generous with his people. And this miracle 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:50.339 here, it's just a glimpse, it's just a preview, 00:33:50.579 --> 00:33:54.119 just a small, tiny view of the generosity that 00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:56.859 our Lord is going to show his people. Now listen, 00:33:57.019 --> 00:34:01.539 when we feast with him at the marriage supper 00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:05.119 of the Lamb, when the kingdom of God arrives 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:09.420 in its fullness, there will be a lavish banquet 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:14.440 then. And today, if you leave simply being amazed 00:34:14.440 --> 00:34:16.659 that Jesus can multiply fish and bread, you've 00:34:16.659 --> 00:34:20.059 missed the point. We've missed the point altogether. 00:34:21.139 --> 00:34:23.860 Matthew is not so much focusing on what Jesus 00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:28.579 can do, but rather who he is. He's the Savior 00:34:28.579 --> 00:34:33.119 sent from God. Here's the point. The Jesus, the 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:39.699 carpenter from Nazareth, is God. He's Yahweh. 00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:45.820 He is the one that you must trust if you're going 00:34:45.820 --> 00:34:49.420 to enter the kingdom of God. Every one of those 00:34:49.420 --> 00:34:52.380 people who ate that day later hungered. They 00:34:52.380 --> 00:34:55.199 got hungry again. Yet Jesus tells us in John 00:34:55.199 --> 00:35:01.360 6, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:05.599 shall never hunger. And he who believes in me 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:09.539 shall never thirst. This same Jesus who broke 00:35:09.539 --> 00:35:13.539 the bread to feed the people would soon give 00:35:13.539 --> 00:35:16.739 his own body to be broken to save his people. 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:21.340 This is what we celebrate every Lord's Day. Every 00:35:21.340 --> 00:35:24.079 time we gather, it's to see something of the 00:35:24.079 --> 00:35:27.219 glory of God in Christ. See, the Lord Jesus, 00:35:27.340 --> 00:35:30.280 he doesn't only satisfy physical hunger, he also 00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:33.280 satisfies the deepest longings of the human soul. 00:35:35.820 --> 00:35:37.460 You're never going to hunger or thirst again. 00:35:38.500 --> 00:35:42.380 Not physically, friend. Spiritually. Through 00:35:42.380 --> 00:35:46.659 his broken body and his shed blood, Jesus provides 00:35:46.659 --> 00:35:52.019 forgiveness for our sins, reconciliation with 00:35:52.019 --> 00:35:55.900 our God, and eternal life in the kingdom that 00:35:55.900 --> 00:36:03.199 is to come. What's the psalm say? Yahweh is my 00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:09.570 shepherd. I shall not want. I won't want. So 00:36:09.570 --> 00:36:11.250 the question is, and this is for every single 00:36:11.250 --> 00:36:15.349 person in here, is Jesus, Yahweh in the flesh, 00:36:15.550 --> 00:36:22.809 your shepherd? Whoever believes upon him is what 00:36:22.809 --> 00:36:25.869 he says. Most assuredly I say to you, he who 00:36:25.869 --> 00:36:33.050 believes in me, only him has everlasting life. 00:36:33.150 --> 00:36:39.659 Why? Verse 48, I am the bread of life. You must 00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:45.059 come to him. He is the one who can save. Not 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:48.960 one among many who can save. The only one sent 00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:52.579 by God, the Christ, the son of the living God. 00:36:53.099 --> 00:36:56.579 Trust in him today. And for all those of us in 00:36:56.579 --> 00:37:00.840 this room who have. Jesus is not a dead Savior. 00:37:00.880 --> 00:37:02.960 He's a living Savior. He's risen. He's ascended. 00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:05.179 He's at the right hand of the Father. And we 00:37:05.179 --> 00:37:08.019 get to commune with him. He says, come, my people, 00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:09.400 come to me. I'm the good shepherd. I'm still 00:37:09.400 --> 00:37:12.820 providing bread. It's my flesh and my blood. 00:37:12.860 --> 00:37:15.579 Come. I'll feed you. I'll feed you with myself. 00:37:16.739 --> 00:37:19.599 Come and let's feast with him, remembering what 00:37:19.599 --> 00:37:22.440 he did, anticipating the kingdom to come, and 00:37:22.440 --> 00:37:26.179 rejoicing with our God presently through this 00:37:26.179 --> 00:37:29.050 meal that he's given to us. Father, we thank 00:37:29.050 --> 00:37:33.610 you. God, you are so rich, so generous. Lord, 00:37:33.630 --> 00:37:37.329 we are so poor, so undeserving. Lord, would you 00:37:37.329 --> 00:37:39.730 open our hearts and our minds to receive your 00:37:39.730 --> 00:37:44.849 word as it is, to believe it, to profit by it, 00:37:44.929 --> 00:37:50.409 to grow in our understanding of it. Lord, we 00:37:50.409 --> 00:37:53.510 can never mind the depths of sacred scripture. 00:37:54.650 --> 00:37:56.730 The more we look at it, the more rich it is, 00:37:56.889 --> 00:37:59.190 the more glorious it becomes. Because, Lord, 00:37:59.269 --> 00:38:02.489 it is a living word testifying to the living 00:38:02.489 --> 00:38:07.730 Christ, the embodied word. God, we need you. 00:38:09.329 --> 00:38:12.429 We're weak. All of us in here are weak, Lord. 00:38:13.969 --> 00:38:17.050 None of us have had a perfect week. None of us 00:38:17.050 --> 00:38:19.050 can come to the table of the Lord in our own 00:38:19.050 --> 00:38:23.139 merit. We come and, Lord, we desire to be fed 00:38:23.139 --> 00:38:25.659 with manna from on high. You're the true bread, 00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:28.639 Jesus, who has given your flesh for our life. 00:38:28.940 --> 00:38:31.780 Lord, we thank you for that. Let us commune with 00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:34.400 you now, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.