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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, April 30, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand Bible Verse:Matthew 14:13-21 (ESV) "Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. " Message:
John the Baptist has just been beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12) — this is what Jesus hears in v.13 that motivates him to go off alone. He is in the heart of his ministry, wandering in Galilee, teaching, healing, and facing growing opposition from the Jewish religious/political establishment, especially the Pharisees.
As He resumes teaching, we encounter the only major miracle of Christ's present in all four Gospels (prior to the Resurrection). He feeds a great multitude with five loaves and two fish, and the leftover crumbs fill 12 baskets.
Christ eternal
The Gospel of John generally emphasizes Jesus’ miracles as acts performed to demonstrate his power and presence. John presents the miracles of Christ as primarily signs of divinity rather than acts of compassion, which we can see by comparing John’s account of this incident to Matthew’s. Here we read “he had compassion on them, and healed their sick”; in John 6:2 we read, “Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.”
Matthew, however, continues to emphasize Jesus as the Jewish Messiah; and unlike John, therefore, ties the beginning of this miracle to the death of John the Baptist, who forms a sort of transition between Judaism and Christianity; John the Baptist is essentially the last of the Old Testament prophets, and the first of the New. He gives the Jews a bridge from Isaiah to Christ.
The parallel between this miracle and the miracle of Yahweh feeding the Hebrews with manna is hard to miss. In both cases, the people had gathered to seek God, and in both cases, they had no way to feed themselves. Yet there is a critical difference: Manna would not keep; it could not be stored. (Exo. 16:16-21) In today’s Scripture, however, there are 12 baskets of scraps left over, to provide for the future.
One might interpret from this a sign of the role of the 12 apostles; for Christ gave them powers to heal the sick and cast out demons. (Matthew 10:5-8) God's covenant with the Hebrews was direct and limited; the old covenant, like manna, would not multiply. God did not give the Hebrews authority to spread the covenant as his agents.
But the new covenant will be one that spreads from person to person, until it is made available throughout the earth. Christ's salvation will become available not just to those who are baptized by Christ, but will multiply beyond the immediate need. There will be enough of the bread of salvation to feed every person on earth, extending to all generations. The miracle foresees a day when the apostles would recreate the Last Supper in churches, after Christ ascends.
Meditation : Prayer : God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make me and all who confess your holy name people of this light. Make me faithful to your Word that I may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord........Amen |
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