Matthew
Food and Numbers
If you are baking a cake, you will use numbers
You will measure each ingredient as you mix them together
Although those eating your cake may not care about the numbers
Those numbers matter
All the numbers and all the ingredients add up to one
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life who is not to be contaminated with the yeast
Of the Pharisees and Sadducees or anyone else; He is pure
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life to
both the Children of Abraham
And of Adam who makes us one in Christ
This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
All the numbers in the recipe add up to One
One Bread, Jesus to feed one world, all humanity
If you have tasted that the Lord is good
Then you have leftovers to share with the world
Food and Numbers
If you are baking a cake, you will use numbers.
You will measure each ingredient
as you mix them together.
Although those eating your cake
may not care about the numbers…
Those numbers matter.
McDonalds became a successful franchise
because they perfected numbers.
If you order a Big Mac with special sauce,
milkshake, and a cherry pie…
It will taste the same in Alaska as in Florida.
Why?
Because the number of ingredients matter.
When Jesus fed the 5000 Jews
and the 4000 Gentiles…
We see numbers of fish, loaves and baskets.
These numbers have meaning because
the lesson is bigger than the miracle.
When God created the heavens and the earth…
He created everything in order.
That order has held the earth
and the sky together for nearly 7000 years.
So, lets go into Jesus’ kitchen
and take a look at the measurements
and what those numbers mean.
When Jesus fed the 5000,
He was feeding the family
of Abraham’s descendants.
Feeding of the 5,000…
In this miracle…
Jesus takes five loaves
and feeds five thousand…
Which is reminiscent of the five books
of the Jewish Law (Genesis, Exodus, …).
Not only that…
But when everyone had finished eating,
twelve baskets of left-overs were collected,
which was probably alluding to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Feeding of the 4,000…
In this second miracle…
Seven loaves are used
and seven baskets were collected.
The number seven is symbolic of completeness
(i.e. not just Jews, but Gentiles, too)
And the number seven is evocative of the seven days
of creation, when God created all humanity.
I have sat with those who
have studied Biblical Numerology
and I found much of it is far reaching
and sometimes very weird.
But I do believe the use of numbers
in the Bible have purpose…
But until we meet Christ face to face,
we know in part, that is…
We only know part of the story.
I think there is enough evidence
in the feeding of the multitudes, to let us know…
Jesus is talking about more then natural food.
Jesus in Matthew 16…
Reminds the disciples of
the feeding of the 5000 and the 4000,
when they think Jesus is talking about them
forgetting to bring bread.
When He says…
"Be careful," Jesus said to them.
"Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Matthew 16:6
Without becoming weird or far reaching…
I think it is important to see Jesus’ message is more
than the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes...
But a lesson on God’s compassion and provision
to both the Children of Abraham and Sarah
and the Children of Adam and Eve.
In many ways,
the numbers are a part of
God’s secret recipe to all mankind.
God’s promise to Abraham and his seed,
was and is important.
Also, that God’s beginning work in the Garden of Eden
and the promises to Adam and Eve is important.
The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15
that in the past…
God was not pleased with those
who ate and drank spiritual food.
Paul warned us to leave sin and rebellion
like the people of God in the past and says…
I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
1 Corinthians 10:15-17
Jesus Christ came to unite us, Jews and Gentiles.
He is the Bread of Life.
His body was broken so both Jews and Gentiles,
men, women and children…
All people can receive His provision.
The Lord’s Table, also called the Eucharist
brings us all together as one loaf.
Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes…
As He did with the bread and cup at the Last Supper,
the night He was betrayed.
Look at His words when feeding the 5000…
"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
Matthew 14:18-20
Look at His words when feeding the 4000…
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
Matthew 15:35-36
After feeding the 5000…
There were twelve baskets left over
that the disciples picked up.
Could the twelve baskets be representative of…
The twelve tribes of Israel
and Jesus giving the twelve baskets
to the disciples representing the twelve apostles.
Would picking up the leftovers as they carried
over from the Old Covenant to the New.
After feeding the 4000…
Seven baskets were left over for the disciple to pick up.
Seven is the number of rest and new beginnings.
A change from the Temple made with hands
to the Body of Christ, the Church.
The clearest message we should get
from the multiplying of the Loaves and Fishes is…
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35
I am the bread of life.
Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.
But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,
which a man may eat and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
This bread is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world."
John 6:48-51
All the numbers and all the ingredients add up to One.
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life…
Who is not to be contaminated with the yeast
of the Pharisees and Sadducees
or anyone else…
He is Pure.
Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life to both
the Children of Abraham and of Adam
who makes us one in Christ.
This bread is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world."
All the numbers in the recipe
add up to One.
One Bread, Jesus to feed one world,
all humanity.
If you have tasted that the Lord is good…
Then you have leftovers to share with the world.
Scripture Reading NIV
Matthew 14:18-21
18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 15:35-39
35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children.
John 6:35-36
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:48-51
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Deuteronomy 8:3-4
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
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