Role of the Apostles in the new dispensation

[etana]

Some thoughts on the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 as a parable of the new Church.

The feeding of the 5,000 was an important miracle during Jesus' ministry. So important that it is one of the few that were given in all four Gospels. It was a resounding message of encouragement to the Apostles at the time and still resonates with meaning for us today. Often teaching in parables, the Master that day conducted a living parable that was to be a blueprint for the church that would continue His work after He returned home.

It appears that the timing of this instruction was related to the passing of John the Baptist; that he represented the last of those worthy to wear the holy/holey garments of the Priesthood, now too worn and tattered to patch (see Matt 9:16, Mark 2:21 where Jesus contrasts his ministry with John's). The disciples had also just returned from their first outings by twos to spread the Good News to what must have seemed an impossibly large and dispersed number of Jews hungry for the Bread of Life. It was in this context, with the news of John's passing and the immensity of the task of edifying the people leavening the thoughts of the disciples, that Jesus began to teach.

In the interest of simplicity I'll present a combined account from all four gospels first and then break it down a little for further discussion. I don't want to fully connect all the dots and it is certain that what is presented here only skims the surface.

The feeding of the 5,000 combined from St. Matthew 14, St. Mark 6, St. Luke 9 and St. John 6

Around the time of the Passover, the disciples were relaying what they had done and what they had taught on their missions to Jesus. They also gave him news of John's beheading at that time.

The crowd around them was boisterous, so Jesus instructed the disciples to take a ship to a lonesome (solitary?) place for quiet. When the people who knew him heard this they followed him on foot out of the cities. Jesus saw the great number of them, like sheep without a shepherd, and had compassion on them. He healed their sick, taught them many things and spoke of the Kingdom of God.

As evening approached his disciples said,

[jadams_4242]

Some thoughts on the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 as a parable of the new Church.

The feeding of the 5,000 was an important miracle during Jesus' ministry. So important that it is one of the few that were given in all four Gospels. It was a resounding message of encouragement to the Apostles at the time and still resonates with meaning for us today. Often teaching in parables, the Master that day conducted a living parable that was to be a blueprint for the church that would continue His work after He returned home.

It appears that the timing of this instruction was related to the passing of John the Baptist; that he represented the last of those worthy to wear the holy/holey garments of the Priesthood, now too worn and tattered to patch (see Matt 9:16, Mark 2:21 where Jesus contrasts his ministry with John's). The disciples had also just returned from their first outings by twos to spread the Good News to what must have seemed an impossibly large and dispersed number of Jews hungry for the Bread of Life. It was in this context, with the news of John's passing and the immensity of the task of edifying the people leavening the thoughts of the disciples, that Jesus began to teach.

In the interest of simplicity I'll present a combined account from all four gospels first and then break it down a little for further discussion. I don't want to fully connect all the dots and it is certain that what is presented here only skims the surface.

Now that we have the whole, in context, let's break out some sections to call attention to some of the message that is as relevant to modern Saints as it was to the multitude of two thousand or so years ago.

Here, as today, the Apostles are to lead us out of the din and tumult of worldly places and into a place of peace.

Jesus is showing the disciples, by his example, what their role should be among the multitude, showing them the work of the good shepherd.

What follows is a wonderful bit of dialog where the great teacher brings the enormity of the task of feeding such a great multitude to the forefront of the disciples' minds.

This is a good place to remember how often bread is used in the scriptures as a metaphor for spiritual nourishment, for edification, for that which fills and fulfills a spiritual need.

So it is today that the apostles accept our imperfect offerings of time and resources and insight--that couldn't possibly be adequate for the LORD's needs.

The three different Greek words used in the four Gospels and translated here as