========================
Verses 1-13 Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
========================
1During those days another
large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples
to him and said,
2“I have compassion for these
people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
3If I send them home hungry,
they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
4His disciples answered, “But
where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
5“How many loaves do you
have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.
6He told the crowd to sit
down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he
broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they
did so.
7They had a few small fish as
well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.
8The people ate and were
satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces
that were left over.
9About four thousand were
present. After he had sent them away,
10he got into the boat with
his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
11The Pharisees came and
began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.
12He sighed deeply and said,
“Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be
given to it.”
13Then he left them, got back
into the boat and crossed to the other side.
----------------------------------------
Concerning the feeding of
four thousand,
----------------------------------------
1)
What was the
reason for the feeding of the four thousand?
o
They had nothing
to eat.
2)
Why did the crowd
have nothing to eat?
o
The crowd
§
Was in a remote
place.
§
Ran out of bread
because they had been with Jesus for three days.
3)
Why did the crowd
continue to hang with Jesus?
o
They were
expecting bread from Jesus.
4)
Why was the crowd
expecting bread from Jesus?
o
Because of the
previous feeding episode.
5)
How expectant was
the crowd of bread from Jesus on this occasion?
o
They had been
with Jesus for three days.
o
Yet they
continued to hang with him with expectation of bread.
6)
What was Jesus’
concern for the crowd?
o
Jesus was
concerned that if he sent them home hungry, they would collapse on the way,
because some of them had come a long distance.
7)
How did Jesus
characterize his concern for the crowd?
o
Jesus said that
he had compassion for them.
8)
Did the disciples
expect Jesus to again miraculously bring forth huge quantities of bread to feed
the crowd?
o
Yes.
9)
What was the
respective role of the disciples and of Jesus in the previous feeding episode?
o
The disciples
voluntarily offered up to Jesus the limited resources they had in their
possession.
o
Jesus
miraculously multiplied the limited resources many times over to feed the
crowd.
10)
Did Jesus say
what he was going to do for the crowd as a result of his compassion for their
having no food and why?
o
No, because Jesus
wanted to know what role the disciples wanted to play in feeding the crowd.
11)
What was the
disciples’ response to Jesus’ expression of his compassion for the crowd?
o
They answered,
“But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
12)
Had the disciples
learned from the previous feeding episode what they were supposed to do and
why?
o
No, because
otherwise they would have voluntarily offered up to Jesus what they had for the
sake of feeding the crowd instead of raising the question.
13)
Were the
disciples interested in playing the role of offering up what they had or in the
role of multiplying what they had many times over and why?
o
They were
interested in playing the role of multiplying what they had many times over
because they did not offer up to Jesus what they had.
14)
Were the
disciples explicit in expressing the desire that they would like to be given
the miraculous power to bring forth huge quantities of bread and why?
o
No, because doing
so would make them look greedy.
15)
What power for
conducting ministry had Jesus given the disciples so far?
o
So far Jesus had
given the disciples the power to heal the sick and to cast out unclean spirits.
16)
What other power
for conducting ministry were the disciples expecting that Jesus would
eventually give them?
o
They were
expecting that Jesus would eventually give them the miraculous power to bring
forth huge quantities of bread for feeding the crowd.
17)
What did Jesus
say to the disciples in reply?
o
“How many loaves
do you have?” Jesus asked.
18)
Did Jesus’ reply
make any reference to the miraculous power to bring forth huge quantities of
bread that the disciples were interested in?
o
No.
19)
How did Jesus’
reply in the form of a question about how many loaves the disciples had speak
to them?
o
Jesus
§
Referred the
disciples back to what they offered up in the previous feeding episode.
§
Again asked the
disciples to offer up to him what they had on the current occasion.
§
Was pointing out
to the disciples that they were the origin of the huge quantities of bread even
though what they offered up to him was miniscule.
20)
What role did
Jesus reaffirm for the disciples to play in feeding the crowd?
o
Jesus reaffirmed
the disciples’ role that they were to offer up to him what they had in their
possession.
21)
What did the
disciples say in reply?
o
“Seven”.
22)
What did Jesus
tell the crowd to do?
o
Jesus told the
crowd to sit down on the ground.
23)
What did Jesus do
with the seven loaves offered up by the disciples?
o
Taking the seven
loaves, Jesus gave thanks and broke
them.
o
Then he gave them
to his disciples to set before the people.
24)
What did Jesus do
with the few small fish offered up by the disciples?
o
Taking the few
small fish, Jesus gave thanks.
o
Then he gave them
to his disciples to set before the people.
25)
To whom did Jesus
give thanks for the seven loaves and the few small fish?
o
Jesus gave thanks
to God the Father in prayer.
26)
Where did so much
food come from for feeding such a large crowd?
o
The seven loaves
and the few small fish were multiplied in Jesus’ hands as he
§
Gave thanks to
God the Father in prayer.
§
Broke them and
distributed them to the people.
27)
How did Jesus
distribute the food to the people?
o
Jesus handed the
food to the disciples.
o
The disciples
distributed it to the people.
28)
When did the food
stop getting multiplied?
o
The food stopped
getting multiplied when
§
Everyone had
enough.
§
Jesus stopped
breaking the loaves and the fish.
29)
How many people had
eaten?
o
The number of
people who had eaten was about four thousand.
30)
How much leftover
did the disciples pick up on this occasion?
o
They picked up
seven basketfuls of broken pieces that
were left over.
31)
How did the
leftover compare with what the disciples offered up to Jesus for the crowd in
terms of quantity?
o
The leftover was
more than what the disciples offered up to Jesus.
32)
Was the current
situation similar to the previous feeding episode?
o
Yes.
33)
What was the
consistent role of the disciples and of Jesus respectively in their
collaboration to feed the crowd in both feeding episodes?
o
The disciples
voluntarily offered up to Jesus the limited resources they had in their
possession for the crowd.
o
Jesus
miraculously multiplied the limited resources many times over.
o
The disciples
served as the channel for distributing the multiplied resources to the crowd.
34)
Could Jesus have
been able to feed the crowd without the disciples offering up to him what they
had in both feeding episodes?
o
No.
35)
Could the
disciples have been able to feed the crowd without Jesus multiplying the
limited resources many times over in both feeding episodes?
o
No.
36)
What did it take
in terms of collaboration to feed the crowd in both feeding episodes?
o
It took
collaboration between Jesus and the disciples.
37)
What happened
after the four thousand were fed?
o
Jesus sent the crowd away.
o
Then he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the
region of Dalmanutha.
o
A map of
Dalmanutha is shown on the following page where it says Magadan: https://bibleatlas.org/dalmanutha.htm
----------------------------------------
Concerning the Pharisees
demanding a sign from heaven,
----------------------------------------
38)
What happened in
the region of Dalmanutha?
o
The Pharisees
§
Continued their
familiar routine of arguing with Jesus.
§
Asked him for a
sign from heaven to test him.
39)
What was
different about the Pharisees’ arguing with Jesus this time that they never did
before?
o
This was the
first time they asked Jesus for a sign from heaven.
40)
What is a sign?
o
A sign is a
miracle that points to God as the origin.
41)
What was a sign
from heaven that the Pharisees were asking for?
o
It is not certain
if they knew what they were asking for.
o
On the surface
they were demanding that Jesus authenticate himself if he was a messenger sent
by God.
42)
What was the
arrogance of the Pharisees in asking Jesus for a sign from heaven?
o
They considered
themselves to be of such importance that
§
If Jesus was sent
by God, he needed to prove himself before them.
§
Jesus needed to
render a miracle explicitly upon their demand regardless of all the miracles
Jesus had already performed.
43)
Why did the
Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven when they had already seen him
perform a number of miracles?
o
They were testing
Jesus.
44)
What is the
relationship between the one who tests and the one who is tested?
o
The one who tests
is like a teacher and therefore superior.
o
The one who is
tested is like a student and therefore inferior.
45)
How would the
Pharisees like to be treated in public as recorded in the bible?
o
They loved to be
treated with honor and to be called teachers in public.
· Ask a volunteer to read out loud Matthew 23:6-7 that
says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
6they love the place of honor
at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7they love to be greeted with
respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
+++++++++++++++++++++
46)
What is a rabbi?
o
A rabbi is a
teacher in Judaism.
47)
How did the
Pharisees compare themselves to Jesus?
o
They felt
inferior in the presence of Jesus who had
Performed so many miracles.
Captivated the attention of large crowds for days on
end with his teachings.
48)
What motivated
the Pharisees to test Jesus?
o
By placing a
condescending demand on Jesus they put themselves in a superior position above
Jesus in order to placate their ego.
49)
What would the
Pharisees have accomplished if Jesus had performed a miracle to meet their
demand?
o
Jesus would have
acknowledged that he was inferior to them.
50)
How do we characterize
the Pharisees judging from their mental state?
o
They were
egomaniacs who were incompetent.
51)
Would the
Pharisees have believed that Jesus was indeed a messenger sent by God if Jesus
had performed a miracle upon demand and why?
o
No, because
§
The other
miracles Jesus had performed were sufficient to authenticate him to be a
messenger sent by God.
§
Since all these
miracles had not been sufficient to convince the Pharisees, one more miracle
was not going to convince them either.
52)
What was Jesus’
response to the Pharisees?
o
Jesus sighed
deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no
sign will be given to it.”
53)
What did Jesus do
next?
o
Jesus left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the
other side.
----------------------------------------
· Ask for a volunteer to summarize.
· Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the
summary.
========================
Verses 1-13 Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
========================
========================
Verses 14-21 The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
========================
14The disciples had forgotten
to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.
15“Be careful,” Jesus warned
them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”
16They discussed this with
one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”
17Aware of their discussion,
Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not
see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
18Do you have eyes but fail
to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?
19When I broke the five
loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
20“And when I broke the seven
loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
21He said to them, “Do you
still not understand?”
----------------------------------------
Concerning the yeast of the
Pharisees and Herod,
----------------------------------------
54)
Did the disciples
have enough bread with them in the boat while they were traveling and why?
o
No, they had only
one loaf with them in the boat because they had forgotten to bring bread.
55)
Did Jesus and his
disciples leave the Pharisees just moments before?
o
Yes.
56)
What did Jesus
say to his disciples?
o
“Be careful,”
Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of
Herod.”
57)
What is yeast
regularly used for?
o
It is regularly
used for baking bread causing the bread to rise and become puffy.
58)
What did the
disciples do upon Jesus’ remark?
o
They discussed it
with one another.
59)
What conclusion
did the disciples draw from their discussion of Jesus’ remark?
o
They said, “It is
because we have no bread.”
60)
What prompted the
disciples to draw the conclusion that it was because they had no bread that
Jesus made his remark about yeast?
o
Yeast was for
baking bread and that association prompted the disciples to draw the
conclusion.
61)
Did the disciples
make a physical association between what Jesus said and what he meant?
o
Yes.
62)
Did Jesus intend
for the disciples to make a physical association between what he said and what
he meant and why?
o
No, because Jesus
negated the physical association by asking the disciples a rhetorical question:
“Why are you talking about having no bread?”
63)
What kind of
association did Jesus intend for the disciples to make between what he said and
what he meant?
o
Jesus intended
for them to make a metaphorical association.
64)
What does yeast
symbolize in the bible?
o
It symbolizes
things that start out small but can quickly cause corruption to the whole
batch.
65)
What was Jesus
actually warning the disciples against in referring to the yeast of the
Pharisees and that of Herod?
o
Jesus was
actually warning them against the corrupting influence of the Pharisees and of
Herod.
66)
What are examples
of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod that we have seen?
o
The Pharisees
§
Touted their
ritualistic cleanness in rejection of dependence on God for the cleansing of
uncleanness within.
§
Put on a façade
of piety but their hearts were far from God.
§
Set aside the
commands of God in order to observe their own traditions.
§
Tested Jesus by
demanding a miracle from him.
o
Herod
§
Married his
brother’s wife.
§
Killed John the
Baptist.
67)
What was the
respective attitude of the disciples, the Pharisees and the Greek woman toward
bread that tells us of their inclination to depend on Jesus?
o
The disciples
wanted to be able to bring forth bread so that they did not need to depend on
Jesus for provision.
o
The Pharisees
used eating bread with washed hands to tout their ritualistic cleanness in
rejection of dependence on God for the cleansing of uncleanness within.
o
The Greek woman
begged Jesus for the metaphorical bread crumbs under the table as a declaration
of her dependence on Jesus.
68)
What was the
respective attitude of the disciples, the Pharisees and the Greek woman toward
miracles from Jesus?
o
The disciples
craved miraculous power from Jesus for personal gains.
o
The Pharisees
demanded a miracle from Jesus in order to test Jesus.
o
The Greek woman
begged Jesus for a miracle.
69)
Were the
disciples corrupted by the yeast of the Pharisees?
o
Yes.
70)
What did Jesus
intend for his remark about the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod to
accomplish?
o
Jesus was using
the episode of feeding four thousand along with his remark about the yeast of
the Pharisees and that of Herod to diagnose the spiritual condition of the
disciples.
o
Just as
o
He had used the
episode of feeding five thousand along with his miracle of walking on water and
calming the wind for the same purpose.
71)
Did the disciples
have difficulties understanding spiritual matters on the current occasion and
why?
o
Yes, because
between what Jesus said and what he meant the disciples made a physical
association instead of a metaphorical association.
72)
Was the
disciples’ craving miraculous power for personal gains as seen in the miracle
of feeding four thousand the cause of their difficulties in understanding
spiritual matters as seen in their misunderstanding the yeast of the Pharisees?
o
Yes.
73)
What was the diagnosis
of the disciples’ spiritual condition on the current occasion?
o
As long as they
craved miraculous power for personal gains, the disciples would have
difficulties understanding spiritual matters.
74)
What was the
diagnosis of the spiritual condition of the disciples in the context of the
previous episode of feeding five thousand along with Jesus’ miracle of walking
on water and calming the wind?
o
Until they
understood why Jesus would not work miracles for his personal gains, the
disciples would have difficulties
§
Understanding
spiritual matters.
§
Focusing their
attention on who Jesus is.
75)
Did the
disciples’ not understanding why Jesus would not work miracles for his personal
gains and the disciples’ craving miraculous power for personal gains both refer
to the equivalent thing?
o
Yes.
76)
How can we
rephrase the previous diagnosis of the spiritual condition of the disciples in
terms of craving miraculous power for personal gains to align it with the
current diagnosis?
o
As long as they
craved miraculous power for personal gains, the disciples would have
difficulties
§
Understanding
spiritual matters.
§
Focusing their
attention on who Jesus is.
77)
Was the current
diagnosis a part of the previous diagnosis?
o
Yes.
78)
Was there a
reason why the disciples particularly craved miraculous power for personal
gains and why?
o
Yes, because the
disciples did not have a source of income when they followed Jesus around all
the time.
o
So there was
constant worry among the disciples over provision.
79)
What then was the
root cause of the disciples’ difficulties understanding spiritual matters and
focusing their attention on who Jesus is?
o
Constant worry
over provision was the root cause.
80)
What would need
to be done to address the disciples’ persistent of lack of understanding of
spiritual matters and focusing their attention on who Jesus is?
o
Their constant
worry over provision would need to be dealt with.
81)
How did Jesus
point out the disciples’ persistent lack of understanding on the current
occasion?
o
Jesus asked the
disciples the following rhetorical questions:
§
Do you still not
see or understand?
§
Are your hearts
hardened?
§
Do you have eyes
but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?
§
Don’t you
remember?
§
Do you still not
understand?
82)
Were these
rhetorical questions supposed to be answered by the disciples?
o
No.
83)
How emphatically
did Jesus point out the disciples’ persistent lack of understanding?
o
Very.
84)
What was the
purpose of the emphasis?
o
Jesus was forcing
the disciples to face their persistent problem.
85)
What was the last
of Jesus’ barrage of questions?
o
“Do you still not
understand?”
86)
What did Jesus
suggest from the way he framed the question?
o
Jesus suggested
that the disciples had been plagued by their persistent lack of understanding
for quite some time.
o
Jesus expected a
resolution of the problem.
87)
What emotion did
Jesus exhibit toward the disciples’ persistent lack of understanding?
o
Jesus was
frustrated.
88)
How did Jesus
help the disciples recall the provision they received in the episode of feeding
five thousand?
o
Jesus asked them:
“And don’t you remember? When I broke
the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you
pick up?”
89)
What was the
disciples’ reply?
o
Twelve.
90)
How did Jesus
help the disciples recall the provision they received in the episode of feeding
four thousand?
o
Jesus asked them:
“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls
of pieces did you pick up?”
91)
What was the
disciples’ reply?
o
Seven.
92)
Did the disciples
receive less provision when they offered up seven loaves than when they offered
up five and why?
o
No, because
§
The seven
basketfuls they received as provision when they offered up seven loaves
referred to larger baskets than the twelve basketfuls they received as
provision when they offered up five loaves.
§
Acts 9:25 refers
to the same kind of basket as for the seven basketfuls they received as
provision.
§
It is the kind of
basket that is large and strong enough to transport a person in.
· Ask a volunteer to read out loud Acts 9:25 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
25But his followers took him
by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
+++++++++++++++++++++
93)
How did Jesus
help the disciples tackle their persistent lack of understanding due to
constant worry over provision?
o
Jesus helped the
disciples recall that in both feeding episodes
o
They would always
receive their provision from what they offered up to him for the benefit of
others, meaning that they would be blessed as they blessed others.
o
The provision
they received would be more than what they offered up for the benefit of
others.
94)
How should the
disciples regard their provision?
o
They would need
to be content with their provision.
95)
Why did Jesus not
give the disciples the miraculous power to bring forth bread?
o
When huge
quantities of bread passed through their hands, the disciples would be consumed
by greed and would not be able to restrain themselves.
96)
How had the
disciples attempted to address their worry over provision instead?
o
They wanted to
appropriate for themselves the miraculous power to bring forth bread.
o
This way they did
not have to worry about provision any more.
97)
What is the item
on Jesus’ list of sins in chapter 7 that can be used to describe the disciples’
craving for miraculous power to bring forth bread instead of being content with
their provision?
o
Greed.
98)
Is there further
evidence that sin caused the disciples’ hearts to be hardened toward spiritual
matters and who Jesus is and why?
o
Yes, because
§
Sin originates
from man’s heart as Jesus pointed out when he cited the list of sins.
§
A hardened heart
toward spiritual matters and who Jesus is due to sin in the heart, greed in the
case of the disciples.
99)
What was the
disciples’ message when they went out to sow the word?
o
They preached
that people should repent.
100)
What should the
disciples do with their sin of greed?
o
They needed to
§
Walk their talk.
§
And repent of
their sin.
101)
How do we
describe the condition of the disciples when they offered up the little they
had in their possession for the benefit of the crowd?
o
They were rather
generous and selfless.
102)
How do we
describe the condition of the disciples when huge quantities of bread passed
through their hands and they began to crave miraculous power for personal
gains?
o
They became
greedy.
103)
How quickly was
the disciples’ generosity replaced by greed?
o
Rather quickly.
104)
What was the
disciples’ willingness to give replaced by?
o
It was replaced
by the desire to take.
105)
What was the
external factor that so rapidly precipitated the change in the disciples?
o
Abundance,
specifically abundance that came about very suddenly and that literally dropped
out of the sky.
106)
How do we compare
the outcome of the pursuit of bread by both the Greek woman and the disciples?
o
The metaphorical
bread crumbs under the table that the Greek woman pursued was the blessed
little that earned her the commendation of great faith from Jesus.
o
The huge
quantities of bread that miraculously dropped out of the sky and that the
disciples pursued was the cursed abundance that earned them the rebuke of lack
of understanding from Jesus.
107)
Is being generous
when one does not have much a predictor of one’s inclination to restrain greed
when the possibility for abundance opens up?
o
No.
108)
What does it take
to restrain greed when the possibility for abundance opens up?
o
It takes denying
self.
109)
How hard is denying
self regarded in discipleship?
o
It is one of the
hard issues of discipleship.
110)
Was the
disciples’ craving for miraculous power to bring forth bread so that they did
not need to depend on Jesus for provision contradictory to the purpose of
discipleship and why?
o
Yes, because
there is no need for discipleship in a world that has no need for dependence on
Jesus.
111)
Was it
contradictory that on the one hand Jesus was training the disciples to be able
to minister to the crowd without him while on the other the disciples always
needed to depend on him for provision and why?
o
No, because the
disciples
§
Could depend on
Jesus even after he departed from them by virtue of the fact that Jesus is
God.
§
Would in fact
need to depend on Jesus even more after his departure.
112)
How did Jesus
consistently exhibit humility and give the disciples the credit and
satisfaction when crowds were fed?
o
Jesus would
humbly ask the disciples to offer up their meager possession for the benefit of
the crowd as the starting point for generating an abundant blessing for the
crowd.
o
So Jesus gave the
disciples the credit and satisfaction that it was from what they offered up
that the crowd was fed and satisfied.
----------------------------------------
· Ask for a volunteer to summarize.
· Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the
summary.
========================
Verses 14-21 The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
========================