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Matthew 14:16  (King James Version)
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<< Matthew 14:15   Matthew 14:17 >>


Matthew 14:15-20

The website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) contains an article, “Did Jesus Eat Fish?” This question may seem easy for us to answer because we are familiar with Matthew 15, Mark 6 and 8, Luke 9 and 24, John 6, and more—but not to these people. The author writes:

Although there are stories [!] throughout the Bible that appear [!] to suggest [!] that Jesus ate fish, there has been serious theological debate as to whether he actually did, or if the word “fish” is a mistranslation.

Who writes this nonsense? “Stories,” “appear,” and “suggest” inject a great deal of wiggle-room into this quotation. And “serious theological debate”? Really? We will unpack one of these “stories,” Christ's feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:15-20), to find out what God's Word says about this claim.

We will consider the simplest matter first. In verse 17, did Matthew really write “fish”? The Greek word behind it is ichthus (Strong's Concordance #2486), which means “fish.” New Testament authors use it 21 times, and each time it is translated as “fish.” Sometimes a word has multiple applications and shades of meaning, but not ichthus. It means “fish” and nothing else.

That seems straightforward enough. But not so fast, our “serious theologians” say. Half the disciples were fishermen. They tell us that early Christians used the fish symbol to recognize one another, in the manner of something like a secret handshake. (We will set aside the fact that the fish symbol is probably pagan in origin, in religious use long before the early church. This symbol was not a part of the true church, if for no other reason than its members did not have car bumpers to slap stickers on.) The five Greek letters used to spell ichthus are ΙΧΘΥΣ (iota chi theta upsilon sigma). These “theological scholars” assert that these letters are an acronym, standing for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” Therefore, their reasoning goes, Jesus was not giving the multitudes “fish” to eat but using the code word for “Christians.” Does this sound like “serious theological debate” to you?

They further argue that verse 17 informs us that the only food in this crowd is five loaves and two fish. Christ says in verse 18, “Bring them here to Me,” and in verse 19, He blesses the food, both the loaves and the fishes, but gives only the loaves to His disciples. The verse does not mention that He gave the fish back to them. In verse 20, they gather the fragments, but again, the text does not explicitly say anything about the fish!

Using this account alone and disregarding the other three gospels is called “proof-texting,” that is, lifting a passage that says what one wants and ignoring other verses that clarify or add to it. The same event is related in Mark 6:30-44. Verse 43 records, “And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.”

Despite this clarification, these folks say that none of the gospel accounts of feeding the 5,000 say specifically that Jesus ate the fish! He blessed it and had the fish passed out to the crowd, but it does not say that He ate any. They, of course, ignore Matthew 14:20: “So they all ate.” Again, the text does not say explicitly that Christ ate, but even PETA knows this is a thin argument, writing, “We may never know for certain whether or not Jesus ate fish . . ., but it's certain He wouldn't today.” How do they know this? They back up their doubtful reasoning with another assumption.

Mike Ford
Was Jesus a Vegetarian?



Matthew 14:13-21

At first, Jesus' miracle of feeding the 4,000 (Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10) may seem to be the same as the one He performed for 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). They do have a few similarities: Jesus multiplies loaves and fish; a multitude is fed; the disciples are skeptical; and they collect leftovers.

However, some distinct differences nullify any notion that they are the same: The crowds are of different sizes; the disciples speak first in the first miracle, but Jesus does in the second; they occur in discrete locations; they follow different events; the numbers of loaves and fish differ; the numbers of baskets differ; the baskets themselves are different; and finally, Jesus spends one day with the 5,000, but three with the 4,000.

Jesus Himself removes any doubt by referring to them as two different miracles. He mentions the different numbers of people present at the two events, the different numbers of baskets of fragments gathered afterward, and the different sizes of the baskets (Matthew 16:9-10; Mark 8:19-21).

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Four Thousand



Matthew 14:16-19

Christ performs the miracle, but for both practical and spiritual reasons, His disciples present the food to the people. It was more organized and took less time to distribute the food this way than by doing it Himself. More importantly, Jesus and His disciples were becoming a team, and it was essential that they share in His work to have firsthand experience. Their involvement in Christ's generous, compassionate, loving act of providence would be a lasting memory to fuel their faith and zeal in their future apostolic work.

Jesus' miracle provided them an opportunity to serve Him, while teaching us lessons in responsible service. Though God does not need us, He gives us the privilege and blessing to be involved in His service. Some people do not wish to be encumbered by a duty at church, but this is a wrong perspective of service. God provides opportunities to serve so that we might experience great blessing.

The disciples had a responsibility to give to the people what Christ had given them. When God gives to us, we are to share faithfully with others, not hoard His gifts for ourselves. Ministers are to preach the whole truth of God and not change the message or withhold parts of it (Acts 20:27). Church members should look out for the welfare of others, sharing our blessings. If we are wealthy with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), we should pass them on to others by living God's way of life as a witness.

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part One)



Matthew 14:15-20

Jesus watched His frustrated disciples try to solve the problem of feeding the multitude, but "He Himself knew what He would do" (John 6:6). He wanted to teach them a lesson in faith and submission. In this story, we can see certain steps we must take in solving our own problems:

1. Start with what you have. Andrew found a boy who had a small meal and brought him to Jesus. Was the boy willing to give up his lunch? Yes, he was! God begins where we are and uses what we have.

2. Give what you have to Christ. Jesus took the simple meal and blessed it. He then divided the bread and fish and gave the pieces to the disciples, who, in turn, fed the multitudes.

3. Obey what He commands. As Jesus ordered, the disciples had the people sit down. They distributed the broken pieces and discovered that there was plenty for everybody. As His servants, we are "distributors," not "manufacturers." If we give what we have to Him, He will bless it and give it back to us for use in helping others.

4. Conserve the results. After the people had eaten their fill, twelve baskets filled with pieces of bread and fish remained. These pieces were carefully collected so that nothing was wasted (Mark 6:43; John 6:12).

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part Two)



Matthew 14:13-21

Just prior to this miracle (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14), the people anticipated where Jesus was headed. By walking along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, the crowds joined Him, and He, feeling compassion, healed their sick. When evening came, the disciples sought to send the crowds away because supplies in that remote place were inadequate to feed so many. Despite having only five loaves of bread and two fish at hand, Jesus desired to give them something to eat, and with just these, He performed an astounding miracle. The bread and fish continually multiplied so that everyone was satisfied—so much that twelve basketfuls of broken pieces were left over.

This took place at Bethsaida just before the Passover (John 6:4). Jesus primarily intended this miracle to teach the disciples, although a witness of the Son of God's power had also been impressed upon the multitude. In it, Jesus illustrated the kind of ministry His disciples would conduct after His departure: feeding people with spiritual food, and their source would be Christ Himself. They would have to replenish their supply of spiritual food continually by maintaining a close relationship with Him, but they would be responsible for feeding their congregations.

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part Two)



Matthew 14:13-21

Christ's miracle of feeding the five thousand is unique in that it is the only one that all four gospel writers mention (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14). It illustrates Jesus' authority over nature and His divine intervention on behalf of others, showing that He is concerned about both humans' physical and spiritual needs.

Jesus is moved with compassion at the sight of thousands of people who had made a great effort to hear His message of hope. Although He is tired after a long day, He embraces the opportunity to teach them and heal the sick among them. As evening descends, His disciples suggest that the hungry crowd be disbanded to seek necessary food from the surrounding villages, but Jesus has something else in mind.

To test Phillip's faith, He asks him how the people could be fed. Not only does Philip learn a lesson of faith, but all of the disciples learn that true faith must rely on divine resources, not physical and material ones. Phillip begins to tally all of the meager supplies the disciples had among them, and somewhat stymied, says, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them." One denari was a day's wage at the time.

Then Andrew tells Jesus, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish." Yet, because of their lack of faith, the disciples cannot see any possibility of feeding the great multitude with their scarce funds and the scanty food on hand. However, faith enables us to see that with the omnipotent God, all things are possible.

This miracle is a magnificent act of creative power. No amount of human reasoning can reduce this miracle to a natural phenomenon. Indeed, complete understanding of miracles is beyond human capability to understand. By an act of His own creative power, Jesus revealed proof of His deity to thousands.

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part One)




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Matthew 14:16:

Matthew 10:9-10
Matthew 14:13-21
Matthew 14:13-21
Matthew 14:13-21
Matthew 14:15-20
Matthew 15:32-39
Mark 6:30-44
Mark 6:30-44
Mark 6:30-44
Mark 8:1-10
Luke 9:10-17
Luke 9:10-17
Luke 9:10-17
John 6:1-14
John 6:1-14
John 6:1-15

 

<< Matthew 14:15   Matthew 14:17 >>



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