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Help Your Kids Love Bible Study

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Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 19:14)

If we want to help people to know Jesus, we should help them learn the Bible. To help them learn the Bible, we can help them learn to study the Bible.

These things are not just for adults. That’s why I write fairly often about how to help children learn to study the Bible.

Andrew Weiseth, writing at The Resurgence blog, shares my passion. He recently wrote an article called “1 Simple Way to Get Kids to Love Bible Study.”

His method is simple: Take advantage of their love of play. Act it out; make it fun. Bring the text to life.

I suggested a similar thing in my post about teaching 4-year-olds.

What do you think? Have you found such a technique helpful for children?

Check it out!

The Feeding of 5,000 According to Luke

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Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack Luke’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

Ron Cogswell (2012), Creative Commons

Ron Cogswell (2012), Creative Commons

The Book

Luke writes his Gospel to give an “orderly account” of “all that Jesus began to do and teach” so a man named Theophilus could be certain about what he had been taught (Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1-2).

A few themes distinguish Luke’s Gospel, especially in contrast to Matthew and Mark:

  • Jesus cares for the poor and marginalized of society.
  • Jesus receives Gentiles.
  • Jesus relies on and sends the Holy Spirit to carry out God’s work.
  • Much space is spent “on the way” to Jerusalem (Luke 9-19).

These themes are not absent from the other Gospels; they’re just given greater prominence in Luke.

The Structure

Luke orders his account of Jesus’ life around (primarily) geographic divisions:

  1. Prologue: Jesus’ birth and preparation for ministry—Luke 1:1-4:13
  2. Ministry in Galilee (northern Israel)—Luke 4:14-9:50
    1. Summary scenes—Luke 4:14-37
    2. First tour—Luke 4:38-7:50
    3. Second tour—Luke 8:1-56
    4. Third tour—Luke 9:1-50
  3. Journey to Jerusalem—Luke 9:51-19:27
  4. Final Week in Jerusalem—Luke 19:28-24:53

Because the feeding of the 5,000 occurs in Luke 9:10-17, this post will focus on the Galilean section of Luke.

Notice how Jesus’ ministry in Galilee unfolds. First, Jesus preaches the good news of the kingdom of God on his own, gathering his disciples along the way (Luke 4:43). Second, he proclaims the good news of the kingdom, being more intentional about incorporating his disciples in the work (Luke 8:1). Third, he gives the disciples much opportunity to do the work themselves under his oversight (Luke 9:2).

At the end of the section, however, they are unable to:

  • cast out a demon (Luke 9:40)
  • understand Jesus’ destiny (Luke 9:45)
  • become truly great (Luke 9:46-48)
  • distinguish enemies from friends (Luke 9:49-50)

These disciples must learn the way of the cross before they’ll be ready to build the Kingdom. So Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), and the next 10 chapters illustrate Jesus’ immovable commitment to go and die for the sins of the people.

The Ministry

Before we look at the feeding episode in detail, we should understand Luke’s summary of the entire Galilean ministry. Luke’s introductory scene sets the stage for all that follows:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21, ESV)

Time slows as Luke draws out the tale: standing up, receiving the scroll, unrolling it, finding just the right spot, reading, rolling it up, handing it back, and sitting down. Eyes glued. Scripture fulfilled.

According to Luke, Jesus’ ministry is one of proclaiming good news to the poor. He brings liberty, sight, freedom, and favor to the captive, blind, oppressed, and miserable. Jesus chose that passage from Isaiah to describe his work. Luke chose that scene from Jesus’ life to describe God’s purpose in Christ.

Jesus’ work in Galilee—and his inclusion of the disciples in that work—is focused on bringing good news to the poor.

The Feeding

Like Matthew, Luke shows Jesus instructing the disciples in the preaching of the word of God (Luke 8:1-14). But Luke doesn’t focus on the word nearly as much as Matthew does. In the third Galilean tour, Luke gives a more complementary twofold commission “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke 9:2).

As they proclaim and heal, the disciples must take no provisions. They must learn to rely on the hospitality of those who will receive the kingdom (Luke 9:3-6).

As they preach, Herod the tetrarch hears of it and feels some guilt over his oppression of the captive John (Luke 9:7-8). He wants to see Jesus (Luke 9:9), but not so he may worship him (Luke 23:8-11).

On their return from proclaiming and healing, the apostles make a report, and Jesus withdraws with them to Bethsaida (Luke 9:10). The crowds follow, and Jesus welcomes them. He again models for the disciples the twofold ministry: “He spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing” (Luke 9:11).

Though Luke’s account of the feeding is very similar to Matthew’s account, be careful not to sidetrack interpretation by harmonizing them. Notice a few subtle differences that highlight Luke’s unique purpose.

The disciples’ solution to overcrowding:

  • Matthew: “Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves” (Matt 14:15).
  • Luke: “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions” (Luke 9:12).

Jesus’ alternative proposal:

  • Matthew: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat” (Matt 14:16).
  • Luke: “You give them something to eat” (Luke 9:13).

The disciples’ indignation:

  • Matthew: “We have only five loaves here and two fish” (Matt 14:17).
  • Luke: “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people” (Luke 9:13).

Jesus’ hospitality:

  • Matthew: “Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass” (Matt 14:19).
  • Luke: “And he said to his disciples, ‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each‘” (Luke 9:14).

While Matthew’s account focuses on the crowd’s real need (not just food but the word of God), Luke’s account focuses on the idea of hospitality. The crowd needs not just food but lodging. The disciples are unwilling to be hosts for such a crowd. Jesus directly plays the role of host: speaking, instructing the disciples, and shepherding the people into smaller groups.

The Main Point

With the feeding of the 5,000, Luke isn’t focused on Jesus’ identity as the Son of God (as John is). He’s also not focused on training the disciples to preach the word (as Matthew is). He’s more interested in showing Jesus’ benevolent hospitality to the poor and hungry masses.

The point of the story is this: Jesus’ followers, on mission from their master, must learn not only to accept hospitality but give it in Jesus’ name. Such hospitality will be both lavish (Luke 9:17) and costly (Luke 9:13b). This good news of the kingdom is not only for the wealthy, the successful, the happy, the Jews. It’s for those who are down and out, oppressed, captive, blind, marginalized, and hungry. And the message of the Kingdom must be illustrated visibly by the Kingdom’s messengers.

Question: This week, how can you be lavishly hospitable to the poor who might be ready to follow Jesus?

What Downton Abbey Taught Me about Bible Study

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Highclere_CastleThis show is dark. Last week’s episode had me crying harder than I can remember since Scar dropped Mufasa into the wildebeest stampede.

I have a friend whose wife wants him to watch it with her. He got a few episodes in and couldn’t handle any more. He enjoys watching TV for fun (even British period drama), but, as he explained to me, Downton Abbey wasn’t fun. It was hard work. The darkness was so depressing that it kept him on edge, and he couldn’t relax enough to enjoy it.

Yet the show has over a million Likes on Facebook. In the United States, Season 2 set the record for the most-watched mini-series ever to air on PBS’s Masterpiece Classic. Season 3 demolished the record, as almost 8 million Americans saw the season première. Our English friends seem a bit amused by the show’s unprecedented popularity here across the ocean, but you can’t deny it strikes a chord.

Downton shows how broken we are. Class doesn’t matter. Wealth doesn’t matter. Gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ethnicity – none of it makes a difference. We are all broken people.

Ocean liners sink. People get sick. Some die horrifically. Siblings are incredibly nasty toward each other. Innocents are condemned, and the guilty escape. Investments fall apart. Fulfilment is elusive. War ravages a generation. Destitution breeds prostitution, which breeds desperation. Reputations fall. Obnoxious pride demeans people and destroys relationships. The unlovely stay perpetually unloved. Dishonesty ruins good things. Condescension, irritation, disrespect, and grudges abound. People are broken. Situations are broken. Conventions and institutions and expectations are broken. Everything is broken.

Yet, the occasional ray of light ignites hope.

The lump in a woman’s breast turns out not to be cancerous. True love is possible. More money shows up. Technology advances. Life improves. Friends and lovers reconcile. The Dowager Countess delights us with her unique perspectives on life.

I’ll be honest: Downton doesn’t offer much hope, but the hope is still there. And that, I think, is why people keep watching.

What Downton Abbey has to say is really not much different from the Bible.

There’s a reason there’s so much that is dark in this world. There’s a reason we suffer as we do. There’s a reason people and institutions are so broken. Adam made his fateful choice so long ago in that quiet garden (Rom 5:12-14). He wanted to decide for himself what was right or wrong, true or false, valuable or worthless. You and I would have made the same choice if it had been us.

And yet there’s hope. Not the hope of women’s liberation, or true love, or producing an heir, or affording a certain lifestyle. But the hope of true life. The hope of finding the delight and fulfilment and acceptance we’ve always longed for. The hope of being united to our Creator and becoming more and more like him and living up to our full potential in him.

When you read the Bible, don’t shy away from the darkness. Realize it. Understand it. Let it resonate with your experience. Don’t paint a smile on your face and pretend everything’s just alright. If you don’t trust Christ for your life, however, you’re stuck here.

By all means, please make sure you find the hope. The real hope of Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection. If you trust in Jesus and your Bible reading leaves you feeling guilty or discouraged or anxious for the future, you’ve undoubtedly missed something important.

The Best Way to Develop Biblical Thinking

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For a few weeks, I’ve linked to articles that seek to persuade you to read the Bible voluminously, like you would read a book. This week I offer more of the same.

Joe Carter writes this brilliant article proposing voluminous and repetitive reading as not only a great idea but the best way to change your thinking and develop a biblical worldview. I find it funny that we’d think there could be any other way.

How many times do we claim to be “biblical” and yet read the Bible more like a collection of inspiring sound bytes than a great work of literature? So we read a few verses and go happily on our way. Carter:

I want to recommend a simple four step process that could transform your life by, quite literally, changing your mind.

After reading the entire post the vast majority of readers will snicker at such a hyperbolic claim and never implement the method I outline. A smaller number will consider the advice intriguing, my assertion only a slight exaggeration, but will also never implement the method. A tiny minority, however, will recognize the genius behind the process and apply it to their own life. This group will later say that my claim was an understatement.

This post is written for those people.

Mr. Carter’s claim is an understatement. Following his process will change far more than your mind.

What’s the process? Choose a book of the Bible and read it 20 times. Move on to another book and repeat. Continue until you’ve read the entire Bible in this way.

Years ago, I took a seminary class where the professor required us to read 1 John five times in a week. He expected us to read in five sittings, one complete read in each siting.

At first I found the assignment onerous. I had read 1 John before, and I knew all the important stuff about confession, love, and not sinning. I wasn’t sure what I’d accomplish by such repetitive reading.

But I’ve always been a good Pharisee (I love rules), so I completed the assignment. The second read-through was the hardest one, as I feared boredom. The third read energized me with a few insights I had never considered before. The fourth read got me really excited, and the fifth read began to alter my thinking about faith and assurance.

The discussion of 1 John in the next class was some of the best I’ve seen. Now, in most Bible studies I lead, I give a similar assignment. Unless we’re studying a long book, I ask people to read the whole thing five times before the first meeting.

There is no better way to understand a book of the Bible.

I have never met someone who tried it and wasn’t convinced. I’ve met plenty who thought it was a dumb idea and refused to try it. What do you think?

Check it out!

HT: Ryan

The Feeding of 5,000 According to Matthew

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Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack Matthew’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

The Book

Matthew is not as overt in his purpose as John is (John 20:30-31), but he leaves colossal footprints while trekking through Jesus’ biography.

The Gospel opens with a genealogy connecting Jesus to Israel’s history, particularly through David and Abraham. Jesus’ birth fulfills God’s promise to be with his people (Matt 1:22-23), and his infancy recapitulates the experience of God’s people in Egypt (Matt 2:15). His baptism and temptation echo the Red Sea crossing and wilderness wanderings. Matthew wants us to think of the kingdom of Israel while he explains the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew’s connections to the kingdom of Israel are not always implicit, either; some could hardly be more direct. Matthew explicitly quotes the Old Testament 45 times, almost as many times as the other three Gospels combined (54).

The Speeches

Dan Paluska (2009), Creative Commons

Dan Paluska (2009), Creative Commons

But the frames and bars of Matthew’s work are the five main speeches of Jesus. In order for “God with us” (Matt 1:23) to become “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20), Jesus must build his house (Matt 16:18). So each long speech covers an aspect of the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus’ followers can build the house according to the pattern shown them (Heb 8:5). Observe how Matthew concludes each speech with a bit of fanfare: “And when Jesus finished these sayings” (Matt 7:28), “When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples” (Matt 11:1), and so on (Matt 13:53, 19:1, 26:1).

  1. Kingdom Citizenship (Matt 5-7)
  2. Kingdom Proclamation (Matt 10)
  3. Kingdom Ministry (Matt 13)
  4. Kingdom Community (Matt 18)
  5. Kingdom Judgment (Matt 23-25)

The narrative sections between the speeches embody the kingdom principles from the prior speech and set the main characters up for the next speech.

So chapters 8 and 9 have Jesus bringing new citizens into the kingdom (speech #1) and so inspiring the disciples to proclaim this kingdom (speech #2).

Chapters 11 and 12 show Jesus proclaiming good news (speech #2) and evaluating various responses to the message (speech #3).

Chapters 14 to 17 picture Jesus’ on-the-job training sessions with his disciples. He must train them to minister the word (speech #3) and lead the new community that will result (speech #4). So in this section, the disciples truly get engaged in ministry. They no longer simply accompany Jesus; now they take part in the work. In other words, this section describes Jesus’ kingdom boot camp.

Chapters 19-22 crank up the relational tension as Jesus gets specific about who is in the kingdom (speech #4) and who is out (speech #5).

Chapters 26-28 narrate the greatest act of judgment (speech #5) on Jesus. But this section doesn’t drive ahead to another speech. Instead, it climaxes with an empty tomb, a conspiracy, and a divine person on a mountain top with a Grand Plan. The Word has become flesh, but he’s relocating his tabernacle and leaving behind a permanent house that will grow to fill the whole earth.

The Feeding

Now that we’ve seen the plan of the book, we’re ready to place the feeding of the 5,000 within the structure. The story comes in Matthew 14:13-21, at the beginning of ministry boot camp (Matt 14-17).

Jesus has already sent the disciples out with both authority to heal the sick and a mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven (speech #2). He has taught them to focus their ministry on preaching the word of the kingdom and evaluating how people are responding to it (speech #3).

Then Jesus moves away from his hometown because they don’t receive the word with joy (Matt 13:53-58). Herod fears Jesus, for he had not received the word from the first messenger, John (Matt 14:1-12).

So Jesus withdraws from Herod to find others who will receive the word (Matt 14:13). In compassion, he heals the sick who come to him (Matt 14:14), and the fertile soil is ready for seed to be sown on it.

The disciples don’t see it, though. They believe that what the crowds really need is to be found in the surrounding villages (Matt 14:15). This place is desolate; the day is now over.

Jesus gives them a hint: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat” (Matt 14:16). In other words, “You have what they need!” So the disciples bring what they have, and Jesus gets everything in order (Matt 14:17-19a).

Observe carefully what happens next (Matt 14:19b):

  • Jesus looks up to heaven. (Hint, hint! Remember that kingdom up there that he’s been telling them about?)
  • Jesus says a blessing. (Remember that whole citizenship-in-the-kingdom thing from speech #1 in Matt 5:3-12? Perhaps they have some potential citizens right in front of them.)
  • Jesus breaks the loaves and gives them to the disciples (in contrast to John 6:11, where the disciples are not mentioned as middlemen).
  • The disciples, participating in Jesus’ kingdom work, give the loaves to the crowds.

All 5,000 men, plus women and children besides, eat and are satisfied. They take up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over (Matt 14:20-21). What Jesus gave the disciples was more than adequate; they simply needed to get engaged and distribute it broadly.

The Main Point

With the feeding of the 5,000, Matthew isn’t as focused on Jesus’ identity as John is (though Jesus’ identity is clearly in the background). Matthew is far more concerned with the disciples and their training in the ministry of the kingdom. Jesus is setting up a new Israel, a new kingdom, with these twelve disciples.

The point of the story is this: Jesus’ followers must learn to identify good soil when they see it, and upon seeing it, they must be ready to proclaim the word of the kingdom to hungry souls.

The lingering question at the end of the story is: Will they get it? Will they see the ministry of the kingdom not as something Jesus does alone, but as something he wants them to do with him?

If these questions will keep you awake tonight, check out the next story (Matt 14:22-33). Perhaps there’s a reason only Matthew mentions Peter’s request to join Jesus out on the water. It sure is a dumb idea, but Jesus encourages such initiative.

Question: How can you join Jesus in the ministry of his kingdom this week?

Read the Bible

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A few weeks ago, I linked to my post at the Gospel Coalition with some advice to readers: Read the Bible. Along the same lines, this terrific article from Jim Elliff recommends heavy saturation in the Scripture:

No plan for Bible reading is a complete waste of time, obviously, but I’ve now come to believe there is a better way of thinking about Bible reading. I’m recommending immersion or saturation in one or two books of the Bible over several months as my preferred method. Frankly, I have never known Bible reading to be so transformative and interesting as with this method, both for me and for many friends who have tried it at my suggestion.

Elliff doesn’t necessarily suggest reading the entire Bible quickly (though he mentions the possibility), but he proposes immersion in a large chunk of text. Such immersion allows us to pickle in the very words of God and avoid three things that distract us from the text:

  1. Devotionalism
  2. Good books
  3. Commentaries and study Bibles

I heartily concur! Devotion to God is important. Good books sharpen our thinking. Commentaries and study Bibles hone our understanding and help provide necessary background.

But too often, we allow such things to replace the Bible altogether. It’s like replacing the vinegar with orange juice and expecting the cucumbers to still taste good on a sandwich.

Elliff’s article is a little long, but it’s quite good. Check it out!

 

The Feeding of 5,000 According to John

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Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Each Gospel writer gives a different answer. In this post, I’ll unpack John’s account. I’ll start wide before zooming in on the passage.

The Book

John leaves no doubt about why he wrote his Gospel:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31, ESV)

John’s Gospel records numerous signs and their explanations. Many more signs could have been included, but John chose to report those that best fit his intentions: to show Jesus to be the Messiah (Hebrew for “Christ”), the Son of God, and to help people believe in Jesus and have life.

The Signs

John often refers to the signs generally. “These signs” catalogue a series of events that should lead people to consider Jesus’ identity:

  • “Many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing” (John 2:23).
  • “No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).
  • “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:31)
  • “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true” (John 10:41). [Remember, John spoke of Jesus’ identity as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).]

A few particular events are explicitly called “signs”:

  1. Turning water into wine: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory” (John 2:11).
  2. Healing an official’s son: “This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee” (John 4:54).
  3. Feeding the 5,000: “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!'” (John 6:14)
  4. Healing a man born blind: “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” (John 9:16)
  5. Raising Lazarus from the dead: “The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign” (John 12:18).

Since these five miracles are labeled as “signs,” we can infer what other “signs” are included in John’s summary statement (John 20:31):

  • Making a lame man walk (John 5:1-9)
  • Walking on water (John 6:16-21)
  • Dying on the cross (John 3:14-15, 10:11, 12:23-36, 19:30-37)
  • Rising from the dead (John 2:18-22, 10:17-18, 20:26-29)

The Gospel of John focuses on these nine signposts and the discussions they generate about Jesus’ identity as God’s Messiah, his only beloved Son. Those who trust in Jesus find the life they’ve been looking for.

The Feeding

So when we read John 6, we should expect the text to explain Jesus’ role as Messiah. Like the other signs, the feeding of the 5,000 shows the way to eternal life. Let’s observe the text and make some connections.

James Cridland (2007), Creative Commons

James Cridland (2007), Creative Commons

A large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick (John 6:2). Passover—the great feast celebrating God’s mighty redemption of his people by substituting a spotless lamb (Ex 12:43-13:10)—was at hand (John 6:4). Salvation was in the air, and Jesus took advantage of the fact.

Jesus tested his disciples but knew exactly what he would do (John 6:5-7), just like God did with the Israelites in the wilderness (Deut 8:1-10).

Of the Gospels, only John mentions the little boy who provided the first five loaves and two fish (John 6:8-9). Many preachers today focus on the boy’s willingness to share his lunch, but the text focuses on Andrew’s disbelief that such scarcity of barley loaves could provide for a multitude. “What are they for so many?” Through Andrew’s words, the narrator sets the scene for an impossible promise to come true (Deut 8:8-9). Jesus is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who will provide.

Jesus directs the people to sit down in green pastures. He makes it so they will not want for food (John 6:10-11). The table has been prepared; goodness and mercy have followed them (Psalm 23:1-6).

Jesus tells his disciples to gather the remaining fragments so nothing may be lost, and the meal’s remnant fills twelve baskets (John 6:12-13). Could this be an echo of the OT prophetic books, where God promises to save a remnant of the twelve tribes of Israel through the hand of his ruler from Bethlehem (for example, Micah 5:1-9)?

Finally, when the people see the sign, they draw conclusions about Jesus’ identity as the Prophet foretold by Moses (John 6:14, Deut 18:15-22).

The Main Point

John goes on to draw further connections between Jesus and Moses, the giver of bread from heaven (John 6:32-33). And he explains the miracle in great detail. Just as Jesus distributes loaves for the life of the hungry crowd, so he will give his flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51).

The point is simple: Jesus is the very Messiah Israel has waited for.

He gives life. He saves. He blesses. He nourishes and comforts. He provides.

But most of all, he dies. For God’s precious people, life comes only when the Passover lamb dies. And of that butchered lamb, the innumerable crowds of the world can eat their fill, as much as they want.

Will you join the feast?

Structure: the Shape of Meaning

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Sometimes the Bible’s meaning is plain and simple:

  • “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, ESV).
  • “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb 8:1).

Many times, however, the meaning is not so plain:

  • “Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent” (Gen 9:20-21).
  • “Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus” (John 12:20-22).
Deborah Austin (2010), Creative Commons

Deborah Austin (2010), Creative Commons

When you’re studying a Bible passage and the point is not stated explicitly, one thing you can do is zoom out and observe the structure. Often, authors use structure to convey meaning, and we might not get the meaning unless we discern the shape of the text.

For example, Noah’s nakedness in the vineyard comes right after God dismantled and recreated the entire world (Gen 6-8). When we read of a naked man of the soil who consumes a fruit, and of a sin that enters God’s pristine world, alarm bells should go off in our heads, reminding us of Genesis 3. We suddenly realize that, though the Flood may have wiped people from the face of the earth, it could never wipe sin from their hearts. The structure of Genesis (cycles of creation-fall-new beginning) illuminates this strange episode for us.

For another example: John 12 concludes the first half of John’s Gospel. (Chapter 13 launches Act II, with most of the rest of the book describing the last 24 hours before Jesus’ death.) With the singling out of Philip and Andrew (John 12:22), we remember the beginning of the story, where these two men were some of the first disciples called by Jesus (John 1:40, 43). Only this time, Jesus doesn’t have to recruit anyone; disciples are coming to him. The initial “Come and see” (John 1:39, 46) has morphed into “Sir, we wish to see” (John 12:21). These bookends on John 1-12 (among others) show the tremendous impact Jesus’ years of ministry had on the world. This impact fulfills prophecies like Zech 8:20-23 and triggers Jesus’ troubled reflections on his looming death (John 12:23-33).

Over the next month or so, I’ll illustrate the value of structure through a study of the feeding of the 5,000. Through the context and structure of each Gospel, I hope to show that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John used the same event for a different purpose. Stay tuned!

Regaining Hope

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Regaining HopeIn his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives a recipe for influential leadership that includes humility and hope. And the Thessalonians had hope, along with faith and love, in droves (1 Thess 1:2-3).

But, in a matter of months, they lost hope. Affliction and persecution and besetting sin wore them down, and they had grown weary in doing good.

Can you relate?

Hope is slippery, and this fallen world constantly threatens our grip on it.

The definition of marriage is in question. Religious liberty could be threatened. School shootings become routine. Horrific infanticide takes place in unaccountable clinics. Chemical weapons endanger world peace. Government shutdowns inflame disgruntlement.

Through it all, we try to do good. We love our neighbors, we support the community, and we preach Christ and him crucified.

But it gets wearying.

You’re not alone.

The Relentless Fight blog recently published an article I wrote about 2 Thessalonians called “Regaining Hope.” In the article, I reflect on what Paul might say today to any of us in danger of losing hope.

Check it out!

Why Did Jesus Feed the 5,000?

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This short series illustrates both the importance of context and the danger of harmonization.

Context is the literary or historical situation surrounding a passage of Scripture. Harmonization is the process of combining different accounts of the same event into a single story. Without careful observation of a passage, we can easily miss the context and unintentionally harmonize narratives, tricking ourselves into thinking we understand the story.

For example, you may have heard of the “rich young ruler,” but you won’t find him in the Bible. Matthew 19:16-22 speaks of a rich young man. Mark 10:17-22 calls him a rich man. Luke 18:18-30 calls him a rich ruler. We think of him as the “rich young ruler” only because we’ve harmonized all three accounts.

This harmless example affects only minor details in the story, but what happens when our tendency toward harmonization (apart from the context) affects how we understand the meaning of a passage?

Jill M (2007), Creative Commons

Jill M (2007), Creative Commons

To answer that question, we’ll look at the feeding of the 5,000. But before we dive into it, I need your help.

This miracle is the only one (other than the resurrection) to appear in all four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all considered it a necessary part of their narrative portraits of Jesus. Thus, it’s rightly familiar to us. If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard this story multiple times.

Here’s how you can help: Would you be willing to take a moment to answer the following question in the comments below?

Key question: Why did Jesus feed the 5,000?

Why do you think the Gospels tell this story? What is the point of the story? What did Jesus hope to do or communicate by this miracle?

Here’s another way to think of the question: If you were teaching this story in Sunday School or to an unbeliever (and you had to make it plain and simple), what would be the main takeaway you’d want people to get out of it?

I’ll come clean with you about my intentions. I don’t want you to feel like I’m setting you up to give a wrong answer so I can jump out from behind my virtual candid camera and shout, “Gotcha!” No traps here; I promise.

My point (over the next few weeks) will be this: Each of the Gospels has a different reason for telling the story. They all recount the same event for a different purpose. And I think many people unconsciously harmonize the four accounts and so flatten the unique intentions of each Gospel writer.

But before I unpack those four different points, I’d like to hear what you think “the point of the story” is. That way, I’ll gain an idea as to which of the four Gospels has been most influential for most people.

You can find the other posts on the Feeding of the 5000 here: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.