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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?

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?

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.

Connecting the 3 Fools

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Simon Lutz (2013), Creative Commons

Simon Lutz (2013), Creative Commons

For a few weeks, I’ve been examining three kinds of fool from Prov 6:1-19: the Savior, the Sluggard, and the Sower of Discord. To help you avoid them in the new year, I’d like to consider how they’re all connected.

Most foreign aid has done great harm to the Third World. Rather than helping the poor to have a better life, it has created a culture of dependence where people realize they don’t actually have to work hard to improve their communities. They just have to find a Western official who will give them a handout. So we put Band-Aids on cancerous tumors and perpetuate the injustice, instead of supporting useful organizations that educate people and train them in beneficial skills. We rescue hurting people in the name of world peace.

Coincidentally, we can do the same thing at home. How many relationships consist of the “Savior” who shields the “Sluggard” from his choices? Parents allow their perfectly healthy sons to live with them into their late 20s or early 30s. Teachers adjust the curve so no student will be left behind. Managers perpetuate the status quo rather than dealing with problem people on the team; it might be too awkward to confront them, after all. Church leaders dedicate most of their time to procedural minutiae or unteachable committee members, while turning a blind eye to the rampant gossip and slander ripping apart the community of God’s children.

And if someone has the courage to deal with such problems biblically, “Sowers of Discord” come out of the woodwork with their “concerns” at such an “unloving” approach. So godly people run in fear and perpetuate the evil.

We get into tidy patterns of behavior that reinforce our folly, and then we mistake our comfort for success in serving Christ.

Every once in a while, however, a ray of light from God’s Word pierces the cycle and exposes the issues. It feels like things get worse, because all the patterns we were used to stop working. It’s easy to see such moments as disruptive or even harmful to our lives. But I challenge you to see those moments for what they are: the opportunity for new life. Before resurrection, there must be death. Put the fool in you to death, and live anew in Christ every day.

Sometimes we think we’re on the right path as long as we avoid the big areas of folly, like easy money and easy sex. But God cares about the details, and some of those details are more destructive than we realize. Pieces of the Savior, the Sluggard, and the Sower of Discord reside in every one of us. Part of wisdom is learning how to discern the folly so we can turn to Christ, set the folly aside, and avoid its consequences.

Question: How do you see the three fools in your own heart?

Don’t Mess with God’s Wife

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The Sower of Discord is the third of Solomon’s three fools in Prov 6:1-19. The first poem (Prov 6:12-15) addressed this fool’s characteristics and fate. The second poem (Prov 6:16-19) focuses on God’s attitude toward this fool. This week I’ll tackle the second poem.

There are six things that the Lord hates,
Seven that are an abomination to him:
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that make haste to run to evil,
A false witness who breathes out lies,
And one who sows discord among brothers (Prov 6:16-19, ESV).

In this second poem, Solomon reinforces the characteristics of the Sower of Discord (Prov 6:17-19) so we’ll learn how to recognize them. But his chief concern is to reveal God’s opinion of such fools. God hates the person who sows discord among brothers. “Abomination” is the strongest possible word for God’s loathing; there is no possibility of softening this hatred.

Also, let’s not fall into the trap of thinking God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Not in this case. “There are six things that the Lord hates…[including] one who sows discord among brothers.”

Draco (2008), Creative Commons

Draco (2008), Creative Commons

The church is Christ’s body (Eph 5:23), his household (Eph 2:19, 1 Tim 3:14-15). That means that both those who sow discord and those who support the sowing of discord are murderers and home wreckers. We listen to sowers of discord because it feels like indulging in our favorite desserts (Prov 18:8), but really it’s like swallowing razor blades. It’s like wearing a “suck it up” t-shirt in a maternity ward. We might as well paint targets on our chests and think happy thoughts, because the Lord is a crack shot. He is a jealous, avenging husband, who will not stand idle while fools screw with his wife.

As you celebrate Jesus’ birth this week, remember that his body was broken once before to pay for the sin of the world (Luke 22:19). He won’t suffer it to be broken again. “Do you not know that you [plural in the Greek; referring to a community, not an individual] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor 3:16-17).

But for those who set aside the sowing of discord, hope flows from the body once broken.

Jesus died for sowers of discord so he could reunite them with his father. His disciples had their fair share of disputing and jockeying for position. But Jesus paid their debts, gripped their hearts, and gave them a vision for community based not on position or prestige but on mutual service. He gave them an effective method for resolving conflict and offense (Matt 18:15-20), but their motivation to follow through on it wouldn’t come from inside themselves. They had to remember how Jesus loved them and died for them so he could forgive them and heal them.

This is how we do it as well. We remember Jesus’ sacrificial love for us, and we can’t help but to forgive others and speak well of them:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Eph 4:29-32).

Question: How have you seen Jesus heal his body from discord?

How to Recognize Sowers of Discord

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There is no foolproof formula for recognizing sowers of discord, but Solomon wants to train us to be discerning.

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Goes about with crooked speech,
Winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
Points with his finger,
With perverted heart devises evil,
Continually sowing discord;
Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
In a moment he will be broken beyond healing (Prov 6:12-15, ESV).

1. Take note of crooked speech (Prov 6:12b)

Do they twist words to win sympathy? Do they label their complaints as “concerns,” their anger as “frustration,” or their bitterness as “misunderstanding”? Have they failed to forgive? Do they always have questions but never any answers?

2. Consider body language (Prov 6:13a)

When around people who offend them, do they roll their eyes, grimace, or shake their heads? Do they make eye contact with you when the other person turns away? Does their posture communicate disrespect or defensiveness?

3. Refuse to join the gang (Prov 6:13b).

a2gemma (2007), Creative Commons

a2gemma (2007), Creative Commons

The Sower of Discord “points with his finger” in an effort to persuade others to join his team. He’s a sneaky communicator, and his destructive power lies in his ability to recruit. Whenever someone has a complaint against another person, your best response is, “did you talk to that person about it?”

Sowing discord is one of the most prevalent and most disregarded sins in the church today. We think of gossip as something that happens on daytime talk shows, and we ignore it in the fellowship hall. We think slander deserves discipline only if it’s intentionally and overtly deceitful. Perhaps we’ll confront those who purposefully spread bad reports about others, but Proverbs is just as concerned to confront those who endorse those reports by giving them a hearing (Prov 26:20-28).

This passage convicts me thoroughly. I am as guilty as anyone of speaking ill, sowing discord, and fighting unity. I have shared details I didn’t need to share. I have discussed the failings of my supervisors with my subordinates. I have asked for the low down on specific people, and I have entertained conversations that went in the wrong direction. I have asked Jesus to change me, and I wrestle my self-importance daily.

If you are broken by this text, there is much hope for your repentance and healing. You can act as glue to reunite the shards of your once-vibrant community. You can unleash Christ’s redemptive glory in your church, and he can restore his body to full and proper functioning. Learn to recognize the characteristics of the Sower of Discord, and exterminate them from your heart and your church.

But if you find yourself still making excuses for sowing discord (or for aiding and abetting others to sow discord), you’ll be ruined before you know what hits you (Prov 6:15). God doesn’t like it when people mess with his wife.

Question: What else helps you to recognize sowers of discord?

How Not to Receive Your King

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Earlier this week, I attended a wonderful performance of Handel’s Messiah. The choir and orchestra were impressive, and the soloists performed impeccably. It was a marvelous night out with my wife and a few friends.

epSos (2009), Creative Commons

epSos (2009), Creative Commons

The quality of musicianship had packed the house. Every seat was filled, and parking had overflowed onto the grass. The lengthy standing ovation confirmed my suspicion that I was not the only one who enjoyed the show.

However, in my perception, the greatest marvel was not the performers but the audience.

Right in front of me sat an older couple. From a brief conversation before the concert began, I discovered that they attended a Unitarian church that had “no prescribed beliefs” (their own description). When I asked why they attended (what they liked about it), they said, “it’s very welcoming, and doesn’t require us to believe anything in particular.” They described how the church had conducted Christian, Jewish, and Hindu services, and how they were hoping to organize an Islamic service as well.

One row in front of this couple sat a woman who obviously loved both Jesus the Messiah and excellent music. She really got into the show.

During the “Hallelujah” Chorus, the audience stood reverently, according to tradition. Believers and unbelievers both listened attentively, appreciating the text and music being presented.

And while the choir belted “for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,” the Unitarian couple snickered as they watched the evangelical woman dance and lift her hands in worship.

I saw similar scenarios playing out around the concert hall, and they led me to consider two dangerous responses I tend to have toward the advent season. These responses are the same common responses people have always had to the coming of the King of Israel.

1. Get swept up in hip (or respectable) Jesus culture

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13, ESV)

Jesus, the great King of Israel, had arrived, and the crowds were ready. They brought their acclaim, and they whipped up a fervor of Jesus-talk and advent-happiness.

Why did the crowd have such fervor for Jesus?

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. (John 12:17-18)

They went because it was cool. Jesus had done an amazing thing in raising Lazarus, and they wanted to check him out. Perhaps they thought they could fight Rome and be unstoppable (if Jesus could perpetually raise their fallen). Perhaps they wanted to be entertained. Perhaps they thought it was too good to be true.

Similarly, Jesus still experiences a certain popularity during the holidays each year. Sappy movies play on syndicated television stations, with their messages of sacrifice and good will toward humanity. People bake cookies shaped like angels and stars. Christmas carols play in department stores.

People attend candlelight services, Messiah performances, and Christmas pageants, all because it’s the cool thing to do this time of year.

I’m tempted to join them; dripping with sentimentality and culturally acceptable platitudes, I can be accepted and respected along with everyone else.

2. Get caught in jealous, manipulative self-protection

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12:19)

Some, seeing the hollow fervor of the crowds, kept themselves apart and refused to get swept into the celebration. They focused instead on their own situation, whining about the loss of their own place and nation (see also the Pharisees response to the raising of Lazarus in John 11:48).

These Pharisees were the ones who responded to the world’s fallenness by making more rules and getting more serious about their spirituality.

Similarly, many today see the materialism and emptiness of the advent season, and they withdraw and make more rules. No Christmas trees. No presents (give the money to charity instead). No parties. No spiking the egg nog.

I’m tempted to go this route myself. For years, I emotionally boycotted the holiday celebrations of my extended family. They didn’t focus on Jesus the way I thought they should, so I tried to win them by being a sourpuss. “Please don’t get me any presents.” “Let’s remember the reason for the season.”

Both responses are irresponsible to the humble King who rode in, bringing salvation and peace with him.

The first response says, “make me happy, but don’t expect me to change.”

The second response says, “make others unhappy, but don’t expect me to change.”

But the King came to bring change (John 12:14-15). Consider the passage John quotes. The one born in a manger, who came to Jerusalem humble and mounted on a donkey (Zech 9:9), takes his selfish, idolatrous people and fashions them into weapons of war (Zech 9:13). He saves the unlovely and makes them like jewels on his crown (Zech 9:16). He shows his goodness and beauty by making grain and new wine (egg nog?) abound (Zech 9:17). He does all this by laying down his life for his beloved people (John 12:31-33).

You’ll understand Jesus’ birth only if you see through it to his death.

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. (John 12:16)

May your advent season be full of great joy as you get to know Christ better through his word.

10 NT Books that Don’t Quote the OT

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I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

Photo Credit: Kladcat (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Photo Credit: Kladcat (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.”  I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament.  I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure.  For example, Matthew 2:23, NASB looks, smells, and tastes like a quote.  It has quotation marks (at least in most English versions other than the ESV).  It even references “what was spoken through the prophets.”  You can’t really get a better introductory formula than that.  But which passage is Matthew quoting?  Search me.  No-one seems to know.  It’s more likely that Matthew is referring to the principle of a low-born, humble Messiah than to any specific passage.  So, I excluded Matt 2:23 from the list.  One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has 10 NT books that don’t ever explicitly quote the OT.  I’m not suggesting that these books don’t reference the OT or care about it.  I’m not suggesting that you can understand these books without understanding the OT.  I’m simply observing that the authors of these books didn’t explicitly quote specific verses to support their points.

Of all the lists I’ve posted so far, I’m least convinced that this one has much practical usefulness.  These books are full of allusions to the OT, even though they don’t explicitly quote it.  But, I’m giving you the list more for the sake of closure than anything else.

  1. Philippians

  2. Colossians

  3. 1 Thessalonians

  4. 2 Thessalonians

  5. Titus

  6. Philemon

  7. 1 John

  8. 2 John

  9. 3 John

  10. Revelation

Now you can’t accuse me of ever withholding information. For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

Update February 2019: I removed 2 Timothy from this list and changed the title of the post from “11 Books” to “10 Books,” because I’ve become convinced that, in 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul is quoting, albeit loosely, not from some early Christian sayings but from Numbers 16:5 and Numbers 16:26. I’ve also made the addition to the master spreadsheet.

Jesus is Your Resume

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This is a guest post by my friend and co-worker Dan Miller, who has a video blog at Video Verses.  You can follow him on Facebook.

 

suitAs a Christian, the best work you’ll ever do for God’s kingdom is believe in the work of Jesus.

Do you agree with that?  Or do you work under the assumption that child-like faith in Jesus is a good thing…but it belongs on your résumé somewhere below the great number of people you’ve managed?

If that is what your résumé looks like, Jesus is not hiring.

That’s been His policy all along, and yet there’s hope.  Just look at the Bible’s most capable manager.

Joseph.  A man who, no matter what life threw at him, seemed unstoppable.  Sold into slavery as a teenager in a foreign land, he rose to manage the estate of a powerful man.  Then after being framed and losing everything, he rose from “neglected prisoner” to “essentially the most powerful man in Egypt.”  His rise came during a devastating time: a famine that could have leveled the entire world.

Fortunately for the world, Joseph was the right man for the job.

Joseph led Egypt to store their abundance before the famine hit, so they could feed themselves, the nations, and the world.  Including the brothers who were so unkind to him and the person who had framed him.

In a nutshell, Joseph rose from convict to savior of the world.  How would you like that on your résumé?

Now, stop planning your financial future for a moment, and consider Hebrews 11, the “who’s who” of the Old Testament.  To no one’s surprise, Joseph made it in there.  What do you think was on his résumé?

By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. (Hebrews 11:22, ESV)

That’s it?

Yes.  According to the writer of Hebrews, this is the most important thing to know about Joseph’s life’s work.  Back in Genesis 12, God made a promise to Joseph’s great-grandpa Abraham.  This promise continued through the line, but as awesome as Joseph’s life was, the promise didn’t come true during his lifetime.  Rather than questioning God and dying a bitter old man, Joseph believed God.  He believed so strongly, in fact, that he denied himself a prominent burial, instead saying, “Descendents, take my bones to the Promised Land yourself.”  About 500 years later, they did.

God always keeps His promises.

But God had a bigger, better promise, and the name of that promise is Jesus.  In John 3:16, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will not perish, but have eternal life.”  The real goal for God’s people was not land acquisition, but restoration to the holy God who made us, whom we betrayed.  This restoration came totally through Jesus, who is alive and well, interceding for us despite our best efforts to stop Him.  He has given us new life and a glorious new mission – to proclaim HIS name.  He’s also given us the strength for the mission.

That’s the point: your belief in Jesus’ work is the greatest work you will ever offer the world.  In other words, it’s not just at the top of your résumé, it is your résumé.

So as you live the rest of your life, remember that faith in Jesus is your greatest weapon, and your greatest danger is faith in anything else.

Top 10 NT Books that Quote OT Passages

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I recently finished a read-through of the Bible, during which I kept track of every instance the New Testament quotes an Old Testament passage.

I counted only direct, explicit quotations, such as those introduced with “it is written,” or “as it says in the Law of Moses.” I gave some leniency, allowing clear quotations on the list even if introduced by a mere “for.”

I did not include any mere allusions or references to people or events in the Old Testament. I don’t think such allusions are unimportant; I just think they can be difficult to measure. For example, when Jesus is called “Son of Man,” is that an allusion to Daniel 7:13, to Psalm 8:4, or to Ezekiel 2:1, 3, 6, 8, etc? Most likely, the answer is “all of them,” but Bible interpreters disagree. Therefore, I left such unclear examples off the list altogether. One unfortunate result is that books like 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation, which contain Old Testament allusions in almost every verse, are almost completely absent from the list.

This list has the top 10 NT books that quote the OT (click here for other lists). Which books assume or expect a greater knowledge of the Old Testament? Which books require much more flipping back and forth to make sure we get the point? Which books had in mind an audience that would be comfortable with such use of the Old Testament?

After each entry, I include the number of times that book quotes an OT passage.

  1. Romans (58 quotes)

  2. Matthew (45)

  3. Hebrews (42)

  4. Acts (27)

  5. Galatians (20)

  6. 1 Corinthians (20)

  7. Luke (19)

  8. Mark (18)

  9. John (17)

  10. 1 Peter (8)

If a passage quotes two parallel Old Testament passages simultaneously, I counted it as two quotes. For example, Hebrews 1:5b simultaneously quotes 2 Samuel 7:14 and 1 Chronicles 17:13.

Frankly, I’m astonished that Romans, a book with only 16 chapters, tops the list. I don’t think I would have guessed it before I counted up the references.

Matthew and Hebrews are not much of a surprise, as they are considered some of the most “Jewish” books of the New Testament (along with James, which is too short to have many quotes). You can see there’s a large reduction in the number of references after those top three books.

All four Gospels are on this top 10 list. It’s possible that it’s mostly because they’re some of the longest books in the NT. But I think it’s also true that we simply will not understand Jesus’ person and work unless we understand him in light of the Old Testament. God has spoken in the whole Bible, and Jesus is the climax (Heb 1:1-4). For the raw data listing every quotation, see the resources page.

What else strikes you about this list?