The Feeding of the Four/Five Thousand Multitude and its Significance

[Study Aired January 17, 2022]

Mat 15:32  Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 
Mat 15:33  And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 
Mat 15:34  And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 
Mat 15:35  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 
Mat 15:36  And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 
Mat 15:37  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 
Mat 15:38  And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. 
Mat 15:39  And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

INTRODUCTION

All the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John talked about the feeding of the multitudes. In Matthew and Mark, they mentioned the feeding of the five and four thousand people but in John and Luke, only the five thousand people fed by the Lord are mentioned. As we have come to understand having two or more witnesses assures us that this story is well established. In other words, it will surely come to pass as sure as the sun rises in the east and set in the west!!

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

In Matthew, the feeding of the four thousand was introduced by a story pertaining to Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman. Let’s take a look at this story as it sets the basis for the feeding of the multitude:

Mat 15:21  Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
Mat 15:22  And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
Mat 15:23  But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
Mat 15:24  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mat 15:25  Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
Mat 15:26  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
Mat 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Mat 15:28  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Here Jesus traveled outside Israel to Tyre and Sidon which were Gentile cities north of Israel. Tyre and Sidon represent people of the world, and so what took place there reflects God’s plan for the people of the world. There Jesus met a Canaanite woman who requested that Jesus would have mercy on her daughter. Apparently, the daughter was severely oppressed by the devil. This woman had heard of Jesus, and being a woman means that she represents the physical churches of this world, that is, Babylon. We all came out of the world (Tyre and Sidon) into the church system of this world where the daughters of the churches of this world are under bondage to sin. This bondage to sin is the same as the oppression of the devil who became our father in Babylon.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jesus’ refusal to answer her is to let us know that in this dispensation the word of God is for the elect and not for Babylon or the world. In other words, the word of God is written only for the elect to understand.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (Babylon and the world) it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they (Babylon and the world) seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

At that time, the disciples of Jesus were not converted, and so their mentality was just like us when we were in Babylon. They told Jesus to send the woman away. This is the same as saying that people should be responsible for their own actions. We also had the same mentality as the disciples, thinking that people are responsible for going to hell to burn forever. However, our Lord has a wonderful plan of salvation for the world which will be unveiled at the right time.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Verse 24 says that Jesus told the disciples he came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That is to say that in this age, the Lord is focusing on His elect who are His lost sheep. As He is, so are we. We also have the mandate to seek after the lost sheep, who represent the Lord’s elect. We are that one sheep that strayed from the ninety-nine sheep, who the Lord is going after in this age.

Mat 18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 
Mat 18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 
Mat 18:14  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Jesus told the woman that it is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs. The children here are the Lord’s elect, and the bread is the word of God. The dogs represent us while we were still in Babylon. At that time it was impossible for the word of God to penetrate us because of the evil one. Not giving the children’s bread to the dogs therefore means that we were not capable of receiving the word of the Lord.

2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

The woman’s response in verse 27 was very insightful. She said to Jesus that dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table. What this means is that the woman accepted that she was a dog. In other words, she was a sinner. It was only then that Jesus answered her request or healed her daughter. Accepting that we are dogs is the same as admitting we are spiritually poor. It is when we admit this that salvation comes to our doorstep. The healing of her daughter is the same as bringing salvation to the world. So, the whole world would have to admit their spiritual poverty before salvation can be theirs. This will be accomplished in the lake of fire age.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The next few verses of Matthew chapter 15 therefore talk about the salvation of the world.

Mat 15:29  And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
Mat 15:30  And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: 
Mat 15:31  Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

The multitude here represents the world including Babylon. The lame being healed means we can walk before the Lord blameless. The blind are those who do not understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. At that time, the children’s food will be given to the dogs. The maimed are those wounded or oppressed by the evil one. They shall no longer be in bondage to the evil one. The dumb are those who cannot hear and therefore cannot speak the word of God. Casting their cares at Jesus’ feet means submitting to Christ.

Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 

THE FEEDING OF THE FOUR THOUSAND

These introductory stories serve as precursor to the feeding of the multitude. Let’s now take a look at the feeding of the four thousand in Matthew 15:32-39.

Mat 15:32  Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

We must take note of Jesus’s compassion for the multitude. Compassion has to do with being merciful. One significant quality our Lord expects from us as we grow in Him is being merciful. We all start our lives in Christ thinking we call the shots, and therefore we were not merciful to those who were fumbling in their walk with Christ. We were just like the disciples who wanted Jesus to send the multitude away. The Lord is inculcating in us the need to be merciful because He has shown mercy to us.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

The fact that Jesus had compassion on the multitude is to let us know that in the fullness of time, our Lord’s compassion will be unveiled to the whole world. The fact the Lord said that He will not send them away without feeding them is to assure us that God has a plan for the feeding of the world with His word. This plan is centered on us as saviors for the people of the world. The whole story about the feeding of the multitude is about the salvation of the world.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Jesus said that the multitude had continued to be with Him for three days. At a point in our walk with the Lord, we were just like the multitude who had been with the Lord but are starving of the word of God. This starvation of the word of God is one of the four sore judgments of the Lord to bring us out of Babylon to Himself. The three days means that the famine of the word of the Lord is part of God’s judgment of us.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Mat 15:33  And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 

What the disciples said is the same as what they said to Jesus when he told them that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. The rich man here represents us at some point in our lives when we taught, we were spiritually okay in Babylon.

Mar 10:24  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Mar 10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Mar 10:26  And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 
Mar 10:27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

The fact that the disciples thought it is impossible to find food in the wilderness spiritually signifies that they doubted the salvation of all men just like all of us when we were in Babylon.

Mat 15:34  And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

The seven loaves of bread signify the complete word of God which is the full counsel of God. What we are having now is the word of God which will feed the multitude or the world and bring them to Christ. The few little fishes are the elect. We, together with what the Lord has given to us through His word, is what will save the world.

Mat 4:19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 

Mat 15:35  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 

Although in this age the whole world is not submitting to Christ except the elect, a time is coming when at the command of the Lord, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord!!

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 
Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Mat 15:36  And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

The breaking of the bread by the Lord is the opening of our understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. In this age, the Lord is breaking bread and giving them to his disciples who symbolize the elect.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

During the age of the lake of fire, the elect will serve the whole of humanity with the word of God which we have received from the Lord. That is what will bring about the salvation of the world.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

1Ti 4:9  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. 
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Mat 15:37  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

During the lake of fire age, the whole of humanity will walk in the word of the Lord and understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Rev 7:9  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 
Rev 7:10  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 
Rev 7:11  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 
Rev 7:12  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 
Rev 7:13  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 
Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
Rev 7:15  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 
Rev 7:16  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 
Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

The broken meat that was left was about seven baskets full. The broken meat represents false doctrines. The number seven means complete, and so what we are being told is that the complete false doctrines in the heavens of all humanity will be left behind or burnt as everybody will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. That is what will enable all humanity to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

Col 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 

Mat 15:38  And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

The number four stands for the whole of the matter under consideration. 4,000 = 4x10x10x10. Therefore, four thousand men feed means that it is when the whole of humanity is full, they will be fed with the word of the Lord. The statement that the four thousand men, besides women and children, did eat is to make us aware of the irrelevance of the church system of this world with all her children in the salvation of the world.

Mat 15:39  And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala. 

The sending away of the multitude is to make us aware that the time for the salvation of the world is not in this age. Our Lord is currently sending away the multitude by taking away the little knowledge of the Lord they have and giving it to us. He is also speaking to them in parables, blinding and making them deaf and hardening their hearts, all in a bid to send the multitude away.

Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

The spiritual significance of the feeding of the four thousand is the salvation of the world. There are slight variations in the story as presented in the gospel and this is done to give us additional information about the salvation of the world. I will take this opportunity to point out the additional information given in the account of this story. In Matthew chapter 14:13-21, the feeding of the five thousand is presented.

Mat 14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 
Mat 14:15  And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 
Mat 14:16  But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 
Mat 14:17  And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 
Mat 14:18  He said, Bring them hither to me. 
Mat 14:19  And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 
Mat 14:20  And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 
Mat 14:21  And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. 

Verse 16 says that the multitude need not depart and that the disciples should feed them. This is to emphasize the point that it is the elect that will feed the world with the word of God. The five loaves hers is the word of God. The number five means grace through faith. The grace on a positive note is the Lord Himself coming to us to be our enjoyment. So, the five loaves is Christ coming with His brightness which is His word.

Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

The coming of the Lord also has a negative context which is that of chastening. The brightness of His coming is the fire of His word which will destroy all our carnal thoughts.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

As we are aware, the teaching here is actually chastening. The fish represent the elect, and the number two means a witness. We are the two witnesses that will feed the world with the word of God. As indicated, the fragments represent false doctrines, and the number twelve signifies the number of Christ. The twelve fragments of baskets are to remind us that all of our false doctrines are all part of Christ plan for our lives. The five thousand men fed means that we are saved through grace when our sins are full and that it is not of ourselves but the work of Christ.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.