Introduction
‘Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. ‘Where did this man get these things?’ they asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.’ Mark 6:1-6
A Prophet Without Honour
This rejection of Jesus in Nazareth took place at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The rejection of Jesus recorded in Matthew 13:54-58, took place at the close of His ministry. The residents of Nazareth had two chances to hear Jesus, but they wouldn’t listen on either occasion.
Jesus was now under the full power of the Holy Spirit to carry out His ministry, Luke 4:14-30. In His incarnation, He had given up equality with God. It was now the Spirit working through Him to accomplish the miraculous works of His ministry in order to fulfil the purpose of His coming into the world, Matthew 13:54. The need for the Spirit to work through Him explains the extent of the incarnation. Jesus truly became a man in order to identify with those whom He sought to deliver from the confines of the flesh, Philippians 2:5-11.
As was the custom of the Jews, Jesus went to the synagogue to listen to the reading of the Old Testament law, Matthew 13:54. However, the Sabbath assembly in the synagogue wasn’t a part of the Old Testament law. The synagogue came into existence in Palestine after the Jews’ return from Babylonian captivity in 536 B.C. Keep in mind also that not all Jews in a community met in the synagogue simply because the synagogues were not large structures. The synagogue was a Jewish cultural centre where the reading of the law could be heard. The Jews’ custom was that the Old Testament law is read only while the reader stood.
Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth, but it seems the teaching and the miracles that Jesus did were too much for those who knew Him from childhood. They weren’t prepared to accept Him for who He actually was, Mark 6:1-2. Jesus’ brothers are named but not His sisters, Mark 6:3 / Matthew 13:55. Notice they don’t call Jesus the carpenter’s son, but ‘the carpenter’, Mark 6:3 / Matthew 13:55. This suggests by the time of this event, Jesus’ father, Joseph has already died. In Greek, the word ‘carpenter’ is ‘builder.’
He was the ‘local boy’ the village or town fathers couldn’t accept to be the Messiah at this time in His ministry, Mark 6:4 / John 4:44. He could do no miracles because the people weren’t driven by faith to go to Him, Mark 6:5-6 / Matthew 13:58. No wonder Jesus says, ‘a prophet is not without honour except in his own town and in his own home,’ Mark 6:4 / Matthew 13:57 / Luke 4:16-30 / John 4:44. Rejection usually comes from those who are closest to us, or from those who should know better.
Because those of Jesus’ home country wouldn’t accept Him, He didn’t have the opportunity to heal many people, for few believed in Him, Mark 6:5. Since they considered Him only a local personality, they didn’t accept Him as one who had authority over the supernatural, Genesis 19:22 / Genesis 32:25. This event explains the faith that one had to have in order to be healed. The faith was in the one through whom God worked to heal. In this case, it was faith in Jesus to heal, Mark 6:6. And so, once again Jesus is being rejected. The people in Nazareth forfeited an ideal opportunity to have the Lord with them.
Jesus went around the villages teaching, Mark 6:6 / Matthew 9:35-38. This one statement explains the ministry of Jesus, and thus gives an example to teachers who would function in following the example of Jesus’ ministry. In the early part of His ministry, He wanted to do much teaching. He wanted emphasis placed on teaching in order to prepare people for His kingdom’s reign that was to come.
For this reason, He asked those who were touched by healing not to speak concerning their healing, lest people be drawn to Him simply for the purpose of being healed, Mark 5:43. His going about in a circuit to teach is certainly a good example for evangelists today who want to teach a great number of people in a specific region, Luke 4:42-44.
We must keep in mind that though these people didn’t respond to Jesus at this time when they later considered all that Jesus did in fulfilment of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, they would believe. This event was early in His ministry. It occurred before they had all the facts concerning His fulfilment of prophecy, Acts 6:7.
Some people accept the Gospel and others reject it, we should share the Gospel with everyone who wants to listen but what can we learn from Jesus about who is more likely to listen to the Gospel message? There are times especially if someone is getting aggressive that we just need to walk away.
What else can we learn from Jesus, in terms of who is more likely to listen to the Gospel message? Please read the following passages and see if you can notice the common denominator, Acts 9:20 / Acts 13:5 / Acts 13:13-14 / Acts 14:1 / Acts 17:1 / Acts 17:10 / Acts 17:16-17 / Acts 18:4 / Acts 18:19 / Acts 19:8.
Those who are already ‘religious’ will be more open to talking about their faith and we can lead them to the truth if they only know partial truth and we need to take advantage of those situations. Many people claim to be believers, but they haven’t read the Bible or obeyed the Gospel.
GREAT OPPORTUNITIES
It is tragic to see people discarding the fantastic opportunity to be blessed by Jesus. In the country of the Gadarenes, they simply asked Jesus to leave, Mark 5:17. Here in Nazareth, they refused to believe and therefore didn’t even bring their sick for Jesus to heal.
As a result, they missed out on the opportunities that others, like Jairus and the woman with the bleeding, benefited from. What about us? Do we take advantage of the opportunity to know Jesus and to be blessed by Him?
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
‘Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. These were his instructions: ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.’ Mark 6:7-13
In this section, Jesus sent His twelve apostles out in pairs on a preaching tour. This marked the fourth stage in their career. Earlier, they had heard Jesus, been called by Him, and been chosen as apostles. This was one of many preaching trips that Jesus commissioned the twelve to do, Luke 9:1-6 / Matthew 10:1-15. They were given the power to heal as well as to cast out impure spirits, Mark 6:7 / Luke 9:1 / Matthew 10:1. Jesus gives the twelve the authority to work miracles in the lives of anyone they met, Mark 6:13 / Luke 9:1 / Matthew 10:1.
Notice that they received this power before the events of Acts 2, when they were baptised with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-5. What Jesus is doing here is giving them this power in order that their preaching could be confirmed as true, John 20:30-31 / Mark 16:20.
Here they were sent out as His representatives to proclaim the message of repentance, Mark 6:12 / Luke 9:2. The purpose of the trips was to accomplish the mission of teaching as many people as possible before the event of the cross and resurrection in Jerusalem, Luke 9:2. The teaching prepared the minds of the people to accept Jesus’ kingship that would later be proclaimed by the disciples on and after the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
The preaching trips also prepared the disciples to face rejection by those to whom they went. Jesus had commissioned them to preach what would be ‘new wine.’ They were going to people of ‘old wineskins,’ Matthew 9:17 / Mark 2:22 / Luke 5:37. Jesus often sent His disciples out alone, Mark 6:7 / Luke 9:2, but during this trip they to go out in twos. Sending out six pairs of preachers both facilitated the spread of Jesus’ message and gave the apostles valuable practical experience, Mark 6:7.
Notice they weren’t to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, Matthew 10:5 / Matthew 15:24 / John 4:9, they are instructed to go only to Jewish towns and villages, Luke 9:6. It wasn’t until after Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in Acts 2, that they are instructed to go into all the world, Matthew 28:19 / Mark 16:15.
The preaching trips gave them an opportunity to face the rejection of a misguided religious world into which they would go after Acts 2. While Jesus was still with them, they could return for His counsel concerning problems they encountered on their preaching trips, Mark 6:12-13 / Matthew 11:1.
The message they were given to proclaim, ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near’, Luke 10:9 / Matthew 10:7 / Matthew 3:2 / Matthew 4:17 / Mark 9:1. The words, ‘Come near’ means it’s about to be established. As we know, Jesus isn’t speaking about an earthly kingdom but a spiritual kingdom.
Through His preaching and the preaching of the twelve, Jesus was preparing Israel for His kingdom reign from heaven that would be the fulfilment of prophecy, Daniel 2:44 / Daniel 7:13-14.
Jesus tells the twelve, ‘freely you have received, freely give’, Matthew 10:8. This should be one of the basic principles of Christian living. In the context of Matthew 10:1-16, Jesus was referring to they’re freely receiving the power to heal the sick, Mark 6:13. In other words, they weren’t to heal for money, they were to use the free gift of healing in a generous manner.
Remember after they received power from the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4, they would remember this principle. And so, they would freely impart the ‘miraculous gifts’ to all by the ‘laying on of their hands’, Acts 8:18. The miraculous gifts don’t exist today because no apostles exist to ‘lay their hands’ on us, but we do recognise that God has freely given His grace, therefore we should freely proclaim it to others.
The mission was urgent, so Jesus forbade them to take extra provisions, Mark 6:8-9 / Luke 9:3 / Matthew 10:9-10. This restriction wasn’t intended to be permanent, Luke 22:35-36, but was appropriate for this brief mission, Mark 6:30.
Notice also that they were to take no extra possessions that would burden their trip, they were to take only the clothes they wore and no staff, Mark 6:8-9 / Luke 9:3 / Matthew 10:9-10. Wait a minute, Mark 6:8, says, ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.’
Is this a contradiction? Were they to take a staff or not? Matthew and Luke seem to agree that Jesus prohibited the disciples from taking a staff on their journeys, while Mark appears to give them permission to take one. Furthermore, although Luke doesn’t record Jesus’ command regarding sandals, some have concluded that Matthew and Mark also contradict each other on this point.
The differences between Matthew and Mark are explained easily when we understand that the writers used different Greek verbs to express different meanings. In Matthew, the word ‘provide’, NKJV, the root Greek word comes from ‘ktaomai’, means to ‘procure for oneself, acquire, get’.
Based upon these definitions, the NASV used the English verb ‘acquire’ in Matthew 10:9, ‘Do not acquire’, instead of ‘provide’ or ‘take.’ In Matthew, Jesus is saying, ‘Do not acquire anything in addition to what you already have that may tempt you or stand in your way. Just go as you are.’ As Mark indicated, the apostles were to ‘take’, ‘airo’ what they had, and go, Mark 6:8-9.
The apostles weren’t to waste precious time gathering supplies, extra apparel, staffs, shoes, etc, or making preparations for their trip, but instead were instructed to trust in God’s providence for additional needs. Jesus didn’t mean for the apostles to discard the staffs and sandals they already had, rather, they weren’t to go and acquire more. It’s obvious from a comparison of the verses in Matthew and Luke, that they are recording the same truth, that the apostles weren’t to spend valuable time gathering extra staffs, only they are using different words to do so.
‘Provide ‘ktaomi’ neither gold nor silver, nor staffs, Matthew 10:9-10
‘Take ‘airo’ nothing for the journey, neither staffs,’ Luke 9:3
Luke didn’t use ‘ktaomi’ in his account because he nearly always used ‘ktaomi’ in a different sense than Matthew and Mark did, Mark 6:8. In Matthew’s account, the word ‘ktaomai’ is used to mean ‘provide’ or ‘acquire,’ whereas in the Books of Luke and Acts, Luke used this word to mean ‘purchase, buy, or earn.’
The point is simply this, Jesus wanted them to go as quickly as possible to proclaim the message that the Messiah had arrived but at the same time, they needed to learn to trust God to take care of their everyday needs, Matthew 6:11 / Matthew 6:25-34. Please note the word, ‘worry’, ‘merimnao’, in Matthew 6:11, and Matthew 6:25-34, comes from the Greek root word, ‘merimna’ which means ‘distraction’, in other words, don’t let your everyday needs distract you from putting God first.
Jesus tells the twelve, ‘the worker is worth his keep,’ Matthew 10:9-11. In other words, those who minister spiritual things are worthy of physical things. Hence why it’s Biblical to pay a ‘full-time’ evangelist. This has always been a principle among God’s people, Luke 10:7 / 1 Corinthians 9 / Galatians 6:6 / 1 Timothy 5:17-18.
Why would Jesus tell them to stay in one house? Mark 6:10 / Luke 9:4 / Matthew 10:11. They weren’t to live from house to house in the towns and cities because this may have been interpreted as them searching for material blessings. Also, when we think about it today, if we go somewhere on a trip, we don’t book several places to stay, we book one place and use that place as a base.
If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages, Luke 10:5-8. Do not move around from house to house.
Notice they were to greet the owner of that household, not the house itself, Mark 6:10 / Luke 10:5-9 / Matthew 10:12-13. If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them, if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. The idea behind the greeting and saying peace was based on the thought that the household that received the messengers were in agreement with and wanted to fellowship the message of the messengers.
What does shaking the dust from your feet mean? Mark 6:11 / Luke 9:5 / Matthew 10:14. This was a Jewish custom that demonstrated to the inhospitable their lack of hospitality and acceptance of the messenger and his message, Nehemiah 5:13 / Luke 10:10-11 / Acts 13:49-51.
Jesus is saying that those who would receive the messengers of Jesus were receiving Jesus, Matthew 12:41 / John 15:18-27. If they didn’t receive Jesus and what He taught, they would be rejected in the judgment of God.
Why were the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah less inexcusable than the sins of cities and villages that rejected the apostles? Matthew 10:15. Simply because they sinned in ignorance, whereas the cities of Jesus’ day sinned against the light, the Messiah, they should have known better. You can read all about Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, and Jude 7.
There going out was going to be dangerous, they were going out among the wolves, Matthew 10:16. The brutal and vicious dangers to which the apostles would be exposed weren’t concealed by the Lord. Their mission was dangerous and filled with countless perils. The words ‘sheep in the midst of wolves’ are very appropriate and expressive.
Ask any farmer, what would a wolf do to his flock? One wolf in a flock of sheep is a source of incredible slaughter and destruction. And so, in venturing into the dangers of their journey, the disciples must maintain their innocence in an environment of evil. In order to do such, they must exercise great wisdom on their journey, Philippians 2:14-16.
What does ‘shrewd as snakes’ mean? Matthew 10:16. It simply means the disciples are to exercise great wisdom in their work for the Master, the serpent was symbolic of carefulness, craftiness, and wisdom. The serpent was considered a symbol of wisdom among the ancients, especially the python.
The girl at Philippi who followed Paul and Silas was said to have had a ‘spirit which could predict the future’, Acts 16:16, but the Greek word denotes that she had a python! Genesis declares that ‘the serpent was more shrewd’, Genesis 3:1 / 2 Corinthians 12:16 / Ephesians 5:15 / Colossians 4:5.
What does ‘innocent as doves’ mean? Matthew 10:16. The dove was symbolic of peace, innocence, and purity. The dove as a symbol of harmlessness and innocence derived significance from Noah’s use of it as a messenger in the ark, Genesis 8. We also see the significance of this when the Spirit descended upon Jesus, signifying the start of His ministry, Matthew 3:16.
The disciples went out preached repentance and drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them, Luke 9:6 / Mark 6:12-13.
John the Baptist Beheaded
‘King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘He is Elijah.’ And still others claimed, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.’ But when Herod heard this, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!’ For Herod, himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John, had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ So, Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. Finally, the opportune time came. On his birthday, Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.’ And he promised her with an oath, ‘Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ ‘The head of John the Baptist,’ she answered. At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: ‘I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So, he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Mark 6:14-29
At this time in Jesus’ ministry, people were trying to determine who He was, Matthew 14:1-12. Because of the miracles, they knew that He was more than a good teacher of Israel, John 3:2. Perhaps because of the additional groups of preachers being sent out, Herod, Mark 6:14, the governor, heard about Jesus, Matthew 14:1. This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, Mark 8:15 / Luke 3:1 / Luke 3:19 / Luke 8:3 / Luke 13:31 / Acts 4:27 / Acts 12:1.
They had at this time speculated that He might be the resurrected Elijah, or the Prophet who was to come in Israel as the Deliverer. They possibly believed that He would be like one of the other Old Testament prophets, Mark 6:14-16 / Matthew 14:2 / Luke 9:7-8 / Matthew 16:13-14.
He thought Jesus might be John the Baptist raised from the dead, Mark 6:14 / Matthew 14:1 / Luke 3:19. Herod at least concluded one thing that was right. If John had been raised from the dead, then the power of the supernatural was at work in the resurrected John. The supernatural was at work, Mark 6:14 / Matthew 14:2, but it wasn’t at work through a resurrected John. It was at work through the One about whom John prophesied and the One in whom all the world must believe, Matthew 3:1-11 / Luke 3:2-16.
Herod feared that if he acted against John, then something dreadful would happen to him, Matthew 14:5. To some extent, therefore, Herod accepted John as a just and holy man of God, Mark 6:20. It seems that his acceptance of John was greater than the self-righteous religious leaders of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Herod’s pride to maintain face among his peers moved him to overcome his fear and carry out a rash promise he had made in response to the lustful dance of Herodias’ daughter, Mark 6:21-28 / Matthew 14:6-11.
John’s physical death thus manifested Herod’s spiritual death because he loved his position in this world more than the power of God. Herod’s conscience may have been bothering him because he had killed John, Mark 6:17 / Matthew 14:3 / Luke 9:9. Herod had killed John because John had been preaching against his marriage telling him that it wasn’t right for him to have Herodias, who had been his brother’s wife, Mark 6:17-19 / Matthew 14:3-4.
According to Old Testament law, it was unlawful for Herod to be married to Herodias, Leviticus 18:14-16 / Leviticus 20:21 / Deuteronomy 25:5-10. As a result, he imprisoned John but didn’t wish to kill him, Herodias did, Mark 6:17-22 / Luke 3:19. Herodias was the granddaughter of Herod the Great. She divorced Philip in order to marry Herod Antipas.
One day, he had a birthday party with many important guests and his stepdaughter provided ‘live entertainment,’ Mark 6:21 / Matthew 14:6. Because of her provocative dance, Herod rashly vowed to give her anything she asked, up to half of his kingdom, Mark 6:22-23 / Matthew 14:6-7.
Upon receiving instructions from her mother, the girl requested that John’s head be served to her on a platter, Mark 6:24-25 / Matthew 14:8. Herod hated to do it, Mark 6:22, but he didn’t want to lose face in front of his dinner guests, so he obliged the girl’s request and John was murdered, Mark 6:26-28 / Matthew 14:9-11. The disciples went for John’s body and buried him in a tomb and then told Jesus about it, Mark 6:29 / Matthew 14:12. Jesus was obviously deeply moved as He went away by boat privately to a solitary place, Matthew 14:13.
Sins that beheaded John the Baptist
John was a righteous preacher who was murdered because of several sins.
1. An unlawful marriage.
2. Resentment and bitterness on the part of Herodias.
3. A lustful dance.
4. A rash promise.
5. Herod’s lack of courage in not breaking the sinful vow.
Actions that produced such bitter fruit should be carefully avoided by Christians today.
1. Despite the frequency of divorce and remarriage in our society, Christians must not act against the Lord’s instructions, Mark 10:2-10 / Matthew 19:9.
2. All disciples must rid their lives of resentment and bitterness because they build up and lead to hatred, harsh words and revengeful actions, Ephesians 4:26 / Ephesians 4:31-34 / Hebrews 12:15.
3. Lustful behaviour provokes every form of sexual sin in our society. Followers of Christ should avoid activities that encourage sensual feelings, Job 31:1 / Matthew 5:28 / Romans 13:14.
4. No one should make any promise without careful thought, Leviticus 5:4 / Matthew 5:33-37 / James 5:12.
5. All should have the courage to do what is right regardless of the presence of others, Galatians 6:9 / Colossians 3:17 / 1 Peter 3:14.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
‘The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So, they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed, and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching them many things. By this time, it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. ‘This is a remote place,’ they said, ‘and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But he answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?’ ‘How many loaves do you have?’ he asked. ‘Go and see.’ When they found out, they said, ‘Five—and two fish.’ Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So, they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.’ Mark 6:30-44
The feeding of the five thousand is the fourth sign recorded by John and it is recorded in all four Gospels, Mark 6:32-44 / Luke 9:10-17 / Matthew 14:13-15 / John 6:1-15. There are only two miracles of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels, the feeding of the five-thousand and His resurrection, Mark 16:1-15 / Luke 24:1-12 / Matthew 28:1-10 / John 20:1-20.
We don’t know the time that transpired between the sending of the twelve in Mark 6:12 / Luke 9:1, and their reporting back to Jesus, Mark 6:29 / Luke 9:10. It seems the disciples came to tell Jesus all that had happened to John, Mark 6:14-30 / Matthew 14:1-12.
When the disciples returned from their preaching trip, Jesus sought to leave the multitude in order to spend time with them privately, Mark 6:30 / Matthew 14:13. They had been so busy they hadn’t even had time for meals, Mark 6:31.
Mark lists at least eleven instances when Jesus went to a place of rest. This is a good example for any evangelist who has given himself to periods of intensive evangelistic efforts. Because these worthy evangelists worked hard, they needed the rest. They needed time to talk among themselves and with God about the great things God had done through them. This was a retreat for prayer, thanksgiving and discussion.
Everyone needs some time out from our busy life schedule and Jesus knew that the disciples needed some time out, for many of them had first believed because of John’s preaching. They withdrew across the sea of Galilee to a quiet place for meditation and prayer, Mark 6:31 / Matthew 14:13.
The people saw that Jesus entered a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Matthew 14:13. When Jesus arrived at the other side, the multitudes had already arrived there on foot, Matthew 14:13. A large crowd had followed Jesus because of the signs He performed by healing the sick, Mark 6:33-34 / Luke 9:11 / Matthew 14:14 / John 6:1-2. As the Passover was near, John 6:4, it must have been spring. This was one of the three major feasts that the Jews were obliged to attend. It seems that Jesus is now at the height of His popularity. Soon, after this bread of life discourse, many of His followers were to turn back, John 6:66.
Now they were coming to Jesus and they were looking for spiritual leadership. They were like sheep without a shepherd, Mark 6:34. This was the leadership that the religious leaders of the day weren’t giving. It was in the context of their searching for someone to lead them that Jesus worked this miracle of creation.
We see Jesus’ love and understanding of people, He wasn’t only a leader but a leader with compassion for the multitudes. On this occasion, His healing of the sick and the feeding the multitudes was motivated by His compassion, Matthew 15:32 / Matthew 20:34. Therefore, when He saw their zeal to follow Him, He was moved with compassion, Mark 6:34 / Matthew 14:14. They were a nation of people who hadn’t been spiritually led for years, and thus, they sought someone to give them guidance.
The disciples want to send the people away, Mark 6:36 / Luke 9:12 / Matthew 14:15, but Jesus had other plans. Notice how Jesus allowed the apostles time to search for food to feed the people, Matthew 14:16. The disciples suggested that someone go into the city and buy food, Mark 6:36.
Jesus asked Philip where they were going to get food in order to feed so many people, but the question was really a test of Philip’s faith, John 6:5-6. Jesus tests Philip, John 6:5-6, this again is particularly relevant if the apostles have been outperforming miracles, healing, preaching etc. He already knew what was to happen, but it was appropriate for His plans to test, ‘peirazo’, Philip at this time to see if he understands that his Lord can supply every need and handle every situation.
Philip fails the test miserably as he looks only to himself and the common purse for a solution, Mark 6:37 / John 6:7. He ignores the role Jesus could play by employing His power and fails to understand, John 14:8. Two-hundred denarii equal around four quarts of barley, sixteen-hundred quarts of wheat which was the purchasing power of the day, an awful lot of money, Mark 6:37 / John 6:7. One denarius was a working man’s wage for the day and so this equalled eight months’ wages.
In John 6:8-9, we see Andrew attempting to get something organised and he finds a ‘paidarion,’ a little boy with some food and presents this to Jesus. He passes the test where Philip failed, and he gives Jesus the chance to perform a miracle, he uses a little initiative and gets the job done. Jesus asked the question in order to stimulate a faith response from Philip and the others.
Among the disciples, or among the multitude, they came up with only five loaves of bread and two fish, Mark 6:38 / Luke 9:13 / Matthew 14:17. The loaves, Mark 6:38 / Luke 9:13 / Matthew 14:17 / John 6:9, would have been small, almost like rolls, ‘artos’, round flat cakes made with wheat flour, or black barley bread, it was the common daily bread of the people. The fish were probably dried or pickled as was the norm at the time.
Mark reports that the people sat down on the green grass and the number given is five-thousand men, Mark 6:44, as does, Luke 9:14, and John, John 6:10. Matthew 14:21, says ‘five-thousand plus women and children’. This could have been the total number present, or another five-thousand women, and it’s possible children could have been there. The total present was immaterial, if Jesus could feed five-thousand, He could just as easily feed ten-thousand, Psalm 23:1-2.
Luke’s accounts tell us that Jesus split the people into groups of fifty, Luke 9:14. Mark tells us they were split into groups of one hundred and groups of fifty, Mark 6:40. Jesus always gave thanks before eating. Some Bibles say, ‘blessing’ but this wasn’t blessing the crowd, but thanks to God for the bread, Mark 6:41 / Luke 9:16 / Matthew 14:19 / John 6:11.
In other words, Jesus thanked the Father for the food. This is what He did for the bread and the wine when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He didn’t bless the bread and the wine, He thanked God for providing it, Mark 14:22-23 / Luke 22:19-20 / Matthew 26:26-27. Jesus left a good example for the disciples in the years to come to do likewise concerning the blessing of food, 1 Timothy 4:4-5.
‘Blessed The Bread!’
Imagine you’re sitting around the dinner table preparing to enjoy a sumptuous meal and someone is asked to ‘bless the food’ before you eat. The person praying says something like this, ‘Heavenly Father, ‘bless this food’ to the nourishment of our bodies, may it strengthen us to do your work, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.’
I’m sure we’ve all heard this prayer at some point in our lives, maybe you’ve even prayed something similar before you ate your food. I was speaking with a brother just recently and asked him why he blessed ‘the food’ before eating? Jokingly he said, the food might be poisoned, and we need God to make it safe to eat!
Now he may have been joking but there’s some truth in what he said. Some Christians sadly believe, although they won’t openly say it, that they can’t or won’t eat any food unless God has somehow miraculously made it safe to eat first.
It’s as though there’s something wrong with the food in the first place and so by blessing the food before eating, it somehow becomes ‘kosher’ enough to eat. I can understand this kind of thinking, especially when you’re about to eat some food from certain fast food outlets, ‘Dear God, this food doesn’t look or smell great, so please bless it and make it edible for me to eat!’
Where Does Our Food Come From?
When we ask the question, where does our food come from? you may be forgiven for saying the local supermarket or the local farmers. As Christians we know this isn’t true, they are simply the suppliers of the food but it’s God Himself who is the real provider of food, Genesis 1:29-30 / Genesis 9:3 / Psalm 104:14.
Since it’s God who is the ultimate provider, He’s the one who provides the sun and the rain for our food to grow, it’s Him we should be thanking for our food. James tells us that ‘every good and perfect gift is from above’, James 1:17, this would include our food. And when we pray, ‘Give us our daily bread’, Matthew 6:11, we’re acknowledging that our food is an answer to our prayers for that food.
The problem with ‘blessing the food’ is that it doesn’t acknowledge where the real source of the food comes from. When we pray before eating, should we bless the food or give thanks to God for proving that food? Paul taught that believers should receive their food with thanksgiving when he spoke of ‘Certain foods, which GOD CREATED to be received with THANKSGIVING by those who believe and who know the truth,’ 1 Timothy 4:3.
Giving Thanks For The Food
Before miraculously multiplying the loaves and fishes and providing a meal for the five-thousand, Jesus asked the Father’s blessing upon the food. Notice He didn’t bless the food, but blessed God or thanked God for providing it, Mark 6:41 / Luke 9:16 / Matthew 14:19 / John 6:11.
Before miraculously multiplying the loaves and fishes and providing a meal for the four-thousand, Jesus asked the Father’s blessing upon the food. Notice again, He didn’t bless the food, but blessed God or thanked God for providing it, Matthew 15:36 / Mark 8:7. Later in the Book of Acts, we read about the Apostle Paul, publicly and in the presence of many people, some of which were probably not Christians thanked God for the food before eating. Notice again Paul didn’t bless the actual food, He thanked God for it, Acts 27:35.
Before And After A Meal
Let me share with you another interesting thought concerning giving thanks to God for our food. In the Old Testament, we see that God’s people not only gave thanks BEFORE they ate the food God provided for them, but they also gave thanks to God for the food AFTER they had eaten it, Deuteronomy 8:7-10.
Remember we’re to thank God or bless God for the food and that’s because we acknowledge that the food itself is already a blessing. Now notice Deuteronomy 8:10, which tells us that God’s people were to praise or bless God AFTER they had eaten. I think it’s right that we give thanks to God BEFORE we eat, but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad practice to give thanks to God AFTER we’ve eaten.
The Lord’s Supper
So here we are gathered together on the Lord’s Day as a church to remember the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection at ‘The Lord’s Supper’. The presiding brother says a few words and shares a few thoughts to help us focus on Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and then the prayers come.
The prayer for the bread usually goes something like this, ‘Dear God, as we’re about to partake of this bread, which represents your Son’s body, please bless it to us as we partake of it.’ Then follows the prayer for the wine, which usually goes something like this, ‘Dear God, as we’re about to partake of this wine, which represents your Son’s blood, please bless it to us as we partake of it.’
If you’ve been attending worship for a few years and participating in the Lord’s Supper, the chances are you’ve probably heard these prayers or something similar many times in your Christian life. Maybe you’ve prayed something similar yourself if you were presiding over the Supper. I’m sure you’ve noticed the link between asking God to ‘bless the food’ before eating the food and asking God to bless ‘the bread and the wine’ before partaking of it.
The Catholic church believes the Eucharist, the bread and the wine, actually becomes the body and blood of Christ, this is called ‘Transubstantiation’. Now, I know most Christians don’t believe in that teaching, but again, we ask the question, why would anyone want God to bless the bread and the wine? Is there something wrong with the bread and the wine? Do they really believe that something miraculous is going to happen when they ask God to bless them both?
Notice what Jesus actually did when He instituted His Supper and notice especially, He never once blessed the actual bread and wine, Mark 14:22 / Luke 22:19-20 / Matthew 26:26-27 / Luke 24:30 / 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. Like I mentioned earlier, you will notice what Jesus actually did, He ‘Gave Thanks’, for the bread and wine, He never blessed the actual bread and wine.
Who did He give thanks to? Obviously, it was the Father, for providing the bread and the wine. He gave thanks to the Father or blessed the father, the word ‘bless’ is another way of expressing thanks to God.
The Jews, even to this day still declare with the entrance of the Sabbath on Friday evenings as members sip wine from a cup, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who creates the fruit of the vine.’ Another blessing as members break bread is, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who brings forth bread from the earth.’ Notice again, that in these ‘blessings’, God the Creator is being thanked for giving food, not the bread and wine.
These would probably have been similar to the prayers that Jesus would have uttered during His ‘Last Passover Supper.’ Luke 22:17-18. What About Matthew 26:26? When we read the King James Version, at first glance, it reads as Jesus ‘blessed it’ i.e. ‘blessed the bread’, however when you read a Greek lexicon, you’ll discover that the word ‘IT’ isn’t in the original text.
It reads as follows, ‘(as) they were eating moreover of them, having taken Jesus bread and having blessed, broke and having given to the disciples, he said eat: this is the body of me,’ Matthew 26:26. The word ‘IT’ is kind of misleading in the KJV and so we always have to remember that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, if any text appears to say the opposite of all the other related texts, it’s usually because the translators haven’t done a good job of translating it.
When Christians pray, I believe it’s good practice to think about what we’re actually saying in our prayers, especially when it comes to giving thanks to God for our food or giving thanks to God for providing the bread and the wine at the Supper. Our children and any visitors often learn how to pray by listening to others and all too often they will simply repeat what they have heard time and time again until they are mature enough to share their own thoughts.
Here we are, getting ready to enjoy a sumptuous meal and someone asks you to ‘bless the food’, why not simply say, ‘the food is already a blessing from God, and so, if you don’t mind, I’ll give thanks to Him for providing it.’
Here we are gathered together on the Lord’s Day to participate in the Lord’s Supper, someone asked you to bless the bread and the wine, why not simply say, ‘the bread and the wine are already a blessing from God, and so, if you don’t mind, I’ll give thanks to Him for providing them.’
Why Twelve Baskets?
There are so many ideas out there about the significance of the twelve baskets, Mark 6:43 / Luke 9:17 / Matthew 14:20 / John 6:13. The number twelve is such a common recurring number throughout the Scriptures. The number twelve is mentioned forty-eight times and the word twelve is mentioned one-hundred and thirty-three times. Jacob had twelve sons which became the twelve tribes of Israel, Abraham’s son Ishmael had twelve sons and Jesus had twelve Apostles.
There’s always a danger of reading a text and making it mean something which it wasn’t meant to mean, I personally believe that the twelve baskets of food were left so that each one of those disciples who participated could take one. This miracle was unique, Jesus asked them to take up the leftovers in order to impress on the minds of the disciples that this was a miracle of creation. They knew how much bread and fish they started with and how much was left over and the only conclusion they could come to was that bread and fish had been created by God who was in their midst.
Later in His ministry when He wanted to confirm who He was in the minds of the disciples, Jesus asked them to recall this miracle and the second feeding of four thousand in Matthew 15:32-38, where Jesus discussed the ‘bread of life,’ which discussion resulted from this miracle, Matthew 16:8-19 / John 6:27-59.
In John 6:14-15, we see this was a visible sign because all present saw it and benefited from it. There were two results, first, they wanted to make Jesus king by force and second, they deduce that Jesus must be the prophet that was foretold, the prophet mentioned is a reference to the one predicted in Deuteronomy 18:18 / John 1:21.
The people have obviously wanted a political Messiah, and now here is one who can feed them without any effort on their part, He could provide a physical utopia for them. The Jews wanted a political and military leader like David, who would re-establish David’s throne and the physical kingdom of Israel.
Jesus wasn’t the kind of king they wanted Him to be. This was the high time in His popularity and from this time on they begin to leave in disappointment, as He wasn’t what they expected, and also, they are disturbed by his teaching, John 6:60-66.
Jesus withdrew alone for a time of reflection, John 6:15 / Matthew 14:25. He wanted the people to receive Him after a sincere, well thought out decision but He didn’t want them to take Him in the emotional state they were now in. Christ is the king of individual hearts by faith and obedience, true and sincere, not by force which is no example of kingship. Jesus is looking for unconditional surrender of the heart, Luke 9:23 / Proverbs 3:5-6 / Romans 12:1-2.
This multitude of seekers came looking for one who would lead them. They found the Chief Shepherd and the Son of God who would lead them to victory through the cross. The proof of the miracle was magnified in the baskets of leftovers they took up. The power of the One who was in their midst was measured by the leftovers. He was truly the Son of God who had the power of creation, John 1:1-2.
Jesus set the stage for the miracle to prove His power over the physical laws of nature. He sent the disciples on by themselves by boat on the sea, knowing that a storm would develop that would engulf them, Matthew 14:22-23.
Jesus Walks on the Water
‘Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up to a mountainside to pray. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.’ Mark 6:45-52
The account of Jesus walking on the water is recorded in Mark 6:45-52 / Matthew 14:22-36 / John 6:16-21. Jesus sent His disciples ahead of him on a boat and then proceeds to spend some time alone in prayer, Mark 6:45-46 / Matthew 4:22-23. In the early morning from 3:00 am to 6:00 am, the fourth watch, Jesus, walked by them on the Sea of Galilee, Matthew 14:25. The disciples left about 6 pm, but were still rowing when Jesus came to them in the fourth watch of the night, 3-4 am, and they had rowed only three or four miles, John 6:19.
The disciples were rowing against the wind in the late evening, Mark 6:47-48 / Matthew 14:24-33. They didn’t think that their lives were in danger, they were simply struggling against the wind. The sea became so rough that some of the disciples were becoming seasick! The sea of Galilee was infamous for its storms, as they were sudden and violent in this area, causing common disruption of the fishing, John 6:18. The wind is upset by the mountains of the region and funnelled through the Jordan river valley causing strong winds on the Sea of Galilee, this is common even today.
Jesus was passing by them, Mark 6:48, not in the sense of leaving them in their predicament, but in order to present the situation that would truly manifest His deity, but Jesus may have been exercising a sense of humour. They were struggling against the wind and He with ease was simply walking by on the water. There would come a time, however, when they would have the faith to move mountains, Matthew 17:14-20.
They looked out at the sea and guess who they saw? They are frightened when they see Jesus, they think it is a ghost, Mark 6:49-50 / Matthew 14:26 / John 6:19. They would think this again after His resurrection, Luke 24:37. They saw Jesus walking toward them on the water! This was a Divine display of His power over the natural laws.
Now let’s just pause and think about this for a moment. Jesus is walking on water, now I don’t know about you, but this is nothing less than a miracle, isn’t it? You might be thinking I don’t really believe that Jesus actually did walk on the water, but if you believe Genesis 1:1 where the Bible says, that ‘God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them’, then you shouldn’t have any problem believing this miracle.
If God can create the whole world and everything out of nothing, then why can’t the One who created the water in the first place be able to walk on what He created? Why can’t the One who created the sun, stop the sun from going down as we read about in Joshua 10? Why can’t the One who created life, bring Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for four days like we read about in John 11?
My point is Jesus walked on water so that means that Jesus is definitely afloat. Now seeing anyone walking on water would be enough to frighten me and it frightened the disciples too, Mark 6:49-50 / Matthew 14:26 / John 6:19. And so knowing their fear Jesus reassures them and says, ‘Don’t be afraid, it is I.
When Jesus says, ‘it is I’, Mark 6:50 / Matthew 14:27 / John 6:20, this could be translated, ‘EGO EIMI,’ ‘I am’, Exodus 3:14 / John 8:24 / John 8:28 / John 8:58. Their superstitious nature led them to think that they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus reassured them that it was He.
Note that only Matthew records Peter walking on the water, Matthew 14:22-33. It teaches us that the unexpected should be expected when we spend time with Jesus. And so Jesus is walking on the water and the storm is still raging and according to Matthew, when Peter saw Jesus, he asks, ‘Lord, if it is you’, which could be translated, ‘Since it is You.’ Matthew 14:28. Peter became excited and he said to him, ‘Lord if that’s really you, let me walk to you on the water’, Matthew 14:28. Then Jesus answered Peter and said, ‘Come’, Matthew 14:29. Peter climbed over the side of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus, Matthew 14:29.
This is a big lesson we all need to learn from time to time. When was the last time we stepped out in faith as Peter did? You see it’s easy to stay in the boat where everything is nice and safe. But when was the last time we got out of the boat and started to trust God as Peter did?
This is amazing, isn’t it? Peter didn’t create the water so how did he manage to walk on the water? He had a little of what we all need as Christians, he had one of those things we can’t see, he had faith. And his faith was great until according to Matthew, he began to look around, he felt the strong winds and saw the waves and he became afraid and started to sink, Matthew 14:30.
He had great faith until he took his eyes off of Jesus, and it was then that he cried out to Jesus for help. I want to raise an important point right here, sometimes in life, we find ourselves drowning in all sorts of things. Adults drown in the waters of bereavement, sorrow and worries. Adults drown in the waters of debt, family pressures and broken relationships. Children drown in the waters of peer-pressure, unloving parents, and having no good role models in their lives. Children drown in the waters of neglect, abuse and lack of support.
Now all these things can drown anyone and sometimes they do although Peter started off with great faith and even though his faith achieved a great thing like walking on water, he took his eye off the creator of the water and began to drown. The point is this, Jesus didn’t just leave him to drown, He reached out and saved him, Matthew 14:31.
There are times when life is great and we feel like we are walking on water. But there are other times when life isn’t so great and we begin to drown in the waters of life. But there is hope, you don’t have to drown why? Simply because Jesus has His arm outstretched and He is trying to save you. But you need to take hold of His hand.
As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was walking on the water, but when he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink. We face many storms in our daily life but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can weather the storm, Hebrews 12:2. When Jesus says to Peter, ‘you of little faith’, ‘why did you doubt?’ Matthew 14:31. I don’t think we’re to believe that Jesus was rebuking Peter, He probably had a smile on His face. The point is we should do what Peter did, we need to reach out to God in times of need, Matthew 6:30 / Matthew 8:26 / Matthew 16:9.
Notice also that Peter must have walked on the water a second time, to get back into the boat and it was then that the wind died down, Mark 6:51 / Matthew 14:32. The disciple’s reaction indicates a growing faith, Matthew 14:33, and the result, again they worshipped Him saying ‘Truly you are the Son of God’, Mark 6:51-52 / Matthew 14:33. They worshipped Him, Matthew 14:33, which tells us they recognised that Jesus was indeed God, John 1:1 / John 1:14. They proclaimed that Jesus truly is the Son of God, Matthew 16:16 / Matthew 26:63 / Mark 1:1 / Luke 4:41 / John 1:49 / John 6:69 / John 11:27 / Acts 8:37 / Romans 1:4.
Mark adds the statement in Mark 6:52, to associate these two miraculous wonders of Jesus. The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on the water proved that Jesus was Deity, John 1:1-3, He had the power to create, Colossians 1:16, He also had the power to control that which He had created, Hebrews 1:3.
It was at this time in the ministry of Jesus that the disciples were beginning to realise who He was. At the time of the feeding of the five thousand, they were slow to understand who He was, Mark 3:5 / Mark 16:14. They hadn’t understood from the miracle that He was God. They were astounded, for like Philip, their hearts were hardened, for they didn’t fully understand the implications of the signs of the loaves and fishes, Mark 6:52.
Therefore, the statement that their hearts were hardened, Mark 6:52, must be understood in the context of what Jesus wanted them to understand concerning who He really was. They had accepted Him as a good teacher who could work miracles as Elijah or one of the prophets, but Jesus was more than a prophet, He was the Son of God who had the power of creation, Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus wanted them to realise that He was the Son of God.
He could feed the hungry, He who could heal the sick could calm and control the tempest, therefore He can and will take care of you. Anyone who follows Jesus for physical gain has missed the point and will not gain the spiritual benefits of salvation.
Many arguments have been built up around this miracle, today some people think that Jesus walked on a sandbank, others say, that the Greek indicates that He was still on the shore. However, as the boat was three miles into the sea and Jesus got into the boat, it seems that the Biblical version holds more water! The boat then enjoyed some miraculous transportation to the shore. This miracle built up the faith of the disciples, also proving Jesus’ power over normal natural laws.
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on the water proved that Jesus was Deity, John 1:1-3, He had the power to create, Colossians 1:16, He also had the power to control that which He had created, Hebrews 1:3. It was at this time in the ministry of Jesus that the disciples were beginning to realise who He was. At the time of the feeding of the five thousand, they were slow to understand who He was, Mark 3:5 / Mark 16:14.
They hadn’t understood from the miracle that He was God. Therefore, the statement that their hearts were hardened must be understood in the context of what Jesus wanted them to understand concerning who He really was. They had accepted Him as a good teacher who could work miracles as Elijah or one of the prophets, but Jesus was more than a prophet, He was the Son of God who had the power of creation, Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus wanted them to realise that He was the Son of God.
‘When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.’ Mark 6:53-56
After walking on water, Jesus and His disciples now end up in a place called, Gennesaret, which was on the west side of the Sea of Galilee and south of Capernaum, Mark 6:53. At this time in Jesus’ ministry, many of the people were coming primarily for healing, Mark 6:54-56 / Matthew 14:34-36 .
Though the works of healing provided a teaching opportunity, it seems that the masses were more concerned over their physical problems than their spiritual problems. And so, it is in a world where men have allowed the physical and temporal to distract them from the spiritual that will extend far beyond the destruction of this physical environment. Though the disciples had seen Jesus do many amazing things, every new incident seemed to surprise them. When they landed on the shore, many recognised Jesus and began to bring sick people for Him to heal, Matthew 14:35.
In Mark 6:56, it is stated that they first begged Jesus that He might heal them. However, it seems that the number of those who were seeking healing was so great that Jesus simply allowed them to touch Him in order to be healed, Matthew 14:36. Those who touched His cloak were completely healed, Mark 6:56 / Matthew 14:36 / Mark 5:24-34 / Luke 6:19. On this occasion, Jesus at least manifested a small glimpse of what heaven will be.
It would certainly have been an amazing experience just to have been there. It would have been exciting to see the reaction of the multitudes to the presence of the Son of God among so many who sought healing. The redeemed will be in the presence of God, and thus, there can be no sickness there. They will be in an environment of continual well-being, Revelation 21:4. The redeemed will be in an environment where the power of the supernatural will not allow sickness and pain to exist.
It’s difficult for us to understand such an environment in this world of pain and suffering. However, since God is above this physical world, we must conclude that He will provide an environment of perfect well-being above and beyond this present world. This is the hope of the Christian. It’s in this environment we continually long to dwell.