Bible Study series: Luke 9:10-17. He cared for their needs in practical ways.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 9:10-17
10 When the apostles returned, they described to him everything they did. He took them along and withdrew privately into a town called Bethsaida.
11 When the crowd found out, they followed him. He welcomed them and was speaking to them about the kingdom of God and was healing the ones needing healing. 12 Now the day began to be over, and the twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowds away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and rest and find provisions because here we are in a deserted place.” 13 He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” But they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for the entire crowd!” 14 (For there were about five thousand men). He said to his disciples, “Seat them in groups of about fifty.” 15 They did so, and everyone was seated. 16 He took the five loaves and the two fish and looked up into heaven and blessed and broke and gave them to the disciples, who placed them before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate and was satisfied. An abundance for them was picked up, twelve baskets of fragments. (Luke 9:10-17)
Comments:
10:
“apostles”: it comes from the Greek noun apostolos (pronounced ah-poh-stoh-loss), and it is related to the verb apostellō (pronounced ah-poh-stehl-loh), and see v. 2 for more comments on the verb. As to the noun apostolos, we get our word apostle directly from it. Luke already recorded the names of the twelve (6:12-15), and he often calls them by the shorthand label “the twelve” (6:13; 8:1; 9:1; 18:31; 22:30, 47; Acts 6:2).
For more information, again please click on my post:
It is interesting that Luke omits the details of the report by the disciples, but he does have more details when the seventy-two return (Luke 10:17-24). Why? It could be that Luke wants his readers to learn that they too, and not just the twelve, can “do the stuff” or cast out demons and heal the sick. The door of miracles is open to them so they should walk through it. But trying to figure out why an author omits data points can be futile, in the end.
“privately”: sometimes you need to take a break from the crowd and get alone with God. When you are refreshed, you can then welcome people back into your life. This need for a break shows the humanity of Jesus.
Please click on the post for a systematic theology about his humanity and divinity:
7. Do I Really Know Jesus? Thirty Truths about His Life
Bethsaida was a town on the northern side of the Lake of Galilee. John 1:44 says that Philip, Peter and Andrew were originally from the town. Apparently, they later moved farther south, on the westside of the lake, to the village of Capernaum. Bethsaida was not a deserted or isolated place (v. 12), so we should understand that Jesus led the crowd away from the town, even though Luke omits this detail. He omits many such details and expects the readers of his day to fill in the gaps, much like we have to do today in our own reading of his Gospel.
11:
I like how Jesus welcomed them. To be honest, I might have rolled my eyes and muttered something like, “Here they are again! Can’t they give me a break?” But he received them. What did he say? Maybe the obvious? “Welcome, welcome! I’m glad to see you! Now let’s move away from the town to avoid distractions!” He showed no irritation. Amazing.
“kingdom of God”: see v. 2 for more comments.
12:
So we find out that Jesus, the twelve, and the crowds moved away from the villages and town and into the countryside. Apparently, however, they were not so far away that the crowd could not have gone into a village and rest and buy provisions.
“rest”: here the verb means “rest” or “find lodging” or “halt.” Sometimes, when you are on a retreat out in the wilderness, you need to stop the austerity, and find rest from the retreat!
It is important to realize that miracles do not happen as a sideshow, just to impress the crowd with your miracle-working power. Miracles happen when needs arise. Miracles happen when people are desperate and then have faith in God, in their desperation. And that is the transition from desperation to faith that is so difficult. One way to cross over is to study Scripture about God’s compassion and his love and then healing Scriptures.
13:
When Jesus issued this challenge, the disciples must have thought he was detached from everyday reality. He was too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. It is true that he was heavenly minded, because he had a miracle in mind. He was in constant communication with his Father, and he expected a miracle. The twelve were not in such a deep and close communication.
They retorted. I’m convinced that they doubted they had the money to buy loaves of bread to feed five thousand men, not counting women and children. Mark adds the comment that 200 denarii would not be enough to buy that much bread (6:37). One denarius was a working man’s pay, but that is a little misleading because an agriculture worker had seasonal work, so he had to stretch what he got during the harvest. Perhaps not even Joanna and the other women (Luke 8:1-3) could buy that much in one day for one meal. But if they did so regularly, the community fund would have depleted fast, since Jesus spoke to many crowds, many times. And no doubt the twelve did send them away on other occasions. But not here, not now. Jesus would not allow it. A miracle was in the offing.
14-15:
Luke explains why the twelve were thinking rationally (but not supernaturally or miraculously). There were five thousand men. They counted up the loaves and fish and reported back to them their natural calculations. They did not reckon on God intervening and making up the lack.
Then Jesus has them sit down in groups of about fifty. Mark says fifties and hundreds (6:40) on green grass, indicating the spring or recent rains. But whether fifties or hundreds, let’s not quibble. Both versions are true as far as each one emphasizes. In any case, organization is not a bad thing. Sometimes the more fiery evangelists despise or at least ignore such earthly and ordinary matters. Their meetings are chaotic. Order and calm are not bad things (1 Cor. 14:40).
“Elisha fed one hundred men with twenty loaves (2 Kgs 4:42-44), but Jesus feeds far more with far less” (Garland, comment on 9:14b-16).
16:
Jesus gave credit to his Father for allowing the rain and sun to shine on the earth and people, good or bad (Matt. 5:45). He picked up the bread and fish (maybe wrapped up in leaves?) and blessed them.
“bless”: it literally means to “speak well.” BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon, defines the term, depending on the context, as follows: (1) “to say something commendatory, speak well of, praise, extol”; (2) “to ask for bestowal of special favor, especially of calling down God’s gracious power, bless”; (3) “to bestow a favor, provide with benefits.” Here it is the second definition. Some translations have “he gave thanks.” Being grateful even for food shows gratitude and an acknowledgement that God is the source.
The traditional Jewish blessing for bread: “Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the world, who bringest forth bread from the earth.”
17:
“satisfied”: I have heard too many miracle stories about food distribution. The kettle of soup would not feed the surge of people who came into the soup kitchen, but the soup never ran out until the last person was fed. Apparently, the miracle was so great and powerful that the disciples picked twelve baskets full of fragments or leftovers, in abundance.
Matt. 14:21 says there were five thousand men plus women and children. There had to be well over 10,000 people in total, probably over 15,000. This was truly a wonder and a miracle. Spectacular, but with a purpose–feeding people, not for showing off. Jesus did not go on a fund-raising binge.
“for them”: the leftovers were for the disciple’s advantage and use. No doubt they used it for themselves, sold some of it, and also gave some of it away. In your paycheck from work, it is good to give some, save some and spend some, like paying the bills or buying necessities and some luxury items. It should be noted that Grammarians Culy, Parsons, and Stigal say that the bread that was too much “for them” added up to twelve baskets, indicating the crowd could not eat all of the bread. But I prefer my translation.
One last theological point: Jesus indirectly shows himself to be the bread of heaven—indirectly because he does not announce it, as he did in John’s Gospel (6:35), after he fed the five thousand (6:1-14). This refers to the manna from heaven that fed the ancient Israelites going through the wilderness (Exod. 16). Jesus is our bread of heaven. He is our sustenance.
GrowApp for Luke 9:10-17
1. Jesus asked the humanly impossible from the disciples. Has he asked you to do what was impossible for you on your own, so God had to breakthrough or sustain you?
2. How has God worked a remarkable miracle in your life? Or have your heard of one? How did you respond?
RELATED
11. Eyewitness Testimony in Luke’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
For the bibliographical data, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 