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Lesson OneThe Steady Ministry and the Fickle Response5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoThe Sermon on the Mount: How God's Kingdom Works5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeCan We Trust the New Testament Books?5 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Discussion Questions
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Why do you think the Feeding of the Five Thousand is the only miracle of Jesus that appears in all four Gospels? Explain your thoughts.
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The miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand is the only miracle that appears in all five Gospels not only because of the enormity of the miracle but also the significance of what it represents. This miracle was a display of God’s provision. It displayed his abundance and power to break out of the physical constraints of the world. It was a miracle intended to be viewed on a grander scale than many of Jesus’ other miracles. Some of His other miracles were in a more intimate setting and not all were privy to the event due to God’s purpose in performing the miracle.
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I believe it appears in all four Gospels due to the significance of the event. In addition, the magnitude of the event was remarkable in that Jesus not only literally fed them, but it also figuratively shows how no one left there the same. When people experience the goodness of Christ, they share the goodness with others. I believe that this was a key event in spreading the news of the Messiah.
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Important because it was witnessed, experienced by thousands of people personally. While many of the other miracles may have been performed in the midst of a crowd, they would have been merely observers, astonished observers, but not the recipient of the miracle themselves. Experience is far more powerful than observation. The gospel writers would not want to miss one of the most widely known miracles of Jesus.
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In this miracle, Jesus not only feeds thousands literally but also figuratively. I believe this event appears in all four Gospels not only due to the sheer number of people but also the effect he had on them. First he produced food from an unbelievable small amount of food. That alone would be astounding and demand the attention of even the most doubtful. After fulfilling their physical needs, Christ fed their souls. The wisdom and love he showed to the multitudes would be further proof of his amazing wonderfulness.
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As stated in the previous discussion question, the magnitude of producing really from nothing, an abundance was paramount in importance to these people as the manna and quail received in the desert was to those wandering in the wilderness so many centuries before. It makes total sense that all the gospels reflect two things in Jesus’ nature… one, His love and concern for their welfare and health, and two, knowing they would most likely listen to what He had to say from that moment forward because if someone did something of that magnitude, they must have a power beyond that of a normal human. All the gospel writers, whether present or not would have noted the magnitude of the event. It would have been hard to ignore it, but it is interesting that Jesus does this again with 4,000+ but it is not nearly as recognizable.
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Describe, in your own words, the miracles involving Gentiles discussed in this lesson. Why were these miracles important? What implications might there have been if Jesus had not performed any miracles among the Gentiles?
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These miracles among the Gentiles are important because they are part of how Jesus reveals that he has come to meet the needs of all people. If Jesus had not performed any miracles among the Gentiles, the Jews may not have understood their humble place in the Gospel story, and the church may not have grown so rapidly in Gentile cities after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
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The miracles are being performed because God is revealing Himself with a statement; “Fear not! Here I Am, It is I”. The purpose of these miracles give evidential purpose to point out who Jesus is, also the evangelistic purpose which calls people to explicit faith and discipleship, the empathetic purpose, the single compassion for human need, and the eschatological purpose that the miracle is done by the finger of God and we cannot assume on consistency of patterns or we compromise His sovereignty.
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These miracles were important to show that Jesus came to bring salvation to all people, Jew and Gentile. If Jesus had only performed miracles among the Jews, people might have thought He only came to save the Jews as God’s chosen people. One miracle was when Jesus healed the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment.
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The miracles with the gentiles were done to inspire or pass on faith in God. They are important in that God was showing how he was bringing the gift of salvation for everyone and not just the Jews. So the miracles showed the gentiles that there was a one true God to believe in and that God was for everyone.
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The miracles involving the Gentiles were critical to God displaying his power to an unbelieving world. These miracles displayed His Glory. Had he only performed miracles for the Jews, there may have been a sense of arrogance and importance amongst the Jews. This also could have portrayed Jesus similarly to the religious leaders of the time as elitist and disassociated with people they considered lower than themselves.