As a result, many scholars claim that Nazareth did not exist at the time of I think that they also looked forward to a good meal. Temple - the 'clean place' on top of the Mount of Olives. When Jesus commanded them to feed the five thousand it was their obligation to obey, whether or not the food was yet present. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. Jesus could have gone with His disciples, but He purposely stayed behind. Since the Jewish Passover was near (John 6:4), this would remove Jesus from the Jewish mainstream, and it would also help to minimize premature enthusiasm and efforts to make Him king. The “Training of the Twelve” was, first and foremost, training them to trust in Him. Jesus spoke the words above to His disciples just days after He had risen from the dead. Here, the Pharisees came to Jesus with the warning, “Herod want to kill you.”. When Jesus therefore invited the disciples to come with Him “to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31), it is very doubtful that food was not a part of this plan. But because they sought the Savior most of all, He met their physical needs. Many times we have packed up to drive to the Northwest to visit family and friends with the car literally sagging with all that we carried. The apostles had returned from their missionary tour throughout the villages of Galilee. Mentally and emotionally, I don’t think they put out the welcome mat, as Jesus had done. Herod was no true seeker. 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” (Mark 6:30-31). Then, in response to this confession we have the revelation of the glory of God on the mount of transfiguration, along with out Lord’s revelation of His coming rejection and crucifixion. These would be provided for them through those who believed their message, as the power of the gospel was worked out through their preaching and healing. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i... More, Q. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him. What is discipleship training? underway in Sepphoris and the "Ten City" region, which would have supplied Firstly, the real site of Jesus' baptism is over 60 miles away (see below). Herod could easily have seen Jesus, but he wanted Jesus to come to his own turf. The massacre of infants took place when Jesus is a little over one year of age. It seemed a very reasonable solution. Find messages of Christ to uplift your soul and invite the Spirit. We would justify this with the reasoning, “Just think what Herod could do for the kingdom of God if he were converted … ”. Jesus came with the purpose of … . God acted through the disciples, as they obeyed. These are the places where Jesus was born, taken for refuge, raised as a boy, and where he took the gospel. If the gospel did not work, if the Lord’s promises were not true, the disciples would have been in trouble. The extreme piety of Yaqub (James, Had the disciples been allowed to take their own provisions along, the response of the villagers to the gospel messengers would not have been as evident, and the faith of the disciples would not have been stretched. I believe that they had packed something very special to eat. The retreat was beyond Herod’s territory. The message which Jesus would have delivered to Herod was no different than that which John (unsuccessfully) had delivered to him already. (2) In verses 7-9, why did the Luke record (as did Matthew and Mark) the interest of Herod, and why did Jesus avoid seeing Herod, when Herod was continually trying to see Him? "School of the Book." When I drove a Volkswagen bus, I even carried along a spare cylinder head. Jesus, during His temptation in the wilderness, had the “need” for food, and Satan tried to persuade Him that He should use His divine power to satisfy this need (“turn this stone into bread”). He could even have miraculously provided a huge supply of food, and then commanded His disciples to serve it. (6) Some needs are more important than others, and thus they must be prioritized. Satan, for example, fabricated a “need” for Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, so that they could be “like God.” Other needs are real, but of lower priority than others. To the men marrying abandoned women, Jesus is saying, “If you really love her, go and find her first husband – the one who dumped her – and compel him to do what he should’ve done in the first place. The disciples had heard a great deal of teaching from the lips of the Lord Jesus. A young boy, whom Luke does not mention, had come with a small and modest lunch (barley loaves and fish was not “steak and ale”). Since the message of Jesus (and now His disciples) was the same as that of John, Herod feared that the person was the same, too. 10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. What do you understand about the following standards? The commandments to live holy lives, to put off the old man, to put on the new, to be filled with the Spirit, are all impossible in the power of the flesh, but provided for by the sending of the Holy Spirit. Luke 18:25; 6:20). The one thing they failed to recall was that Jesus has all the means required to do any task he purposes to do. Understand Others Learn about common behavioral patterns to better understand the people you work with and lead. The certificate is usually signed by the presiding minister. Where Jesus obtained his education is not recorded in the First, from Mark’s perspective, they were weary and they needed some relief from the crowds: The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. (4) Lacking the means to do something is not necessarily proof that God does not want us to do what requires these things, nor that we should not attempt to do them. The apostles were to be provided for by the people in the villages they visited, but in a very closely regulated way. How shocked the disciples must have been to hear Jesus’ response, “You give them something to eat” (Luke 9:13).168. CHAPTER 119 Jesus —The Way, the Truth, the Life CHAPTER 120 Bearing Fruit as Branches and Being Jesus’ Friends CHAPTER 121 “Take Courage! I believe that we can see from our text that the purpose, the goal of our Lord’s dealings with the disciples was to train them in the area of faith. If the apostolic team were not welcomed, the entire village was to be abandoned, accompanied by a symbolic gesture which underscored the Gentile-like uncleanness of these people. 12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” 13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.) This certificate is available in two versions: a free, ready-to-use version and a $5.00 version that you can customize.. They were to go all about, from village to village in Galilee. There is another reason why healing (Mark 6:12 indicates that the healing was accompanied by anointing with oil) was necessary, in my opinion. I Have Conquered the World” CHAPTER 122 Jesus’ Concluding Prayer in the Upper Room They surely did not expect to find a McDonald’s nearby in the wilderness and to buy a “big Mac” for lunch. He can convict men of their sin. He taught that the slave who did not make good use of that which was entrusted to him was lazy and wicked, even though he was given little, compared to others (Matthew 25:24-30). Jesus commanded the disciples to obey Him, without having the human means of doing so, and thus having to trust Him to provide for their needs. (7) God often chooses to use little to create much. They were given both the authority and the power necessary to carry out their commission. Calling all evangelists, soul winners, youth pastors and volunteers! A part of the function of the office of High Priest is the preparation of a place for each of us as Jesus promised the disciples. Archaeological excavations show that Nazareth was occupied in the 7th century The crucifixion of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in either AD 30 or AD 33.Jesus' crucifixion is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and is established as a historical event confirmed by non-Christian sources, although there is no consensus among historians on the exact details. in 1971. David was but a little shepherd boy when he killed Goliath. We, like the disciples, conclude that it is better to send people away (or to stay away from them) then to do something which is small. They were to minister both to the physical (healing) and the spiritual (preaching) needs of the people. Paul put it this way: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. It even appeared (though I doubt that it was such) to be a compassionate one. have been the synagogue school in Nazareth. They needed to find Him sufficient in His absence, for they would soon learn that He would not be with them (in His physical body) for long. Every village had at least one scribe. But now they needed to learn to trust in Him and in His Word. 165 “Not merely ‘he desired’ (AV. Enough is enough. The kingdom of God is not brought in by human might, nor by political intrigue or ploys. There was a specific purpose for the instructions which Jesus gave His disciples, a purpose that would be fulfilled, so that different instructions could be given for their future ministry. The kingdom of God is not made up of mighty men, but of those who are child-like. This is believed to be the path that Jesus walked down as He carried the cross to His crucifixion. The disciples passed out the food, miraculously multiplied as it was divided by Jesus. But on this solemn occasion Jesus called them all together.” Leon Morris, The Gospel According To St. Luke, The Tyndale Bible Commentary Series, R. V. G. Tasker, General Editor (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), p. 163. Learn Common Language Use the language of Classic DISC to identify and discuss Gideon’s army was whittled down to a more little group of 300 so that God could bring about a great victory through them. When Jesus commanded the disciples to go out from village to village, even without provisions, it was obvious that the disciples must obey, with provisions in advance or not. (2) God uses human “needs” as an avenue for teaching and testing our faith. We are also indebted to Matthew (10:2-4) for telling us the pairs of those who are sent out two-by-two: All three gospel accounts inform us that the disciples had to be called together,163 which informs us, perhaps to our surprise, that the disciples were not always together, and not always with their Lord, even at this stage in His earthly ministry. 28:1-14), while disobedience would bring sickness and disease (cf. They had the people sit down to eat when there was no food. The Holy Spirit of God can multiply that simple effort. A retreat from the crowds seemed advisable for several reasons. How do we know when we should or should not do something? The most likely source of Jesus’ education may Secondly, Yardenit, which is owned and operated by a Jewish kibbutz, fleeces Christians with unbridled vigor, as detailed here. Jesus could have done things much differently, making things a great deal easier on the disciples. They had interrupted the disciples’ retreat. By the way, is this story of the feeding of the five thousand not a beautiful illustration and assurance of our Lord’s promise of provision which can be found in the Sermon on the Mount? He was thus considered, at best, a “half-Jew” by the Jews themselves. The disciples were not to go from house to house, which is the way our minds would have conceived it (since this is one of the popular means of evangelism used by true Christians, and by the cults as well). My point is that Herod Antipas considered himself Jewish, and thus would have had an interest in the identity of Jesus. These instructions which our Lord gave to His disciples—not to take along any of the needed provisions for their travels—should not be viewed as universals, applying to all missionaries or witnesses in all situations. Another source That the peoples’ need for food was to be met. They expected Jesus to come to the same conclusion they had reached. They had heard the disciples asking how much food was on hand. (1) In verses 1-6, why did the Lord Jesus command His disciples to go about, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, in such a way as to be without basic necessities? When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. But just as the priests who bore the ark had to get their feet wet before the Red Sea parted or the Jordan ceased to flow, the disciples had to act before the solution was given. That is why we must not only be saved by faith, but we must walk by faith. sufficient income for a family of Tektons (building craftsmen). The disciples had to begin passing out the food. The disciples thought that acquiring food was the people’s problem. This was, it seems, to be the closing proclamation of the kingdom to Galilee, the conclusion to His Galilean ministry. The command to take no provisions was designed to create an environment of need where faith was required and where obedience was tested. The healing ministry of the apostles was a prototype, a foreshadowing of the kingdom which was to come if the nation repented and turned to God. Yardenit is a Jewish-owned and operated fake baptismal site on the Jordan River that fools and fleeces Christian tourists. In businesses, and even in Christian ministries, there is one statement which seems to put plans to rest, without any further discussion: “We don’t have the money.” Everybody says, in effect, “Well, I guess that does it. A divine mandate was given the apostles. Avoid Yardenit for the following five reasons. If only I could get my family to travel that light. Dr. Klaus Issler Dr. Klaus Issler is Professor of Educational Studies and Theology at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, CA. The situation is similar, in Herod’s mind to the story of the sorcerer’s apprentice.