John 6:1-13

(John 6:1-13)

After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?  And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.  Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.  One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,  There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?  And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.  When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.  Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

 

These words have to do with the words of the end. We need to understand what Jesus intends for Israel to know about the end. Matthew 8:5-12 tells the story of healing a Roman centurion's servant, Jesus speaking of Israel: "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit." down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 』

It means that Israel will be driven out. It means that the Gentiles will be saved first, and Israel will be saved later. This is in line with the words of Matthew 19:27-30: “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. 』

In particular, in verse 30, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” This is the word Jesus answers when Jesus spoke with a rich young man, when the disciples asked, "If they hear Jesus' words, who will enter heaven?" It is said that the first one is Israel, and the latter one is Gentiles. And Jesus is talking about Israel in the parable of the vineyard. The Israelites killed all the prophets, and even the Son of God. That is, Israel fails, and the Gentiles take over the vineyard. And, Jesus explains the kingdom of heaven by comparing it to a wedding feast for his son by the king. It's a story of chasing someone who doesn't wear a robe. Those who do not wear robes refer to Israel. There is also a metaphor for talent. The buried servant refers to the useless servant of Israel.

Whenever Jesus speaks of Israel, he is speaking in parables. It is a saying that Israel fell by failure, and the Gospel was first preached to the Gentiles. And later, the Gospel is preached to Israel. You must understand why Israel is doing this. The parable of the ten virgins is also a parable of Israel. The five foolish virgins are Israel, who are bound by the law. That is, they did not recognize Jesus.

The miracle of five barley loaves and two fish are five barley loaves. The loaves are called altos in Greek and shewbread in Hebrew. There is a gold table in front of the ark of God, on which shewbread is placed, which symbolizes the word of God. Exodus 25:30 says, "And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway. 』Twelve shewbreads are laid, which also symbolizes Israel. Jesus said in John 6:48, "I am that bread of life. 』 This rice cake has the same meaning as the five barley bread. The five loaves, or five words, refer to the Pentateuch. That is, speaking of the law. The five barleys a child had were referring to the Pentateuch of Moses (law).

Fish is called extus in Greek, and includes the words "Jesus Christ is my salvation." The fish represent Jonah's target. Jonah's sign marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death. The saying that there are two fish refers to the first and second coming of Jesus. After eating five loaves, there are twelve baskets left, and "twelve baskets left" means that Israel (12 tribes) heard the word but did not know the truth. This is a saying that Israel must eat the bread remaining in the basket when Jesus comes again after His ascension. When God restores Israel, Israel realizes and eats bread. Those who ate first represent the Gentiles.