Bereansearching Bible Studies

Introduction

The Book of Jonah is read every year to the assembled congregations of the Jewish people in their synagogues, all over the world, on the afternoon of Yom Kippur to the present day. Yom Kippur, יוֹם כִּפּוּר (Yōm Kippūr), which means ’Day of Atonement‘, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism, which occurs on the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishri). The central themes of Yom Kippur are: 

1. Atonement (which God ordained to include a sacrificial “offering made by fire unto the LORD“) 
2. Self-reflection (which God ordained to include self affliction of one’s soul)
3. Sabbath Day of Rest and Repentance. 

This special sabbath day was established by God in Leviticus 23:26–32  and Numbers 29:7–11,  during the time of Israelites exodus wilderness sojourn. Today, the Jewish people traditionally observe this holy day with a day-long fast, confession, and intensive prayer…often spending most of the day in synagogue services that include five distinct prayer and reading sessions.

Following the afternoon reading (Minchah) from the book of Jonah, the concluding prayer service of Yom Kippur, Neilah ( נְעִילָה, meaning ‘locking’), involves final prayers of repentance leading up to the “closing of the gates” at sunset, which is followed by the shofar blast, marking the end of the fast, victory over the devil, and heralding the promise of a sweet new year.

Notably, the one thing that is missing is the obligatory atoning sacrifice of “one young bullock, one ram, [and] seven lambs“, to be the “offering made by fire unto the LORD.” Due to the absence of a functioning earthly Temple, the substitute being currently offered is that which can be viewed as conforming to Hosea 14:2, “Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive [us] graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.” Repentance is good, but it cannot atone for one’s sins. The problem is that no one, no matter how repentant, with or without animal sacrifices, can sufficiently atone for his or her own sins, that is why there is such a desperate need for a sin bearer; a Savior, Who is only the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why Jonah? How Does He Relate to Atonement?

The Book of Jonah is often dismissed by many people (regardless of their religious beliefs) as nothing more than a fanciful “fish story”, and thus having no basis in reality. It has also been downplayed by some professing Christians as not having any intrinsic spiritual value beyond the obvious in the historical account as provided in the Bible and Jesus’ reference to it. Nonetheless, it can be shown that the Book of Jonah is not only a true historical account (and NOT some fairytale), but, even more importantly, that God perfectly, Spiritually, crafted both the historical account, and the recording of it, to serve as a “Sign” (as an Historical Parable) pointing everyone to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atoning Sacrifice.

So, Yes, God orchestrated the historical events described in the Book of Jonah and the recording of them, such that they would directly relate not just to “atonement”, but more specifically point to Jesus and His Atoning Sacrificial Work.

The “Sign” of the Prophet Jonah Points to the Atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ!  “Behold, A Greater Than Jonah [Is] Here“!

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:22, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:” and Jesus specifically said that Jonah was the only “sign” that the Jews would be given in both Matthew 12:39-41, “But he (Jesus) answered and said unto them , An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:For as Jonas (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the whale’s  belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas (Jonah) [is] here.” and in Matthew 16:4, when the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign, He said, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh  after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah). And he (Jesus) left them, and departed.“

In Luke 11:29&30, Jesus provides additional insights, “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.” And then, as was just noted above in Matthew, to underscore the point, Jesus said in Luke 11:32, “The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here.“

The Greek word Jesus used is σημεῖον (sēmeion)^G4592, rendered in the King James as : sign (50x), miracle (23x), wonder (3x), token (1x). The Jews were asking for a visible miracle. To believe by seeing is not believing by faith, and Jesus treated the Jews demand as the mark of the unregenerate/unsaved. Yet God did give them a “Sign”…The Sign of the prophet Jonah.

That is why Jonah belongs with Yom Kippur—and why the choice is so ironic. Jonah was appointed by God to serve as a prophetic “Sign” of The Messiah, Who Is Jesus Christ, Who epitomizes “Atonement”. Jesus paid the full Atonement price for the sins of His people (the Eternal Israel of God), through His sacrifice as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), fulfilling Passover in the first month of the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur points forward to the Final Atonement, the Last Day (John 12:48), the time when God’s Plan of Salvation ends, at the sound of Last Trumpet, when the Gates of Heaven will be closed (and all the Believers are secured). It foreshadows the day when all those who remain unsaved will have to atone for their sins by themselves for an eternity in Hell.

The Book of Jonah Provides a True Historical Account Based Upon Jesus’ Own Statements

Jesus’ own words establish that:

1. Jonah was a real historical person,
2. Jonah was a real prophet, who preached to Nineveh, and they repented (and they were not destroyed),
3. Jonah was actually swallowed by a great fish/whale,
4. Jonah suffered there three days and three nights, and
5. Jonah served as a “sign” pointing to Jesus. Anyone who disbelieves the book of Jonah is challenging the validity of God’s Word.

The very first verse of Jonah, Jonah 1:1 provides immediate useful insights on how perfectly Jonah serves as a “Sign” pointing to Jesus:

1. The Word of the LORD (יְהֹוָה (Yᵊhōvâ))^H3068 came to Jonah, hence Jonah was indeed a prophet of God.
2. Jonah (יוֹנָה (yônâ))^H3124, which means “Dove” (or “Turtledove” of “Pigeon”) a “sacrificial animal” for the poor and leprous. (Jesus is identified in Revelation 13:8 as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world“, and lambs, like doves, are sacrificial animals for sin.)
3. Jonah’s father was named Amittai (אֲמִתַּי (‘ămitay))^H573, which means “Faithful”, “Trustworthy”, “True”, or “My Truth”. 
4. 2 Kings 14:25 tells us “Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher.“  Gathepher (“winepress of shame”) was a village adjacent to what later became known as Nazareth. The same town where Jesus was raised and began His Ministry.

A Little Discussed Great Conversion in the Book of Jonah: We should also note that the mariners’ plight in Jonah 1:3-16 (when the ship was hit with the tempest of God’s wrath) forms a second, smaller picture of the same Salvation Gospel: their idols failed, the truth was spoken to them by a prophet of God, the substitute is given up, the storm stops because of the sacrificial atonement of Jonah (Jesus), and then the men fear the LORD, and make vows to Him only.

This is only an excerpt of a more complete posting: A Christian Study of The Book of Jonah.

Two Days of Atonement?

A Christian reader may well ask why God instituted a Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in addition to Passover. Passover was not only the day in Moses’ time when the Angel of Death saw the blood of the unblemished lamb placed upon the doorposts of Israelite homes and “passed over”; it was also the very day that Jesus, as the Lamb of God, died on the cross to atone for the sins of God’s people. In effect God created two Days of Atonement—and therefore two Judgment Days—one for the saved, and one for the unsaved.

Judgment Day #1 is Passover. Jesus became the Sin-Bearer and was judged for the sins of His Elect, His Church, His Bride, the Eternal Israel of God (past, present, and future). His resurrection proved the payment was made in full. Easter Sunday also opened the New Testament era that continues until the Last Day.

Judgment Day #2 is typified by Yom Kippur. God placed it in the seventh month, at harvest time, marking the end of the world as Jesus said in Matthew 13:39. It points to the Last Day. All who remain unsaved when that day is fulfilled must atone for their own sins with no Savior in their place.

Conclusion

The choice of Judaism to choose the Book of Jonah to read on Yom Kippur is most fitting. This is because:

1. The salvation of both Nineveh and a group of mariners was because of the “sacrifice” of Jonah being thrown into the sea and in the “belly of Hell” “forever” (picturing an atoning offering made by fire) within the temporal space of three days and three nights.
2. The prophet Jonah is the very “sign” that Jesus referenced as pertaining to Himself and to His Atoning death and Resurrection establishing that Jesus was victorious over sin and death.

Therefore the book of Jonah provides insights on the only way that anyone can avoid “atoning” for his or her own sins when the final trumpet blows and when the doors to Heaven are shut.

If only the readers of Jonah would understand the reality that Jonah was used by God to typify (be a “sign” pointing to) the Person and Work of the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can be the “offering made by fire” to pay the full atonement price for the sins of any and all those who believe on Him. And just as Jonah cried from within the belly of the great fish/whale in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation [is] of the LORD.“

The earthly Jonah may have been rebellious or fearful in apparently seeking to elude God’s providence, but God still used Jonah as a “sign” to represent Jesus Christ: leaving the Father’s presence, entering the storm of wrath, being cast out into the sea, being sacrificed so that others would live, spending three days and three nights in what Jonah’s prayer identifies as “Hell” “forever” (Jonah 2:2 & 2:6), rising again to life, and sending a warning to the Gentile world. Because of God’s benevolence, those who hear, repent, and cry out to God for mercy are spared. Those who will not repent, and do not trust in God’s Son as the atoning “offering made by fire” for their sins, will bear their own judgment.

That is why the same holy day, Yom Kippur, can look so different depending on one’s perspective. While it is clear that Yom Kippur points to the Last Day…

1. With Christ, the Atonement Day (Judgment Day #1) already happened at the Cross on Passover in 33 AD; Yom Kippur, while still prefiguring the Last Day, is no longer to be feared as Judgment Day, but as the day that sorrow will be turned to joy when Jesus returns on the clouds of glory to take His people up to Heaven to be with Him for eternity! .
2. Apart from Christ, Yom Kippur remains a day of mourning and affliction: a Day of Atonement (to remind us that no one can possibly pay the price for sin, no matter how repentant one might be). Sadly it is only typifying the affliction of souls that will begin when Jesus returns as Judge of Judgment Day #2.

For that reason, perhaps the believer should instead look at Yom Kippur as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Jesus for His victory over the devil, his minions, and our sin-cursed flesh. The payment of sin has been paid in full by Jesus for the believer. There is no longer any fear of death for the believer, as only Jesus and His Heavenly Kingdom awaits. Yom Kippur should therefore be more of a day for feasting and joy, similar to when God saved His people from a prefigurement of the last day in Esther 9:22: “As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.“

See also: An Expositional Summary and Outline of the Book of Esther and A Spiritual Exposition of Esther Chapter 9. And Esther Chapter 10 provides the exclamation point on that reading.

And speaking of “Atonement”, there is another place where we can find it in the Bible…”Atonement” was there, hidden, in Noah’s Ark!

The message that this review seeks to leave with the reader is the same warning preached by Jonah to Nineveh. Judgment Day, the final Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), is coming, and it will not be postponed forever. In John 14:6, we read “Jesus saith unto him (Thomas), I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Have you made peace with God for your sins through the Atoning Sacrificial Work of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have, then Yom Kippur (representing the Last Day) will not be a day of mourning and condemnation, but rather a day of rejoicing and salvation!

Introduction

Much has been made of Jesus’ miracles from a purely literal, temporal point of view. One of the better-known miracles is the feeding of about five thousand people with five barley loaves and two small fish, recorded in all four of the New Testament Gospels (Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17, and John 6:1–15). Afterward the disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftover fragments.

Many treat this miracle (and others) as little more than a demonstration that Jesus is the Creator. That is not its primary purpose. While the event had a real earthly setting and a real physical result, it is also an Historical Parable. It carries deeper spiritual meaning that Scripture itself interprets.

The Setting (John 6:1-4)

John 6:1&2 places the scene by the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). A great crowd followed Jesus because they had seen His healings. “¶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.”

Then “Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.” (John 6:3). This is not an attempt to escape the people. Mountains or the mountain was a place to where Jesus resorted to commune with The Father. More broadly, it can refer to Heavenly Realm (Luke 6:12).

John 6:4 inserts an important note: “¶And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.“ was a meal, instituted by God, prepared in haste when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. The entire feast was typifying and commemorating God’s salvation through the redemption from death of the first born, and the necessity of blood atonement in the sacrifice of a lamb without blemish.

By Jesus’ day the feast had generally become a mere cultural ceremony. The language “a feast of the Jews” (compare John 5:1) distinguishes it from the true “feasts of the Lord.” However, Jesus is about to demonstrate, by way of a new miracle/sign, a feast that points to the salvation of the true eternal Israel of God from every nation.

The Question and the Test (John 6:5–7)

In John 6:5, we read, “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?“

The initial part of the verse is a bit strange considering the context. If Jesus and His disciples had gone up into a mountain, then anyone who followed Jesus would have been ascending from below. Jesus lifting His eyes to see the approaching multitude (John 6:5) maybe a hint that Jesus, referring to him, seeing among those following him, individuals who truly belong to His Heavenly Kingdom.—the “cloud of witnesses” of Hebrews 12:1.

• Philip (Φίλιππος (philippos)^G5376, “lover of horses”) was recruited to be one of Jesus’ Apostles in Matthew 10:3, and was from Bethsaida, in Galilee (the city of Andrew and Peter; John 1:43), and would have known local markets.
• “Buy” (ἀγοράζω (agorazō)^G59) can also mean “redeem.”
• “Bread” (ἄρτος (artos)^G740) is both ordinary food and a symbol of Christ and His Word.

Jesus asked Philip, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But Jesus, Who already knew what He would do; He asked “to prove him” as we read in John 6:6, “And this he (Jesus) said to prove him (Philip): for he himself knew what he would do.“

Philip answers, in John 6:7, that two hundred pennyworth—roughly two hundred days’ wages—would not buy even a little for each person: “¶Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” [Note that the word “pennyworth” is in the original Greek, δηνάριον (dēnarion)^G1220, which means “containing ten”, and the denarius was the principal silver coin of the Roman empire or about a days wage according to the parable in Matthew 20:2-13.] Man’s resources cannot feed this multitude.

Jesus instructs later in John 6:27, “Labour (earn wages) not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”

Note also that the “200” pennyworth is 2 x 10 x 10 and is therefore suggestive of a “complete” “witness” to what is in view, given what we can glean regarding the use of Numbers in the Bible.

The Impossible: The Short Supply (John 6:8&9)

Andrew reports,”…There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” Barley is the first grain to ripen each year (2 Samuel 21:9) and is associated with the season of Pentecost / the Feast of Firstfruits. The scene therefore looks ahead to the harvest of souls that begins at Pentecost in 33 AD (Acts 2:1-47) when 3000 were saved.

“Two” (found both in the “two” hundred pennyworth and the two fishes) is representative of being a “Witness“.

[Note also the role played by the “barely harvest” in the Book of Ruth here: The Threshing Floor of God.]

The Miracle (John 6:10-13)

We have already been put on notice that there might be something in this historical parable that is pointing to us to the Feast of Pentecost…or more simply, “The First Harvest”. Could it be that we are being prepared to see a miracle that is pointing us to the means and method of evangelizing the world as represented by “Galilee of the Nations” (Isaiah 9:1)?

John 6:10, “¶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.“

Jesus instructs for the men to sit on the grass—about five thousand. The grass provides the “comfort” to those who sat down to “eat”. Much like Psalm 23:2, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.“

Note that the “number“, ἀριθμός (arithmos)^G706 was “about” “five thousand“. In a previous study it was shown that Numbers in the Bible Convey Spiritual Concepts. We should note that 5000 is 5 x 1000 (or 10x 10 x 10). “Five” in the Bible (as with the five barley loaves) can picture “grace” for those who are saved, or “judgment” to those who are condemned, as we are taught in the “Parable of the Ten Virgins” [five wise (saved) opposed to five foolish (condemned)]. “Ten” or its multiple, a thousand can refer to the totality (in number), especially, as we read in Revelation 20:1&2, which describes the total time of the New Testament Era.” The seated multitude can therefore represent the corporate church, elect and non-elect, collectively fed throughout the Gospel era from throughout the whole world.

Jesus’ Prayer of Thanks:

John 6:11, “And Jesus took the loaves (ἄρτος (artos))^G740; and when he had given thanks (εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō)) ^G2168, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would (θέλω (thelō))^G2309.”

Jesus gives thanks (εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō))^G2168and distributed the loaves/bread and the fishes to both the disciples and to those who sat down “as much as they would“. There are several spiritual implications that we can draw from this verse.

1. Jesus Is Eternal God, and as we read in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Therefore, Jesus in His submission to, and recognition of, His Father’s Gifts, gave “Thanks“.
2. The word translated as “when he had given thanks” is from the original Greek word, εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō)^G2168 —the same word used at the Last Supper, in Mark 14:23, “And he (Jesus) took the cup, and when he had given thanks, εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) ^G2168, he (Jesus) gave [it] to them (the disciples): and they all drank of it.” Thus we are provided a subtle link to the Holy Eucharist, where in Jesus instituted “the Lord’s Supper”, that Jesus provided to His beloved church with a perpetual, continual, remembrance meal of “thanks” for His Atoning Sacrifice. The bread representing His Body and the wine representing His shed Blood.
3. The Lord’s Supper is not the only time or way that for the believer to remember God’s gifts and to be thankful, but it was instituted by Jesus to make sure the believers remember THE GIFT, Who is Jesus, and His Atoning Sacrifice for their sins that grants the believer eternal life as we read in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
4. Indeed at every opportunity, but especially, at the eating of every meal (which is a shadow of God’s continual feeding of our souls), we should always “give thanks.” Psalm 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.“
5. The word translated as “would” is (θέλω (thelō))^G2309, which can also be translated as “intended”, “willed”, or “desired”. It hearkens us back to the bread from Heaven, the “manna”, that God provided as a gift to the Israelites in their wilderness sojourn where we read in both Exodus 16:18, “And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.” and in 2 Corinthians 8:15, “As it is written, He that [had gathered] much had nothing over; and he that [had gathered] little had no lack.” So all the people were satisfied by what was provided to each from the five loaves and two fishes and no one lacked for hunger.

Abundance, but Nothing Lost

John 6:12, “When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi)^G622.” The original Greek word translated as “lost” is the compound word, ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi)^G622, which is formed by the combination of “apo“, which means “away”, and “ollymi”, which means “destroy” as in “cast away to perish and be destroyed”. The King James translators interpreted ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi)^G622 variously as: perish (33x), destroy (26x), lose (22x), be lost (5x), lost (4x),

Note how this also relates to John 6:37-39, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (ἐκβάλλω (ekballō))^G1544. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose (ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi))^G622 nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

John 6:13, “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.” The amount leftover far exceeded that was available from the start.

“Twelve” (the number of baskets filled with leftovers) is a number that represents “Fullness“, which in this case points to the fact that the food was fully sufficient for the feeding and that none was destroyed. The number 12 is the number assigned to the corporate body of Christ, the church of God, like the 12 tribes, the 12 Apostles. This is another hidden point, that Christ’s Church, which is being fully built beginning with His First Advent, will have sufficient gospel “food” and it (the church and it’s message) will not be destroyed.

Spiritual Meaning of the Elements

1. Loaves/Bread. We should already be thinking that this relates directly to Jesus:
   • In John 6:35, we read, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.“
   • In John 6:48, Jesus said, “I am that bread of life.”
   • In John 6:51, Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.“
   • And we also know that Jesus is the Word incarnate as we read in John 1:14, “¶And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.“
   • We also know that “bread” typifies the Word of God as we read in Matthew 4:4, “¶But he (Jesus) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” and in Amos 8:11&12, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it].
   • We should also be aware that the loaves can be a symbol that Jesus gave to depict His Body, the Body of Christ, which is the church, the body of believers. Therefore loaves/bread not only represent The Word, but also those who possess it and bear it!
2. Fishes. Jesus as the Creator, particularly designed and created fish, and hence fishing, from the beginning of Creation. The spiritual purpose being to depict and teach about the evangelism of mankind.
   • Men are represented by fish to be caught.
   • Fish live in the waters/seas which are spiritual representations of the world.
   • Jesus called and ordained fishermen (Simon Peter and his brother Andrew) to be his disciples and were explicitly told by Jesus that they would be fishers of men in Mark 1:16, “¶Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.“
   • The Gospel of Jesus Christ has also been likened to a net that catches the fish of God, men’s souls, who are the evangelized. And the fishers of men, the believers, who preach the Gospel, are the evangelists.

Conclusion

The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is not about producing food from almost nothing. It is Jesus teaching, by deed, the Gospel message of why He came and how His Church will play the primary role in the distribution of that message, both to save and nurture His Elect People (made up of multitudes of mankind out of the whole world).

So then we can see that the various factors in this historical narrative each form a piece of a puzzle that together complete a spiritual message:

1. The “Multitude” = humanity to be evangelized.
2. The “Hunger= the to be fed” equates to the spiritual need everyone has for the Word of God for salvation, the Bread of Life, that is the only sustenance that can bring eternal life.
3. The small supply = the seemingly inadequate gospel and the relatively few messengers; God nevertheless provides enough for the whole New Testament. The twelve baskets leftover declare that Christ’s provision for His people is more than sufficient, and that not one fragment of His saving work will be lost. And we also know from Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.“
4. “Nothing be lost” = the Father’s will that of all given to the Son, none should perish.
   • John 17:12, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost (ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi))^G622, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” and in
   • John 18:9, “That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost (ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi))^G622 none.”
   • Again, as noted earlier in John 6:39, Jesus said, “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose (ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi))^G622 nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.“