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THIS WRITING IS APPROVED FOR ONLINE DISTRIBUTION
IN ANY BULLETIN BOARD OR OTHER ONLINE SERVICE.
Copyright (C) 1992 George W. Demers
Box 112O-13, Campton, NH O3223
E-Mail at EXEC-PC or GEnie: G.DEMERS2
*ALL COMMERCIAL PRINT RIGHTS RESERVED*
HIDDEN MANNA
============
"For there is nothing covered
that shall not be revealed
NEITHER HID, THAT SHALL NOT BE KNOWN."
- Luke 12:2
This is an investigational report which reviews stated Scriptural facts from
Jesus' own word in testament. In this, we inspect the testimony of Jesus and
the Apostles, concerning the 'loaves and fishes' events. This is NOT an effort
to disprove that something good happened, but an effort to see what REALLY
happened by judging thru testimony. Doing so, we find things which stand out
within the testimony concerning the event and in particular, an event which
occurred afterwards. By these, we are able to find some things NOT previously
understood about either of these events.
Nothing is read into Scripture which Christ did not say or define Himself
first. This is an objective investigation which is not affected by any
particular religious or secular point of view and is based on His definitions
and doctrinal teaching, also found to be perpetuated by the Apostles.
It is suggested that you use a KJV Bible for verification and the reading of
connective Scripture outlined below. Any Scripture quoted is sourced from the
KJV Bible. The source of testimony for the following is within: Matthew
14:2O-21/15:29-39, Mark 6:3O-44/8:1-21, Luke 9:1O-17 and John 6:1-14.
EMPHASIZED sections are in CAPS. FOOTNOTES will be found at the end of the file
and will be noted within by a number within parentheses,"(12)".
===============================================================================
One has to take all facts concerning the 'Miracle of the loaves and the
fishes' into consideration, in order to understand what actually happened. The
reports and connective testimony concerning this event must be read
comprehensively. The best way to do this is to actually place yourself within
the situation, applying your own feelings. Let's first examine the main event
and all facets of it.
In the feeding of the multitudes, 5,OOO people (4,OOO in another event)
traveled far enough to have to be put up somewhere, as they were too far from
home. In our day and age, this is an everyday occurance; an accepted thing.
When we go somewhere, we can pretty much get what we need when we get there.
However, in the time of this event, such was not so. These people knew that
they were in for a long trip and stay. As nomads are, these were. They knew
when they had to go distances, they had to be prepared. However, it must be
also seen that some of these 5,OOO must have been from somewhere closer by and
perhaps had brought no food in preparation and of course, some just didn't
have any food to bring. These were poor people. (1)
So the chances were good that there were SOME that had nothing to eat, but
the belief that 5,OOO people ALL came without provisions of some type (as some
would say), raises itself as almost ridiculous. According to three of the
accounts, Jesus and the Apostles came with proper provisions. Certainly, if
THEY came prepared, others in the crowd must have done the same. The people
knew where they were going. Why would they (with some exceptions) NOT do the
same thing as Jesus and his followers?
Going where He was going, some must have taken the same precautions that He
had taken. While it's possible that one or more may have forgotten to bring
food, what has to be remembered is that these were conditioned to travel in
those days. Think of Peter, who took to the sea for a living prior to these
things. Provisions were of utmost importance to ANY traveler. Further, seeing
as the occurance of multiplication had taken place at the end of the event, it
may also be seen that all (or again, some) had taken provisions, BUT that some
had run out during the course of the long event. According to one account, even
Jesus and the Apostles, after three days of the event, had provisions to spare;
Mt. 15:34.
What this presents is a case for those of the multitude holding out on each
other when it came to the sharing of foodstuffs. Knowing the length of time
already spent there, to be further spent there AND the long journey back
BEFORE they could replenish their provisions, they held back. They would cling
to what they had in their possession. What happened here, was that a body of
people came together to hear one man, but when it came to taking care of the
body, it fell apart when it came to its physical need in total. The 'haves'
claimed also to be as the 'have-nots' in order to keep what they had in store
for themselves and their own. This would be a natural response, something that
you may even do yourself. (2)
Conversations which had to have taken place during this event (how else would
they know?), probably went like this:
===============================================================================
Q: "Sir, we've nothing to eat here. Have you any bread?"
A: "Sorry, we're all out."
===============================================================================
Hypocrites, hardened hearts and the hungry. This touches the account of the
event afterwards concerning the Apostles; see Mark 8:17 AND that seen further
below.
Let's inspect and understand fully, this next piece of evidence...
John 6:9
========
"There is a lad here which hath five barley loaves
and two small fishes, but what are they among so many?"
John's account of the event doesn't even claim that the goods belonged to
Jesus and the Apostles, BUT to someone else in the crowd. (3) This would have
made the event very embarrassing to those there, convicting by conscience. He
would have been the ONLY one from within the body of people to have come
forward with his food to share. This was done in open view. This is something
upon which one can come to their own conclusion: If the boy and/or Jesus and
His group had food to share, THEN what of OTHERS in the multitude?
Hearing, seeing and knowing all of this, Jesus knew what He would do. He
broke up and gave what He and the Apostles (or the boy) had in a public
fashion. He would not say that they hadn't enough to share with others. He
would not be a hypocrite, knowing that the example itself was the teacher. (4)
Remember, this was no ordinary crowd. The very reason that the multitude was
there was to receive The Word; to be taught. These people were students. The
act of giving freely by the teacher, set them up to do the same among
themselves as it was ALSO an act of teaching. The GREATEST part of His teaching
concerned the turning away from hypocrisy. (5)
Out of that 'nothing' came baskets of abundance, which were evidence of the
hidden abundance of those in the multitude. (6) "Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself" was not proving itself as a commandment being followed. The teacher
used a subtle but heavy hand on those He had just spent much time teaching.
Hypocrites discovered that they had enough to share with their neighbors, AFTER
receiving the example.
Putting YOURSELF within that teacher/taught situation, how would YOU have
reacted, if YOU had food in your possession?
What should also be seen, is that the multiplication of the foodstuffs DIDN'T
occur at the place that He broke the bread, BUT among the crowd. There was NO
account of 'bread falling from heaven' or any other supernatural event
concerning it directly, which brings us to this next piece of evidence.
In John's account (6:25-33), Jesus stated that men didn't seek Him later
because they saw a miracle, but because they ate. This of course, indicated
that the men were at the scene, yet hadn't seen anything. After this, those
that sought Him asked for a sign in order to believe in Him. This also said
that they DIDN'T see any miracles of a supernatural kind previously. If they
had, they would NOT have asked for another sign and it would have been a quite
different situation in which they faced Him. Stating that given their fathers,
they wanted a similar sign of 'bread from heaven'. He stated that the 'true
bread from heaven' was Himself, NOT physical bread, which denied them a sign.
More exacting evidence concerning the reality of things in this situation
is not truly seen until AFTER the event. This is in another event in which the
Apostles tell Jesus that they have no (or not enough) bread to eat during a
journey, a similar circumstance. One will see and understand that Jesus tied
these two events together inextricably thru His word concerning the earlier
example. HIS words and questioning put this together.
Let's journey with them and listen...
Mark 8:14-21:
=============
'Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship
more than one loaf.
And He CHARGED them, saying "Take heed, BEWARE OF THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES
and of the leaven of Herod".
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, "Why reason ye, because ye have no
bread? PERCEIVE YE NOT, NEITHER UNDERSTAND? HAVE YE YOUR HEART YET HARDENED?
"HAVING EYES, SEE YE NOT? AND HAVING EARS, HEAR YE NOT? AND YE DO NOT REMEMBER?
"When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of
fragments took ye up?" And they say unto Him, twelve.
"And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full took ye up? And
they said, seven.
And He saith unto them, "HOW IS IT THAT YE DO NOT UNDERSTAND?"' (7)
===============================================================================
What He did here was to make the connection of the feeding of the multitudes
that had 'no food' to the feeding of the Apostles, who had 'no food'. The
circumstances were the same. He brings the event with the multitudes directly
into remembrance for that specific reason. It turned that there was really
plenty. He then asks them why they still DON'T understand AFTER receiving those
examples.(8)
AFTER being told that there wasn't enough or none (same problem), He charges
them (gives them a duty to perform) and says "Take heed, Beware the leaven of
the Pharisees", the definition of which He gave in...
Luke 12:1-2
===========
"Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, WHICH IS HYPOCRISY.
FOR THERE IS NOTHING COVERED THAT SHALL NOT BE REVEALED,
NEITHER HID, THAT SHALL NOT BE KNOWN."
It is thru this saying to the Apostles, that He speaks of hidden things
within the boat journey event; THEIR hypocrisy. By stating this in connection
to the boat journey event, He DIRECTLY connected the revealing of hypocrisy to
the 'loaves and fishes' events. There can be NO OTHER reason for this.
If that isn't clear, then a telling piece of testimony connecting directly to
that revealed hypocrisy is found in this ACCUSING question asked by Jesus of
the Apostles: "HAVE YE YOUR HEART YET HARDENED?"
This is a question which can ONLY pertain to HOW THEY WERE TREATING EACH
OTHER. Again, there can be NO OTHER reason for this. This is a description used
many times in Scripture and one which we use to this day. This not only tells
us what happened here, but clues us into what went on previously at the scene
of the feeding of the multitudes, by His connection of the leftover baskets and
the leaven of the Pharisees. These stood as evidence of a situation concerning
something of the same nature and He used the instance SPECIFICALLY. (Mark
8:17-2O)
Picture yourself within this situation on the boat:
===============================================================================
Q: "I forgot to bring anything to eat. Can't seem to find anything either. How
about you?"
A:
===============================================================================
Even having a full-blown Christian belief, there is still a twinge of "What
of myself? What do I need?", prior to any sharing of what you have, if you do
it at all. You know where you're going and how long it may be before you can
replenish provisions.
Seeing all of these things tells us that Jesus knew EXACTLY what was going
on. Someone (but not all) among them had possession of food, thus the reference
to the leaven of the Pharisees, (hypocrisy) and to the leftovers, which
remained as evidence of it.
Again, hardened hearts, hypocrisy and the hungry. Again, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself" was not proving itself as a teaching being followed. It
was just as tight for goods, etc., in that situation as it was for the
multitude. The tighter it gets, the tighter the grip gets. Self-preservation;
one keeps for his own future. Jesus' accusation about the hardened hearts of
the Apostles in this situation and the finding that there was AT LEAST one
person at the previous scene with food who would share it (the boy and/or Jesus
and the Apostles) are the true things which give this away.
This was a stepping off point for the rest of the testimony which was
connected to the event with the multitudes. They knew THAT HE KNEW THE ANSWER
ALREADY; that their hypocrisy, as that of the Pharisees, was revealed to Him.
The teacher was using a subtle but heavy hand on the students; conviction by
conscience. He used their hearts and their own reasoning power. In this
situation, He gave the Apostles every piece of the puzzle which would let them
ALL eat, when THEY put it together.
THIS was the rationale BEHIND the 'not speaking of bread, but of the leaven
of the Pharisees' statement in the reports; Mt. 16:12. He focused on the
mentality BEHIND the apparent lack of food; that of hypocrisy among those that
wished to make sure that they ate and were more comfortable than their
neighbor. (8)
The testimonial evidence in BOTH events tells us some things that He already
understood about men:
1) That there were hypocrites in the multitude. He taught them by a direct
physical example.
2) That there were hypocrites AND those that didn't learn even AFTER seeing the
example among the multitude work.
This second group, was/were those who were commanded to beware the "leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy". He RE-taught these by word and direct
reference to the physical example of the multitude.
The multitude learned it but the Apostles had to RE-learn it, as they had
forgotten or refused to remember or believe in it. What He was doing when He
directed them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, was to tell them to
perform a specific duty among themselves. The physical example set in front of
the multitude was also a call to that duty. What one needs to remember is that
the Apostles were STILL learning. Indeed, the Gospels are an account of that
learning process.
All of this says something that flies into the face of dogma, that there was
NO supernatural work performed among the multitudes, but a 'man-made' miracle;
not the type of work that men are taught to believe in by clergy, their own
superstition or misunderstanding of the term. This is NOT to say that nothing
good happened, BUT that NOTHING of supernatural nature happened concerning the
'loaves and fishes' event.
===============================================================================
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Further, they were going to a place (desert) where nothing would be readily
available to them. Preparation would be especially seen in the cases where
entire families traveled. What father would go the distance without making
certain that the children or elderly would be fed?
(2) The reports also state that fasting took place, which would have provided
for an abundance of foodstuffs, as they initially withheld it from themselves.
Does one not prepare to break fast? It seems that at least one did just that.
(3) It may be that this account may only have touched upon only one of the
events, as John mentions no other as Matthew and Mark do. None of the others
mention the boy, however.
(4) These particular circumstances also connect to something also shown by
James; James 2:14-16. Hypocritical acts (works) do not show faith in teaching,
either by example or word.
(5) A physical act of faith, based on His example, reinforced by the example of
the boy in John's account.
(6) See Luke 12:1-3 again. 'There is nothing covered that shall not be
revealed, neither hid that shall not be known."
(7) What is noteworthy BY ITS OMISSION, is that there is NO testimony
concerning the rectification of the problem of not having enough to eat. It is
left as part of a mystery to be solved.
(8) What should also be seen here, is how Jesus' statement and question fit
into the context of the report and the situation itself. By saying these things
in response to lack of bread, His answer seems at first non-sequitorial; ALMOST
nonsensical. It is odd in comparison to the readily apparent nature of the
problem: "We need bread, not a lesson."
But upon close inspection, it gives the appearance that He knew the REAL
nature of the problem. The questioning after the 'no bread' statement is ALSO
of an investigational nature; making them answer questions which He already
knew the answer to. It is a method of self-conviction by conscience which He
used on more than one occasion, in different circumstances.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
: : See other writings which may be in this database,
: : "SMOKING GUN: A Trial Of Jesus Christ", a
: (C) 1992 George W. Demers : revealing and alternative view of Christianity,
: : its creation and its current status.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::