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“They
Had Not Understood About the Loaves” (They
didn’t really understand
that Christ was God). by Wayne Partain
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Introduction.
•
V. 48, Jesus walked
on the sea. •
V. 51, He entered
the boat, the wind ceased. •
V. 51, “They were
greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.” •
V. 52, “For they
had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
They were slow learners. •
To multiply loaves
was an act of omnipotence. After this miracle they should not have been
amazed – much less afraid – when they saw Him walking on the water and
calming the sea. They did not
fully understand the true identity of Christ. •
Since Christ
created all things (John 1:3), He had complete control over bread, fish,
winds, waves, everything. •
The miracle of the
“loaves” should have convinced the apostles that Christ was God, the
Creator and Controller of all things. •
The “loaves”
should have produced great faith in His Deity! •
Christ had control
of the fish. He even put money in the mouth of a fish. Matt. 17:27, “go
to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and
when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel.” •
His control of the
fish is also seen in Luke 5:6 (“caught a great number of fish”) and Jn.
21:6. •
Matt. 8:26,
“rebuked the winds and the sea.” He could easily control what He had
created. “From what
country?” •
Matt. 8:27, “What
kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Lit.
“from what place or country is this man?”) •
They should have
known what “country” He was from. Christ told them over and over that
He had descended from heaven. •
Christ thought,
talked, worked and acted like a man – “What kind of MAN is this?” But
also: •
He thought, talked,
worked and acted like God, for He was God (Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13;
Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1; 1 Jn. 5:20). •
Jesus was God as
well as man, but the apostles were slow to grasp the reality of His Deity.
They just wanted to know what kind of MAN He was (Matt. 8:27). •
Like a lot of other
people they just couldn’t fully realize that God had actually come to
the earth. But He did! •
This is the most
inspiring and encouraging thought imaginable. Think what it means!
Almighty God actually came to this earth, became a man and lived and
worked as God and man. Apostles did
not grasp full meaning of “Immanuel.” •
Matt. 1:23,
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall
call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us.”
That is, God and Man. Divine nature and human nature in one Person. •
1 Tim. 3:16, “God
was manifested in the flesh.” •
Jn. 1:14, “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” •
The Creator (v. 3)
lived in a created body in order to offer that body as a sacrifice for the
sins of the world, Heb. 10:5. Nor the full
meaning of “Only Begotten.” •
Does not mean
“descendant.” Has nothing to do with “origin.” Christ is eternal. •
“Only Begotten”
= “the sole representative of the Being and character” of the Father. •
“Expresses both
His eternal union with the Father in the Godhead and the ineffable
intimacy and love between them, the Son sharing the Father’s
counsels.” •
“Lays stress upon
the full revelation of God’s character and will, His love and grace.” (Vine). Nor even the
meaning of “Son of God.” •
Again, not
“descendant” – as we speak of our “sons.” •
But identity,
likeness, sameness, equality. •
Jn. 5:18, He
“said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” •
Jn. 10:32, “My
Father” (not “our” Father). •
Jn 10:36, “I am
the Son of God.” •
Jn. 10:33,
“blasphemy .. You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” They
had it right! •
Jesus proved it by
acting like God, displaying and demonstrating attributes of God. He was the
Fullness of the Godhead Bodily. •
Col. 2:9, “For in
Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” •
There was ample
evidence of this fullness. •
He knew man as only
God can. Jn. 2:24, 25. •
He could read
thoughts as only God can. Matt. 9:4; 12:25; Lk.5:22 •
He was worshipped
as only God is worshipped. Matt. 2:2; 14:33; 28:17; Jn. 9:38 …. Same word (worship)
used Mt. 4:10. •
He forgave sin as
only God can forgive sin. Matt. 9:6; Luke 7:48. To say that the apostles
could forgive sins the same way Jesus did is blasphemy. •
No mere man could
have revealed the Father. Not even Jesus Christ could have revealed the
Father if He had only thought, talked, lived, worked as a man. He was the
image of the invisible God. •
Col. 1:15, “who
is the image of the invisible God.” The invisible God made visible in
Christ. •
Jn. 1:18, “No man
has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son (God), who is in the bosom
of the Father, has declared Him.” •
Jesus was the
living revelation of the Father. •
He was the living
demonstration of the Father. •
Jesus’ nature,
character, thoughts, words, works, will, knowledge, power, love,
compassion, holiness and glory revealed the Father and thus exhibited His
own Deity. The express
image of the Father. •
Heb. 1:3, “who
being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His
person.” NASB, “the exact representation of His nature.” •
Heb. 1:6, “Let
all the angels of God worship Him.” To know
Christ is to know the Father. •
Jn. 8:19, “if you
knew me, you would know my Father also.” •
Jn. 1:18, Christ
came to make the Father known, to declare, explain, interpret Him. •
Read N. T. –
especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, John – to really know Jesus Christ. •
In so doing we also
know the Father. To see
Christ was to see the Father. •
Jn. 12:45, “And
he who sees me sees Him who sent me.” •
Jn. 14:7-9, “ If
you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you
know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the
Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been
with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen
Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” “Show
us the Father.” •
Do you want to see
the invisible Father? Look at Jesus. Jesus “showed” us the Father. •
To “show” is to
make visible, make apparent. •
Christ came to
“declare,” “interpret,” “make known” the Father.
(“Exegesis” is from this word). •
The people could
SEE the attributes of the Father – exercised (used), exhibited,
portrayed by Jesus Christ. •
But they could NOT
have seen them if Jesus had only used human attributes. (In this case they
would have only seen a MAN, which is what the Watchtower teaches). •
Just imagine! When
we pray to our Father in heaven, we can “see” and “know” Him –
for Jesus is exactly like Him, the very image of God! What the
Father does the Son does. •
Jn. 5:19, “The
Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for
whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” •
Some think Christ
could have done differently. He said He could not. I believe Him. •
Did Father use
divine attributes? So did Jesus. Did He exercise omnipotence, omniscience,
perfect holiness? So did Jesus. •
Father and Son do
identical things, in identical manner. Singular will. Unity. •
Jesus was in no way
independent of the Father. He did nothing separate and apart from, much
less contradicting, the Father. Works of the
Father and the works of the Son were the same works. •
Jn. 10:37, “If I
do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do, though
you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe
that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” •
The works of Christ
are the works of the Father. Very same works can be called the works of
Christ or the works of the Father. •
Therefore, to
reject works of Jesus is to reject the works of the Father. “All
things that the Father has are mine.” •
Jn. 16:14, Holy
Spirit “will glorify Me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it
to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that
He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” •
Father, Son, Holy
Spirit perfectly united in One to carry out the work of salvation. Heavenly
Glory exhibited. •
Jn. 1:14, “And
the Word became 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.” •
Jn. 2:11, “This
beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His
glory.” •
Jn. 17:5, “And
now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I
had with You before the world was.” Jesus did not in His daily life
exhibit radiant celestial glory (nor did He have a halo over His head),
but He DID exhibit such celestial glory on one occasion in the presence of
three witnesses (Peter, James, John). •
Matt. 17:2, “and
He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His
clothes became as white as the light.” •
2 Pet. 1:16, We
“were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father
honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory:
‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’“ •
This was an
exhibition of another divine attribute, His divine glory. Three apostles
saw it when they were “fully awake” (Lk. 9:32). Jesus acted
like Himself. •
Did you ever say
regarding someone that “he’s not himself”? Or “he doesn’t act
like himself”? “He acts strange, not acting normal”? Did Christ not
act like Himself? Did He not act like God? Did He only act like a man?
This is what is being taught by some brethren. •
Everyone knew
Christ was a man for He looked and acted like a man. Ate, drank, got
tired, slept. This does not need proof. Was
obvious. So, yes, He acted like a man. •
Incidentally, what
was Jesus’ appearance? Jn. 4:9, “You, being a Jew ..” A foreigner
who had never seen or heard of Him recognized him as a Jew. •
But if Jesus had
only thought, lived, talked, worked like a mere man, He would not have
“acted like Himself” – because He was not a mere man! He was both
God and man. •
But “What kind or
manner of man is this?” •
The God-Man.
Immanuel. God manifested in flesh. •
Jn. 20:31, He did
many signs to prove it. Did Christ
only receive power and authority as did the apostles (as some teach)?
•
Acts 10:38, “God
anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power”. Such texts are
explained by some brethren to teach that Christ received limited power
just as the apostles did. These brethren don’t understand about the
“loaves.” •
These texts do not
teach that Christ received and used limited power as did the apostles, but
rather they establish His identity with Father and Holy Spirit. They work
in perfect harmony. Jesus was no independent “wonder-worker”; He was
one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. •
Besides, it would
have been impossible for Him to reveal the omnipotent Father with limited
power such as the apostles received. Did Christ
not use His own divine attributes (omnipotence, omniscience, etc.)? •
Some teach that
Christ did not use His own omnipotence because they think this would have
kept Him from living as a human being, being our example, and being
tempted in all points like as we. •
Those who teach
this deny the Deity of Christ in order to prove His humanity. •
But if Christ had
not exercised His own omnipotence, then He would have had to receive
omnipotence from the Holy Spirit in order to reveal the Father. •
Because only God
can reveal God in the sense of John 1:18. Only omnipotence can reveal omnipotence. Only omniscience can
reveal omniscience. Only perfect holiness can reveal perfect holiness. •
Repeat: It would
have been impossible for Christ to reveal Father with limited power,
limited knowledge, limited holiness. •
Besides, if using
His own omnipotence somehow worked against His humanity (which it
certainly did not do), then – assuming the illogical thought of His
receiving omnipotence from the Holy Spirit -- by what reasoning would His
use of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit NOT work against His humanity? •
It is tragic when
brethren create a problem and then in order to “solve” their problem
deny all these wonderful truths about Christ that we have outlined in this
study. This is precisely what has been done by some. They just can’t
understand how Christ could be fully God and also fully man, so they solve
their “problem” by denying His Deity. •
“Oh, but we
believe in the Deity of Christ. We teach that He HAD divine attributes. He
just did not USE them, because that would have kept Him from being our
example and being tempted in all points like as we.” That’s what I
mean: in order to “solve” the problem which should never have been a
problem, they just deny the Deity of Christ because the Bible knows
absolutely nothing about a Christ who had, but did not use, divine
attributes. This is a figment of their imagination and puts them in the
same category with the Watchtower and others who invent false “christs.” “I AM”.
Exodus 3:14, “And God said to Moses … Thus you shall say to the
children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” •
Jn. 8:58, “Before
Abraham was, I AM.” Once and for all, let it be clearly understood that
Jesus Christ was Almighty God,
the Great I Am. •
Jn. 6:35, “I am
the bread of life.” •
Jn. 8:12, “I am
the Light of the world.” •
Jn. 10:14, “I am
the Good Shepherd.” •
Jn. 11:25, “I am
the resurrection and the life.” •
Jn. 14:6, “I am
the Way, Truth and Life.” •
Only God can make
and carry out such claims. •
These are divine
qualities, attributes, actions. •
Jesus exhibited,
portrayed, demonstrated these attributes – in thought, word and deed!
Without doing so it would have been utterly impossible to be the bread of
life, the light of the world, the Good Shepherd, the resurrection and the
life, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Conclusion: They confess
and worship Him. •
Matt. 14:33, Then
they “worshipped Him saying, truly You are the Son of God.” This
follows Mark 6:52. “They ought to have worshipped Jesus as the Son of
God when they saw the five thousand fed, but they did not. But when he had
done that, and had walked upon the water, and quieted the wind, and
transported the boat to the land, they were overcome by the iteration of
his miraculous power, and confessed his divinity” (McGarvey). •
This is the
confession that all should make, understanding the meaning of “Son,”
“Immanuel,” “only begotten,” etc. •
We must never
forget the lesson of the “loaves.” •
It reminds us that
Christ, the Creator, is God over all,
that He has control over His creation. •
It’s good to be
“amazed,” but the main thing is to know who He really is, and confess
Him as the “Son of God,” (realizing the real meaning of this
confession), so that we will obey Him and then feel safe in Him during the
storms of life.
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