Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 36
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Jesus Heals Many People
29
Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and
climbed a hill and sat down. 30 A vast crowd
brought to him people who were lame,
blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak,
and many others. They laid them before
Jesus, and he healed them all. 31 The crowd
was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to
speak were talking, the crippled were made
well, the lame were walking, and the blind
could see again! And they praised the God
of Israel.
Jesus Feeds Four Thousand
32
Then
Jesus called his disciples and told
them, “I feel sorry for these people. They
have been here with me for three days, and
they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to
send them away hungry, or they will faint
along the way.”
33
The disciples replied, “Where would we
get enough food here in the wilderness for
such a huge crowd?”
34
Jesus asked, “How much bread do you
have?”
They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small
fish.”
35
So Jesus told all the people to sit down
on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven
loaves and the fish, thanked God for them,
and broke them into pieces. He gave them
to the disciples, who distributed the food to
the crowd.
37
They all ate as much as they wanted.
Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large
baskets of leftover food. 38 There were 4,000
men who were fed that day, in addition to all
the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent
the people home, and he got into a boat and
crossed over to the region of Magadan.
C H A P T E R 16
Leaders Demand a Miraculous Sign
One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came
to test Jesus, demanding that he show them
a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his
authority.
2
He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky
at night means fair weather tomorrow; 3 red
sky in the morning means foul weather all
day.’ You know how to interpret the weather
signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to
interpret the signs of the times!* 4 Only an
evil, adulterous generation would demand
a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will
give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.*”
Then J esus left them and went away.
Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5
Later, after they crossed to the other side of
the lake, the disciples discovered they had
forgotten to bring any bread. 6 “Watch out!”
Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of
the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7
At this they began to argue with each
other because they hadn’t brought any
bread. 8 Jesus knew what they were saying,
so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are
you arguing with each other about having
no bread? 9 Don’t you understand even yet?
Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with
five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you
picked up? 10 Or the 4,000 I fed with seven
loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you
picked up? 11 Why can’t you understand that
I’m not talking about bread? So again I say,
16:2-3 Several manuscripts do not include any of the words in 16:2-3 after He replied.
16:4 Greek the sign of Jonah.
15:32-38 The feeding of the four thousand is both similar to and different from the previous
feeding of the five thousand (see 14:15-21). In both cases Jesus cared about those in need; he
took a small amount of food and fed a large number of people; he used the disciples to distribute
the resources; and much more was left over at the end than they had in the beginning. Since the
reason for concern was somewhat different, as were the location and the number of people fed,
we see that Jesus tailored his resources to meet the various situations and needs. We can count
on God to show similar concern and unlimited power to support us in our recovery process.
16:1-4 The Pharisees had the kind of attitude that often hinders recovery. They wanted Jesus to
show them miraculous signs to prove that he was the Messiah. We make the same mistake when we
expect an instant cure or supernatural intervention in our lives. Looking for a quick fix to our lifelong
problems is like asking for “a sign from heaven.” It often takes a lifetime of hard work to gain victory
over our addictions. When we recognize this truth, we will be less likely to be disappointed by the
difficulties of the recovery process. We will also be more aware of the small victories that God gives
us along the way.
16:13-17 There are many answers to the question, Who is Jesus? but only one of them is correct.
The insight that Jesus is the promised Messiah and the Son of God comes from God himself, not
from any human source. Likewise, the realization that the God of the Bible is the higher power we
need for recovery is a revelation from God’s Word. To put our trust in any other power for recovery will only lead to disappointment and failure.
