Joseph Prince - Mount Arbel Where Jesus Feeds The Multitudes
I am now at the very top of mount Arbel where I believe Jesus would frequent and in times of aloneness with the father, times of seeking the father hearing his wisdom, his voice, I believe that this is a place that he would come to. Even after the feeding of the 5,000, the Word of God says Jesus came up to the high mountain and from here he saw the disciples whom he sent away. After the feeding of the 5,000, he sent them away to go to the city of Bethsaida, and he saw them from here. As you can see, I love coming here because you know, from here you can see three-fourths of Jesus' ministry in Galilee, his ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing took place in this vicinity.
And right at the end where this parallel banks meet, just to the right is Capernaum where Jesus would frequent and is known as a town of Jesus even today and is a place called in Hebrew the town of comfort because comforter is the name of the Messiah and he has come. So as we look at this beautiful place here in mount Arbel drinking in the sights knowing that our Lord was here spending time with the father, let us see all the truths that he wants us to receive, especially the now word for his people at this time.
Let’s turn to the Word of God in regards to the feeding of the 5,000 which many of are familiar with. I believe the location for the feeding of the 5,000 took place just on the other side of mount Arbel all the way down the slopes and today you can see a vast field of barley. It’s a time maybe for barley harvest, but I believe back then it was deserted and this whole place here was deserted except for Migdal down the hill, down the mountain here. And then Tiberius was around but besides that, there’s no other city. Today it’s busy. It’s bustling, but I believe this area here was a deserted place. And the Bible says that Jesus saw there were so many people and they were pressing in to hear his word, and the day wore off and now they were hungry.
Isn’t it amazing that the one that took note of their hunger wasn’t the disciples. It was the Lord himself. He knows when you are hungry. He knows that hunger is for more than just materialism or hedonistic pursuits or entertainment to fill up that void, that hunger, because there’s a hunger in your heart that is too large, your heart is just too large for all these small things to fill. Only the Lord Jesus can fill your heart. He is large enough. In fact, he’s too large for your heart. Just like in the song of songs, the Bible says that the beloved in that song loves all of us, and our beloved is our Lord Jesus, but we are the beloved also in that song of songs. But Ecclesiastes talks about vanities of vanities, this world is just empty.
Every pursuit, every pursuit of pleasure, entertainment, riches and wealth, fame and fortune just comes up empty. Why? Because Ecclesiastes is all about life under the sun and it’s vanity. Everything is just empty because your heart is too big for the things of the world to satisfy. But the next book song of songs, our Lord Jesus, we found the on the above the sun, an object fit for our hearts pleasure and delight. Even though now we find he’s too large for our small hearts, but we found a fulfillment in him and he was here in mount Arbel seeing the needs of people down there in the slopes in that area.
Some would say the feeding of the 5,000 took place in Bethsaida in Luke 9, their account of feeding the 5,000. But actually if you read carefully it says, it was a desert place, in a place belonging to Bethsaida. Doesn’t say it is over at Bethsaida right in the north of the lake of Galilee over yonder, but it was a place belonging to the city of Bethsaida. So there are towns that have properties and areas and fields that ting to them even though they are many miles away, so I believe that answers to the place here because after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus went up the mountain. So let’s read an account here in the Word of God because I believe God has a word for you. In the Bible says that «200 denari worth of bread is 200 days wages».
Now think about that, that everyone may have a little so in the mentality of Phillip, it is even 200 days wage of bread would not supply these people here. 5,000 men but including women and children probably 15,000, so he’s saying that each one can only receive a little so he’s thinking of the vastness of the need. Perhaps you’re going through something right now. Maybe there’s a challenge in your marriage or you receive a bad medical report from the doctor and you find the need in your life is overwhelming. You can’t see the supply. You can’t see the resources you need because you are captured by the vastness of the need. So that’s Phillip’s perspective, and the Lord was there all the time, and then Andrew, another disciple, he said to Jesus there is a let here who has five barley loaves and 2 fish, but what are they among so many?
So now he’s saying, look at this boy. He probably wanted to humor the boy by bringing him to Jesus. He said he has five loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? So now Andrew’s perspective and perhaps is what some of us see as well, he sees the smallness, the littleness of the supply. Five loaves, two fish? Look at the vastness of the need. What are they among so many? Perhaps you are overwhelmed by the littleness of your resources. You say that I don’t have much education, I didn’t really finish high school even, or you know, I don’t have the kind of strength or health that I need. I’m overwhelmed by the meagerness, by the littleness of the supply or maybe perhaps you find you are challenged in the area of finance, and the supply has been little as far as you are concerned to meet the vastness of the need in your life, but my friend, the answer is here.
The very first thing Jesus said, make the people sit down. So sitting down is always the first thing you do before a miracle happens. In fact, he organized them in groups of 50's and all the throughout the place he made them sit down in group of 50's, and five is the number of grace. He organized -so there’s also organization before the miracle. They’re not antithesis t each other. You can organize as you expect God’s anointing. Some people think the anointing comes without any planning and all that so you can still plan but make sure it’s wise planning.
So the very first thing is they sit down. Just like Psalm 91, before all the blessings come, no evil shall befall you, no plate will come near your dwelling. You should not be afraid of terror by night nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the destruction that lays waste as noon day. My friend, all this happens because of the first verse. He who dwells in the secret place. In the Hebrew he who sits down, he who sits down. So the very first thing that Jesus said, make the people sit down. But you might feel like sit down? I can’t rest because of the greatness, the vastness of my need. I can’t rest because when I look at what I have, I look at myself, I have very little. I have not much so supply the need in my life.
Well, the first thing you have to trust the ways of the Lord. He wants you to rest. Rest from your cares, worries, and concerns. And the Bible says the next thing… Now, in Luke’s account of this feeding of the multitude, you find Jesus giving thanks and then he broke it and gave. That word gave there in the Greek is in the imperfect sense which means he kept giving, he kept supplying. And the disciples keep coming back. They would take some loaves and fish and they would go to the people and give it to them, and then they’d come back for more. 12 disciples coming to Jesus for more. And he just kept on giving.
As long as there was a need, the supply never ran out. And this is beautiful, friend, because the Bible says, likewise of the fish as much as, as much as they wanted. Not according to God’s will and God says, enough, according to God’s, you know, law that says only such an amount can be supplied. No. As much as they wanted. They limited the supply the moment they said we are full. The Bible says when they were filled, Jesus told the disciples pick up the fragments that remain. You know what? There were 12 baskets full left over, one for each disciple that were serving the Lord.
If you are serving the Lord, let me tell you this, your supply is vast, your supply is great, amen, more than you can eat. But it was after they were filled. Notice as long as they were hungry, they kept on eating as much as they wanted. Amen. Many times we limit the holy one of Israel. We limit the Lord. His supply is greater than our need. You need to see that. Bless and increase. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed by the sin in this young generation, and we are saying man, they experience things we don’t experience in our age and all that, but my friend, bless and increase. Grace super abounds.
Let’s be more conscious of his grace than sin. Let’s be more conscious of his supply because grace is supply, law is demand. Law says you shall not, you shall not: grace says I will do this for you. I will forgive you your sins. I’ll put my loss in your heart and in your mind. I’ll supply you. I’ll give you the know how. I’ll give you the wisdom. Amen? What do you have to do? Sit down. Just receive. Be in a posture of rest. I know during these times, as you look at what the world is going through, this financial famine, we thank God in all the famines of the Word of God our Lord’s resources are greater. God’s people always strive during times of famine. Be it Abraham, be it Isaac. Isaac sowed in the land in the year of famine, in the very year of famine and he reaped a hundred fold.
So friends, God’s supply, I hope you have this picture right now. God’s supply is greater than your need. Look to him alone and be at rest. This position of sitting down before the Lord is something so precious because friend, when you sit before the Lord, it’s not just sit before the Lord: sit before the Lord and look at him. How do I look at him Pastor Prince? You look at him in the Word of God. Right now I’m expounding the Word of God. It’s all about Jesus. When you see Jesus in the word, just like on the road of Emmaus, the disciples were cast down, dejected, discouraged, and the Lord came and the Lord restrained their eyes from seeing who he was, and he talked to them about the scriptures, and he began to talk to them about the Old Testament, the law and the prophets, and they were sad and discouraged. But notice what happened. He began to expound in them the things concerning himself.
That’s how you see Jesus today. You see him in the word. All the Lords in the Old Testament, all the ceremonies, even the characters in the Bible, they typify Christ. Jesus is in the shadows in the Old Testament. Let’s see him and let the Holy Spirit bring him out in all his beauty, glory and excellency. Just how you see him right now on mount Arbel. Where? In the word. Amen. I’m standing in the very location where Jesus, I believe, went up the mountain, right up where he fed the people, he came up the mountain and he sent the disciples away to go to Bethsaida. He sent the people away and then he came up the mountain and here he prayed.
There’s a picture of our Lord. Right now where is he? He’s in the Kingdom of God. He is in heaven. He’s in the mountain where he’s interceding for us and he was praying here. And if you look behind me, you’ll find that the lake of Galilee here and Capernaum right at the end where I’m pointing, right? So he sent his disciples down. There is a trail that I used to take with my pastors down this trail, it’s an ancient trail. I believe that’s the trail that Jesus took when he saw them rowing, and in the fourth watch of the night, the Bible tells us, there’s a darkest time from 3:00 A.M. To 6:00 A.M. It’s always darkest before Dawn. That’s the darkest period. Jesus looked at them and they were rowing against the wind. There was a strong wind that came in and pushed them back, and it’s like a picture of our Lord today at the father’s right hand and he’s looking at the church.
Friends, he’s looking at you. He’s looking at the body of Christ in spite of what is happening in the world, we are in the world but not of the world. Our resources don’t have an expiry date. Our resource is inexhaustible because they’re found in him. So look to him alone. And he saw them struggling against the wind. It’s like taking three steps forward then two steps backward. And the Bible says in the darkest time, Jesus came down the mountain, walked on the water and went towards the disciples. And they were afraid because it was dark, it was stormy. Just imagine that. And these are experienced fisherman but it was the darkest time.
In the darkest time of your life, look for Jesus. You will not see him the way you expect but he is there. He always come to you. You see grace is about him coming to us, not about men trying to reach him on mount Sinai, men trying with his efforts, men by his law keeping, men by his good intentions. No, Jesus came down the mountain. Amen.
When Moses came down the mountain with the law, the people fled, but when Jesus came down the mountain, the Mount of Transfiguration, he came down the mountain, the people ran towards him. There’s something about grace, something about Lord Jesus that attracts us that the law cannot. And when he came down to them and they shouted, they were afraid, Jesus says it is I, be not afraid. Now in Hebrew, he would have said I am. In fact in the original Greek even it says I am. I am. Al tirah, in Hebrew means don’t be afraid. I am.
Now the moment he says I am, the disciples knew he is claiming deity, the God of a burning bush who spoke to Moses when Moses asked him the question «Who shall I say sent me»? When the children of Israel ask me who is this God, and God says I am that I am. So Jesus, you know, it’s a thing now a days, even among some people here in Israel, believers even, who don’t believe in the deity of Jesus.
My friend, don’t ever fall into that trap. Jesus is fully God, he’s fully man, and here he says I am. And they receive him. May you also receive him into your boat. The Bible says this, I don’t know if you noticed this or not, the moment they received him into the boat, the Bible says immediately they were at the land where they were going. He’s the Lord of time and space. Immediately they were at the destination.
Now that’s supernatural. That’s a miracle that sometimes gets passed by, but I want you to take hold of that. Whatever you’re dreaming of, whatever you are focused on to accomplish for the Lord in your life, you need the Lord in your life. Invite him. The way you do that is every day just spend time with the Lord, be relaxed, be at peace, be at rest and see Jesus.
«Pastor Prince, just seeing Jesus, things happen»? Yes. That’s when God told Moses when there was no way, he made a way through the Red Sea but what he say? Don’t be afraid. Al tirah, Moses. See the salvation of the Lord. Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. But who is the salvation of the Lord? Yeshua. Literally the word salvation there is Yeshua. And he’s telling Moses, Moses, you want to wade through this overwhelming odds, I’ll make a way for you but you need to not be afraid. Be at rest and I’ll make a way for you. What? Make a way where there’s no way against all impossible odds? Yes. Fear not, stand still and see.
See Yeshua. Just seeing Yeshua, the sea opened. My friends, when you see Jesus good things begin to happen in your life, and the disciples at the end of the Emmaus road says when he opened up the scriptures to us, and how he open up scriptures, he open up from the Old Testament things concerning himself. So we don’t study the Bible to find what to do, what to do, you know. And there’s a perspective that many of us are brought up on, what to do. Now what to do will come into play. Don’t worry about what to do. See Jesus. See Jesus in the scriptures and that’s how Jesus taught the Word of God on the road of Emmaus, expounding in them the things concerning himself. I pray that this has blessed you right here where we are at is mount Arbel where Jesus came up here and saw your need.