Here is our next set of texts - as we get into John chapter 6, we first encounter Jesus feeding the multitudes - in this case 5,000 families!

Now, as you know, there is also an account o Jesus feeding 4,000, and so you may also know that some scholars might speculate that these are just different versions of the same story that circulated and were handed down orally, until they were written down. Even the fact that both stories occur in the same gospel would not stop that kind of speculation. So I thought the first question I would have to ask was whether the Church fathers thought this was one event or two - BUT (and you see where this is going) I forgot that Jesus himself makes reference to two separate events (in Matthew 16 and in Mark 8) so there is no question for the Church fathers - these are two separate events. So it seems that Jesus performed this sign (miracle) of the feeding of the multitudes on two occasions. It's not just one event told two different ways, and it's also apparently not something he did a bunch of time. Just the two times.

So we will treat them as two separate events, and take the feeding of the 4,000 later when it comes up in a later context (at that time we will also have to deal with the question of why the disciples apparently did not see the miracle coming, since Jesus had already done it once, but we'll get there when we get there). For now, we begin our Journey through John 6 with one of the few gospel events (outside the Passion) that is in all four gospels. Every scholar would admit that this means it was considered very important to the apostles - and the reason for that is that it foreshadows the miracle of transubstantiation that takes place in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

So here's your text - my next step is to do a little more homework and then record the videos of me talking about the passage. I will probably do it in smaller chunks than an hour at a time, to make it easier for me to start getting the videos out there, and for you to keep up. I'm sorry it's taking me this long to get there, but I'm only just now getting caught up from the summer flood, and multiple overlapping writing deadlines, not to mention grading papers and other responsibilities from my day job! So watch for me to post the first video of our study in John 6 - hopefully soon. Thanks for your patience!

Jim