The Feeding of the 5,000 was almost certainly an insurrection attempt.
1. Jesus & the disciples go to the desolate side of the Sea of Galilee before Passover Week, a known MUSTER POINT FOR REBELLION PLANNING outside Rome's gaze.
2. The crowd saw the "signs" he was doing with the sick, making him the LIKELY MESSIAH to overthrow non-Jewish rule & set up the Throne of David.
So thinking there is a rebellion afoot, men come from everywhere to join. Josephus indicates these musterings happened yearly.
3. The texts only count the MEN IN ATTENDANCE. If you are going to insurrect, only the total number of men would matter.
There were more men, by far, in the area during Passover than any other time of year.
Passover week was always, "Now or Never!"
4. When they sit, Mark and Luke tell us that they sat in groups of 50s and 100s.
i.e,, military-type ranks and formations.
They were there for a purpose, and it wasn't a lecture and a meal.
5. Why so many leftovers? Sometimes you have to make a choice of what you are going to carry away from your run-in with Jesus:
It's always Forks over Knives.
You can't carry both. Jesus gives them weapons of meal rather than mass destruction.
Think I'm crazy?
This is how John ends the story:
"...When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself." — JOHN 6:15
They didn't want leftovers, they wanted Barabbas.
Original Article by Ian M. Giatti
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Why do we know so little about the deaths of arguably the two greatest apostles in the Bible?
It’s a question that has stymied scholars and laypeople alike, one that seems to run counter to the multiple accounts of deaths in Scripture ranging from figures such as Judas, the most notorious apostle, to seemingly less significant figures like the sons of Korah in the Old Testament or Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts.
But astoundingly, the Bible says nothing about the deaths of Peter and Paul.
As Jordan Smith, lecturer of Biblical Studies at the University of Iowa, points out, the deaths of Peter, Paul nor any of the other apostles are recorded in the New Testament.
According to Smith, our best source of information on the deaths of Peter and Paul are from extra-biblical sources, most of which contradict others on a number of details, including approximate dates and locations of their deaths.
“For instance, did you know that we have fifteen different versions of the deaths of Peter and Paul — four of Peter, five of Paul, and six of Peter and Paul together — all written by the sixth century?” writes Smith.
Here’s what we do know: Paul is still alive preaching in Rome at the end of Acts, and at some subsequent point in time, both he and Peter were executed by Nero. Their deaths have traditionally been linked to 64 AD, during a period of persecution against Christians, who Nero blamed for the Great Fire of Rome.
According to Roman historian Tacitus, the fire began in July of that year in the Circus Maximus, the ancient Roman stadium, and burned for five days.
Nero, who some accused of ordering the fire to be started, “substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians,” wrote Tacitus in his Annals.
But for Smith, the idea that Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire is “highly unlikely” since they weren’t a “large and distinct enough group yet in Rome in 64 CE to provide a believable scapegoat.”
“For instance, in his correspondence with the emperor Trajan in 112 CE, Pliny the Younger mentions that he has encountered accusations against a group that he knows nothing about that were called ‘Christians,’" he wrote. “Trajan’s reply reveals that he has not heard of this group before, either.
“This would not be possible for a group that less than 50 years earlier Nero infamously blamed for the Great Fire in Rome.”
Smith says there are two lingering traditions associated with the deaths of Peter and Paul: Peter was supposedly crucified upside down “because he felt he was unworthy to be crucified in a manner similar to Jesus,” and Paul, a citizen of Rome who could not be lawfully crucified, was executed by beheading instead.
While there are a number of different versions of Peter’s crucifixion account, Smith says it wasn’t until the sixth century History of Shemon Kepha the Chief of the Apostles that we’re told his request to be crucified upside-down was for the purpose of dying while “symbolically kissing the place of Jesus's feet.”
Early Church fathers Origen and Jerome are said to have depicted Peter’s death as a tradition of “humility,” according to Smith.
As for Paul, Smith says one account of his death “bears a strong resemblance to the story of Eutychus in Acts 20.”
Smith writes, “A servant, perhaps cupbearer, of Nero fell asleep in a window listening to Paul and fell to his death. After he was raised from the dead by Paul, the resurrected servant upset Nero by acknowledging Jesus as the ‘eternal king,’ leading Nero to discover that many others among his own [bodyguards] were Christians.”
While details vary in later retellings, Nero is said to have ordered the Christians arrested and Paul beheaded, according to Smith.
He believes, despite the various later accounts of the apostles’ deaths, any mention of them in the canonical list appears to have been “a conscious decision” made by the early Church.
“Perhaps the idea was to focus only on their lives,” Smith wrote. “Maybe it is because by the time the Gospels were written, the Apostles had dispersed and the stories of their deaths were unknown.
“Or, maybe the anonymous Gospel authors simply didn’t think that any of the death traditions could be trusted, and excluded them for this reason.”
It's not clear what Smith meant by "anonymous" authors, since we have known since the first century the identity of each Gospel author:
Matthew was written by the apostle Matthew, also known as Levi;
The author of Mark, the second Gospel account, was Mark the son of Mary, Barnabas’ sister;
Luke, a physician who was close to the apostle Paul according to Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, and other texts, authored the Gospel of Luke; and
Early church tradition strongly and consistently identified the Apostle John as the author of the Gospel of John, who repeatedly refers to himself as the "disciple whom Jesus loved."
Ultimately, is the manner of how the apostles died relevant to 21st century Christians?
Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, told The Christian Post the fact that some apostles gave their lives for the faith is important.
"It shows they truly believed in what they preached about Jesus," said Bock. As for how they died, the idea that Peter was crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying exactly how Jesus did says a great deal about the humility of this apostle."
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the opening of Jonathan Herron’s book, Holy Shift. Jonathan leads one of America’s fastest growing churches, LifeChurchMichigan.com. Part of his training was his time spent at Second City in Chicago. Holy Shift is about unleashing contagious enthusiasm on church leadership teams; equipping leaders to leverage laughter and passion; and creating sustainable momentum in reaching younger crowds for Christ.
My dad was a pastor, which means our family went to church every single Sunday. This was great for introducing me to the gospel and receiving Christ into my life at a young age but was horrible for my chosen vocation of comedy. You see, we were Presbyterians, a group of Christians not really known for producing high-quality, razor-wit comedians. Our pastors know how to dress up in dark robes like Obi-Wan Kenobi, but we tend to shy away from open-mic comedy nights. Presbyterians must think it’s funny to say that we are God’s “frozen chosen.” I don’t get it. I always found it curious that if you rearrange the letters in Presbyterians, it spells out Britney Spears. That I do get.
Anyhow, I loved our little country church in the fields of Iowa. Looking back now, I realize we didn’t have much to do in Iowa. When you’re surrounded by cows, chickens, and pigs, your options tend to be limited. In my spare time, I excelled at corn-on-the-cob speed eating. What can I say? We are Iowans. We like simple. We thought that the capital of Wisconsin was W.
The day after I graduated from high school, I begged and pleaded with my parents to drive me to Chicago to see a show at Second City. The birthplace of improvisational comedy, The Second City in Chicago has produced most of the major comedy stars over the past half century: Alan Arkin, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, and the voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta. Without Second City, there would have been no Saturday Night Live, no Ghostbusters, no Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and no Simpsons. If I wanted to move toward writing and performing comedy, Second City was my first stop.
As we parked the car a block away from the comedy theater, we looked over our shoulders and noticed another historic landmark: the Moody Church. Constructed in 1924, Moody Church was the result of the aggressive evangelism of Dwight L. Moody in the late 1800’s. Literally and figuratively, I believe that the intersection of church and comedy can be felt at the corner of North and Wells. Many Second City performers and students (including myself years later) would attend worship at Moody Church on Sundays at 5pm and then head over two blocks to the theater to create comedy. There’s a symbiotic relationship there; comedy and leadership are not as far apart as you would suspect.
Fresh out of high school, I found the comedy show that evening to be hypnotic and mesmerizing. I was hooked: Second City was where I wanted to go and learn the principles of comedy. As soon as I could afford a full tank of gas later that summer, my aim was to wave goodbye to Iowa and hello to Chicago.
Turns out I needed to arrive in the Windy City a few days ahead of Columbia College’s freshmen move-in so that I could interview at Second City for a hosting job. When I got the call a few days later that I was hired, I hit the roof! I was in! I didn’t care if there was grunt work involved and all my weekend hours would be spent cooking and cleaning; the idea of rubbing shoulders with established comedians was intoxicating.
One particularly busy night in the fall of 1997, I was handed the tickets for a couple who were eager for the evening’s performance. I quickly sized them up and was astonished at the sight. The young woman was HAWT (yes, H – A – W – T)! She was beautiful, blonde, in a gorgeous evening dress, and had sparkling blue eyes. Hawt.
Her date, on the other hand, was NAWT! He was overweight and sweaty, sported slicked-back-yet-frazzled hair, tie askew . . . definitely NAWT! Do you remember the old musical segment on Sesame Street: “One of these things is not like the other?” That was this guy! He did NOT go with HER! As I began leading them to their table, I silently wondered, What is this, a joke? Did she lose a bet somewhere? Is this guy her cousin?
Their tickets were for the best seats in the house—remarkable because only Second City alumni or relatives and close friends can secure the best seats. I glanced back at the couple to see if I recognized either of them. Nope. Must be friends of a cast member, I guessed.
As I politely pulled back their chairs to help seat them, I looked down at the tickets one last time to quickly use the last name listed and wish them a good evening. They were sitting down as I realized what I was saying mid-sentence: “Thank you for being our guests tonight at Second City, Mr. Faaaaaaaarrrrrrrrley.” My mouth went dry as cotton balls and my palms became clammy. This was Chris Farley!
As I stumbled back toward my manager to assist the next guests waiting in line, she grabbed my ear. “You see Mr. Farley over there with his date? We want to make sure he has a very good time tonight. At intermission, I don’t want anyone bugging him for photos or autographs. It’s going to be YOUR job to usher Farley out of the room and act as his bodyguard.”
Bodyguard? Me? Hadn’t my manager seen my body frame? If I were a superhero, my name would be Captain Toothpick. At intermission, I dutifully whisked Chris Farley out of the main theater and into a holding room. He was very kind, down-to-earth, and, well, sweaty. But I didn’t mind; I had a front-row seat to a rich and famous comedian! We exchanged some small talk, and at the end of the night I thought that was that. Turns out Mr. Farley would be making multiple visits to the theater over the coming weeks . . . and I was the Tommy Boy star’s designated body man for each visit. Over time I was able to closely observe the side effects of stardom.
I remember one night Farley came barreling into the theater with a group of friends. Once we had them seated at a large table near the front, Farley pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills and began liberally handing them out to his party. They pocketed their cash and scattered. I thought it was odd.
Another time Chris came to a show under the influence of something. He looked like more of a mess than usual and smelled like he hadn’t showered in days. When he began loudly heckling the comedians on stage, I had the awkward duty of discreetly trying to remove Chris Farley from the audience.
Even though I was a front-row witness to some blaring warning signs, I had zero sway over Farley’s downward spiral. My role was being the young, impressionable college kid from Iowa who thought it was cool to hang out with one of my comedy idols. As I bragged about my adventures to friends back home, folks thought I was making this stuff up.
So I became determined to snap a picture with Farley.
My opportunity came that December at Second City’s annual Christmas party for employees and alumni. Closed to the public, this was a night of celebration and revelry . . . and Chris Farley was there! I found him in the back swapping cocaine with some of the kitchen staff. He looked like he had been partying for a few days straight at that point. I jumped in with friends for a group shot, and there in the back of our photo, posing alongside us college kids, was a drunk Chris Farley.
This was the late 1990s, a bygone era before Instagram and Facebook. We didn’t have digital cameras with instantly-uploadable photos. Nope. I had to head across the street to a 24-hour Walgreens to drop off my film for three-day development (three days—oh the horror!). I was excited because on that cold, wintry Monday night in Chicago’s Old Town district, I had partied with Chris Farley.
Thursday morning I was sitting down for a college class when a buddy came in the door. “Hey, Herron! Did you hear about Chris Farley?” he announced. “You bet,” I replied. “I just partied with him two nights ago, and I’ll pick up the pictures after class!
“No,” my friend pressed on, his voice lowering a bit. “I mean, did you hear the news about Farley? They just discovered his body in the John Hancock Building.”
Turns out that two nights after my photo was taken, Farley was continuing a four-day partying binge. After smoking crack and snorting heroin with a call girl, he took her back to his apartment in the John Hancock Building on Michigan Avenue. There was an argument about money that caused her to get up in a huff. Chris tried to follow but instead collapsed on the floor, struggling to breathe. His final words were, “Don’t leave me.” Instead of calling 9-1-1, the escort stole his watch and wrote a note saying she’d had a lot of fun, then left.
Chris Farley died alone.
You can discover the rest of Jonathan Herron’s story in Holy Shift.
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." (C. T. Studd)
To live within the sound of church or chapel bell was not enough for Charles Thomas (C.T.) Studd, (1860-1931), an English missionary to China, India, and Africa. C. T. Studd was born into privilege and wealth, but God had other plans for his life. His father, Edward, was converted after hearing the famous American evangelist Dwight L. Moody speak. Then subsequently, C. T. and his brothers were also converted.
But, 6 years after C. T.’s conversion, he realized that his commitment to the Lord was lacking and he decided to give everything up, and seek God’s will. He wisely said, "I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come."
How many people are content to live within the sound of church or chapel bell, but never step foot inside of a church to hear the Gospel message?
Or, how many are content to live within the sound of church bells and attend, but never take the Gospel to heart or share Jesus Christ with others?
They haven’t counted the cost of discipleship, but C. T. Studd did and he chose a life of hardship and sacrifice, because of His commitment to Jesus Christ.
And when others questioned him about the decisions he was making for the sake of the Gospel, he could only reply with these words:
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” –C. T. Studd
Although salvation through Jesus Christ is a free gift from God given to us by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), it was not without cost to Him.
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must realize the cost of His sacrifice and respond with a commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly; without reservation and whatever the cost.
Additionally, we should want more than to live within the sound of church bells, and be actively involved in helping to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission.
To do so we have to daily surrender ourselves to Him. As a result, we give up our own way of living and submit to His will and rule in our lives:
Romans 12:1 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
Mark 8:34-37 says, “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?'”
Great missionaries like C. T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot and so many more were not content to merely live within the sound of church bells. They gave their lives, and left their homes and families, to be used by the Lord to spread the Gospel.
We also shouldn’t be content to just live within the sound of church bells. We like them, should be passionate about spreading the Gospel; and endure hardship and danger if necessary, so people would be rescued from going to hell. If we can’t, then we should at least support the work of missionaries prayerfully and financially.
As Christians, we can follow in the steps of these great men of faith, by surrendering our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, seeking His will, and living by faith and trusting in Him.
John 12:24-26 says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”
This famous quote from the poem, “Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past” by C.T Studd, is a sober reminder of the brevity of life and that only what’s done for Christ has eternal value:
"Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last." – C. T. Studd
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