Matthew 14:13–21 explained:
(An excerpt rom Natan’s yet unpublished commentary on the Gospels.)
This account appears to be an allegory pertaining to end-time events—specifically, the regathering of the Israelite exiles, and is another allusion to the final redemption.
John the Immerser (Baptist), who came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Messiah, had just been killed by the politico-religious system of his day. (Similarly, it is interesting to note that the two end time witnesses or prophets who will come in the spirit of Elijah will be martyred in Jerusalem just prior to the return of Yeshua [Rev 11:1–13].) In response to John’s murder at the hands of Herod, Yeshua and his disciples left the area to escape any possible backlash of the wrath of Herod (who allegorically represents the devil). This seems to be a picture of what is prophesied to occur to the bride (the saints) of Messiah during the great tribulation just prior to the return of Yeshua (Rev 12:12–17). The boat seems to metaphorically represent the eagle’s wings of Revelation 12:14 that carried the woman into the wilderness, which is a place of protection and safety during the great tribulation.
Once in the wilderness, “when the day was far spent … and now the time is far passed” (a prophetic reference to the end of the age just prior to the return of Yeshua), Yeshua fed the multitude five loaves and two fishes provided by a young boy. The five loaves speak of the five books of YHVH’s Torah (since the number five alludes to Torah in Hebraic thought and bread or manna is symbolic of the Word of Elohim [Matt 4:4]. This points to Yeshua who, spiritually speaking, is the Bread of Life and Torah-Word of Elohim made flesh [John 1:1, 14; 6:32–58]). The two fish could either refer to the two houses of Israel (the houses of Judah and Ephraim) or to Ephraim and Manasseh (the two dominate tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel) who are likened to fish of the sea in Genesis 48:16 (and who would “proliferate abundantly like fish,” according to The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach translation). The fact that a lad provided the makings for the dinner shows us that the Torah-Word of Elohim is neither too difficult for YHVH’s people to understand nor to obey (Deut 30:11–14), for even a child is able to provide this food. Elsewhere Yeshua taught that we must become humble, simple and teachable as little children if we are to enter his spiritual kingdom (Matt 18:2–5).
Yeshua was moved with compassion toward the multitude because they were as sheep without a shepherd. In Ezekiel 34, YHVH rebukes the spiritual shepherds of Israel (i.e., the religious leaders) for not feeding his spiritual sheep,130 and for not gathering his scattered and lost sheep, and for not healing the wounded and sick. This was the spiritual condition of lost (Ezek 34:16) and scattered (Ezek 34:5) Israel, but YHVH, the Good Shepherd, promised to feed his sheep upon the mountains of Israel (Ezek 34:13–14), even as Yeshua fed the multitudes in the wilderness upon the mountains of Israel by the Sea of Galilee in the historic land of the house of Israel (northern kingdom). He not only fed the multitude, but healed their sick. This he also promised to do to the returning sheep of Israel in Ezekiel 34:4 and 16.
Yeshua would not permit the multitudes to return to the villages (symbolic of the churches or religious institutions of the Babylonian world system—out of which YHVH commands his people to come, Rev 18:4) to procure food even though it was becoming evening (or prophetically a reference to the end of the age—a time of spiritual darkness). After all, Yeshua is the Bread of Life (John 6:48–58) and he, as a faithful shepherd, will feed his sheep provender (Ps 23:1–2). He promises to nourish his people in the wilderness during the dark times of the great tribulation just prior to his second coming (Rev 12:14) by feeding Israel from his Torah (pictured by the five loaves).
It is not until one comes away from the villages (a metaphor for the churches or religious systems of this world, which the Scriptures call Babylon or “confusion” [Rev 18:4]) that one becomes truly satisfied and fulfilled with the spiritual nourishment of both the Written Torah-Word and Yeshua the Living Torah-Word of Elohim. In fact, there was such an abundance of food in the wilderness by the hand of Yeshua that twelve baskets of bread were left over.
Twelve speaks of the twelve tribes of Israel who Yeshua the Good Shepherd will feed once he gathers all his scattered sheep together (Ezek 34:5, 11–16). Twelve also speaks of perfect government. For example, in YHVH’s kingdom the twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28). Eventually, only redeemed and glorified Israelites will inhabit the New Heaven and a New Earth within the New Jerusalem, which has twelve gates named after the twelve tribes of Israel. There will be no gate labelled “Gentile” (Rev 21:12)! This will be the perfect governmental system of YHVH eternal kingdom.
What You Can Do
Have you left, or are you in the process of leaving Babylonian religious systems, which contain a mixture of biblical truth and pagan and humanistic teachings? Yeshua is calling his people out of Babylon and promises to feed and care for them in the wilderness, even as YHVH led the children of Israel out of Egypt and cared for them in the wilderness and prepared them for going into the Promised Land.
In Hebrew, the word wilderness is midbar, which, interestingly, is the Hebrew name for the fourth book of the Bible, the Book of Numbers, which is B’midbar, meaning “in the wilderness.” This word contains the Hebrew word d’bar or debar/devar, which literally means “word” as in “the word of Elohim.” In fact, the name of the fifth book of the Bible is Deuteronomy is also related to this word. It is the Hebrew word devarim (literally meaning words [of Elohim], which is the plural of debar/devar. Finally, the most set-apart place (or the holy of holies) in the Tabernacle of Moses was alternately called the deveer, which is Hebrew for oracle. It was called this because it was there that Moses went to talk with YHVH.
What is the point of this quick word study? Simply this. The Hebrew word for wilderness is related to the Hebrew word as in word of Elohim. What can we learn from this as related to Yeshua feeding the multitudes in the wilderness away from the cities? Sometimes YHVH’s people have to leave the non or quasi-religious (Babylonian) systems of men, and go into the spiritual wilderness to hear the pure and undiluted word of Elohim. This is not easy for many people to do, but in the end times, YHVH is calling more of his people to do that so that he can prepare and train them for their future destiny as leaders in his millennial kingdom in the spiritual Promised Land.
