Old Testament/New Testament foreshadow: Elisha feeds 100 men

Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men- 2 Kings 4:42-44


42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.


Its common knowledge, and easy to understand that the Old Testament is a foreshadow of the New Testament in many ways and expressions.  There is the oft repeated mantra across seminaries and schools of theology that states, "The Old Testament conceals what the New Testament reveals."  And we see that in many ways: Adam and Jesus, David and Jesus, The 10 Commandments and The Beatitudes, Elijah and John the Baptist, and on and on and on. The New Testament always revealing the Old Testament and making it better:  a better law, and better promise, a better covenant.

Well, in this passage in 2 Kings 4, we see that Elisha feeds 100 men miraculously with 20 barley loaves.  Pretty good miracle, right?

Then, in the New Testament we see Jesus feeding the 5,000 and 4,000.  The feeding of the 5,000 is captured in all for Gospels.  Here is Mark's account:

Feeding the Five Thousand


30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii[i] worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And all ate and were filled; 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. Mark 6:30-44

Same type of miracle, but better!  Here Jesus, with 15 fewer loaves feeds at least 4,900 more (that's just counting the men).  Not only did they eat their fill, but instead of just having "some" left over, there are 12 baskets full left over!!

What an awesome God!  What a friend we have in Jesus!  Just a cool look at what a foretaste divine the Old Testament gave us of what was to come.