John 6 - Jesus feeds 5,000

 

But today I want to look at what happened when Jesus faced a monumental ministry challenge and how he and those with him played a part in seeing God do something quite spectacular.

 

Let’s read John 6:1-15

 

What a great story. One of the few events from Jesus life reported in each of the four gospels. In Matthew and Mark there is also a record of Jesus feeding another 4,000 at a different time.

 

Let’s look at how 3 different people reacted to a BIG catering challenge:

1. Philip and Andrew, two of the disciples, the friendly gathering ones
2. A young boy – let’s call him Brian
3. Jesus

 

Set the scene

Jesus takes the disciples on retreat after some intense ministry times.

They go right up into the Dales, to the head of the Wharfe and sit on a hill.

But, what do you know, the people are so desperate to get close to Jesus that they drive up there in their droves. 5,000 of them – perhaps many more if they were only counting men.

 

However many it was, there were a lot. More than would fit in any theatre or auditorium in West Yorkshire apart from the Harrogate Showground or one of the sports stadia.

 

Although I don’t think they were coming up the hill toward Jesus shouting out, “We are hungry!!!” it was pretty obvious to any conference organiser that there was going to be trouble before long. They had already walked a fair distance to find Jesus and needed at least a cup of tea and a doughnut.

 

Jesus thinks to himself, Mmmm, how are we going to feed this lot? Spiritually and physically? What’s the catering situation? Looks like this calls for a bit of miracle working. Good leadership development opportunity too.

 

It says he knew what he was going to do (v.6) …. I wonder what he knew?

 

But he starts with some coaching. Ok guys, how shall we feed this lot?

 

You can just imagine the disciples, Beg your pardon? Are you serious?

 

Philip and Andrew

Phil and Andy seem to be friendly, they are always bringing people to Jesus. They are the gatherers, the party people. They ask around the people and eventually find a boy with some food and bring him to Jesus.

 

I like that. Even though I doubt they had anything more than a faint inkling that Jesus might do something, they did their best to join in. They didn’t sit on the edge sceptically watching and testing. Not getting involved in case they looked stupid. They took a bit of a risk, probably took some stick from people, that’s going to be a fat lot of help Andy!

 

They did what we often forget to do, they got involved with the problem and shared it around and brought what little they could to Jesus.

 

That’s all we need to do when facing a major issue. Get involved with the problem, share it with a few friends and take what little we can offer to Jesus.

 

The Young Boy – Brian

I feel sorry for young Brian.

 

I bet he was his Mother’s Pride – I’ll bet she made him a packed lunch and wrapped it in kitchen foil and sent him off with a “be careful” and “listen to what he says” and “ask him to heal Dad’s stomach ulcer…”

 

Of all the 5,000 people there he was the only one who seemed to have had enough sense to get a packed lunch prepared. Or at least the only one who had not yet scoffed it.

 

Brian, or his mum, had thought ahead, made careful provision, planned for a long journey, covering all eventualities. He probably had a Swiss Army pen knife and a bottle of lucozade too. And an umbrella. And a fully charged mobile phone. Common sense really.

 

Brian could quite happily go and sit on a rock to one side and munch his Mother’s Pride and kippers and watch. No one would blame him for doing that. Doesn’t help with the problem but, hey, not my problem. You should have thought of this before.

 

But no, he too offers what he has to Jesus. I doubt very much that he had any idea what the disciples or Jesus would do with it. He probably thought, well I guess I am going to go hungry but at least mum will be proud that I gave my lunch to Jesus.

 

What is our tendency with our carefully planned contingencies? I worked hard for this. I saved this. I didn’t fritter mine away in extravagances or poor money management. I planned ahead. Why should I give mine up just because everyone else hasn’t planned ahead like me? What is going to happen to me if I give up what is mine? I was looking forward to eating that.

 

Or do we, like Brian, like Phil and Andy, get involved, share our thoughts and bring what we do have to Jesus –not knowing what he is going to do and not knowing what is going to happen to us as a result?

 

Jesus

It says (v6) that he already had something in mind. I wonder what?

Did he know the whole story before it happened? Possibly.

My suspicion is that Jesus, in his humanity, had faith for something spectacular, had faith that this major problem would be sorted but I don’t actually think he knew much more than the next thing that he had to do.

 

I think Jesus basically moved one step at a time, obeying his Father (cf John 5:19). What did Jesus see the Father doing?

 

What did he know?

At v5, when he saw the people coming and asked the disciples to sort out the catering arrangements?

At v9, when he was handed 5 small loaves and 2 small fish (not that big ones would have made much difference)? Something was going to happen, yes. But what?

At v10, when he got them all to sit down – stalling tactics?

At v11, when he had that first small loaf of bread in his hands?

 

What happened next? Did he just keep breaking more and more bread off? That would have taken a long time.

 

Maybe he broke the bread into pieces and gave it to the disciples to distribute? So that it continued to break into many pieces in their hands … can you imagine what was going through their minds as these 5 small loaves stretched to 12 disciples? If you were no 6 in the line of disciples and all of a sudden found a loaf in your hands too? Oooh, something is going on here.

 

I can imagine that Jesus probably said, OK, do it like this. Now you take some and you do it.

 

And then the disciples wander around, getting confident, a bit of a swagger perhaps, bread anyone? Here we go then. More? No problem? Fish? Sure, no problem. How do I do it? Oh we do it all the time. It’s a breeze.

 

It must have taken quite some time. And then there was all the clearing up, all that left over bread and fish. Nothing wasted it says, so presumably they took it away and gave it to others. Did it keep multiplying when people gave it to others from the basket? When did it stop?

 

Did Brian take one of the baskets back with him for his mum. Hey mum, you won’t believe how good your sandwiches were….!

 

Where did the faith arise? Where did the miracle happen? How did the molecules duplicate and replicate? What were people thinking? What were the disciples thinking as this was going through their hands?

 

Can you sense the awe that must have been present. 5,000 people being fed by bread and fish continually coming from Jesus’ and the disciples’ hands. No wonder all 4 gospels record it.

 

 

He probably didn’t need to say or teach much after that. That miracle not only fed their bodies but taught them a lot. Taught the disciples a lot.

 

And then what weight is carried in Jesus’ words a little later when he says, I am the bread of life.

 

Beforehand, I don’t think anyone had the faintest sliver of an idea of how Jesus was going to solve this catering problem.

 

Some people, Philip, Andrew, Brian, did however get stuck in, shared the issue and brought what they had to Jesus. And so, somewhat unwittingly, they became a party to one of the most spectacular miracles ever recorded. I am pretty sure, Philip, Andrew and Brian were pleased that they had done their little bit!

 

Today

We are sometimes faced with monumental and not so monumental challenges. We can read this story and have our faith raised to believe that Jesus can do wonderful, miraculous things if we will only get involved, share with others and bring him what little we can.

 

He can do amazing things with what we give to him, and we don’t go without.

 

At the Vineyard here, we are faced with a significant challenge in investing in a building that will enable us to pursue those projects from our hearts which we believe the Lord has given us:

So let us not sit sceptically on the sidelines and miss out on playing our part – let us get involved

So let us not be afraid to be open – let us share the story with those around us

So let us not hold tightly to our own packed lunch - bring him what little we have

 

And let’s be ready to be amazed, to have our faith in him raised high, and let’s see Jesus do something marvellous, right in front of us.

 

 

 

Bring your whole life to Jesus, choose to follow him, let him take your whole life, warts and all, and transform it, clean it up and give you a new life to live.

 

 

David Flowers
11 March 2007