YOU ARE ENOUGH FOR JESUS
John 6:1-14
THE TEXT
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is (the sea) of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick.
3 And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 Now the passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings’ worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?
10 Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would.
12 And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost.
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten.
14 When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world.
OVERVIEW
The feeding of the 5000 has many components that need to be considered to get a better understanding. This text is set in the middle of God’s plan to prepare His disciples for mission of spreading the Gospel
The story is set around the sea of Galilee which is a fresh water lake 686 feet below sea level. It is the site of many of Jesus miracles. Jesus had sent the 12 disciples out two by two to the surrounding cities where they preached, healed the sick and cast out demons.
The crowd followed the disciples back to the place where Jesus was (Mark 6:33). I am sure you and I would get in long lines to get to doctors where medical advice and healing was free. According to Mark the people came in such large numbers that the disciples didn’t have time to eat.
In addition the time of the passover festival held in Jerusalem, 90 miles away was near. The Jews traveled in crowds to the festival. If you are preparing for a trip you want all your health issues resolved. Word had
gotten back to Jesus that John the Baptist, his first cousin had been beheaded by Herod.
Jesus was sympathetic to His people who were subject to the violence of the Roman government and burdened by their own religious leaders with mistruths and Jewish traditions. Jesus Preached a Gospel of eternal freedom and salvation.
I believe the crowd to Jesus and His disciples to be healed and then hear a teacher who preached the true Gospel of the Lord. I believe the healings were the drawing cards to plant the Word of God among the people.
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PLACES AND COMPONENTS
There are some spiritual significance to the places and words in the text.
Every experience in your life has been allowed by God. Each event in some makes you who you are. God uses the good and the bad for His glory.
Look at the events and places in the text and see yourself and how God has used you.
PASSOVER FESTIVAL A command of God which became a ritual celebration of God’s goodness and promises. A chance to worship the Father in spirit and truth. It was an annual tradition
THE CROWD The lost sheep of Israel
THE MOUNTAIN The mountain top a place of teaching, a place of prayer. Jesus went to be alone with the Father
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA Jesus went to the other side of the sea to get us away from the crowd, Spiritually we a place to draw us near to Jesus To break the routine of daily living. To give us what we really need, a refreshing and spiritual enlightenment
THE FISH represents our job, fishers of men
THE BREAD represents the Word of God. Life giving
THE BOY’S LUNCH The desires of the flesh. The 5 barley loaves and two fish, represents sacrificial giving
Consider the boy how he got there what he learned
The bread of life feeds as many as come to Jesus
THE BOY’S PARENTS The parents who fixed the boys lunch represent love
Jesus can take the little we have and make it more than we need
THE MERCY OF JESUS He saw the needs of the crowd and provided for them. They followed the disciples and Jesus and were hungry .
THE MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH The disciples represent the church.
Consider what the disciples learned about themselves and Jesus;
Their inability but Jesus ability
Their lack of compassion, Jesus Compassion
Their need to call on Jesus in difficult situations
WORK OF THE CHURCH The feeding of the 5000 represent the work of the church. It is not meat we need but every Word of God.
FOLLOWING JESUS will take your farther than you want to go and give you more than you deserve
THE IMPOSSIBLE TASK, A TEST OF FAITH
Sometimes God presents us with what seems to be an impossible task to
Test our faith. Because of the teaching and healing power given and authorized by Jesus, a crowd of needy folk, 5000 men not including women and children followed the disciples. Preaching to 5000 was no problem. But feeding 5000 men and their families was another thing.
The 12 disciples had gained experience teaching the Word, healing all kinds of diseases and casting out demons without Jesus’ presence (Mark 6:7). I believe Jesus used the opportunity of feeding five thousand families in one setting to test their attitude and ability to do what was humanly impossible for man. It was a test to see if they would recognize their need for Jesus.
John 6:3 And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
I believe Jesus prepared the disciples for the task by taking them to mountain to be alone with them for a while. What Jesus discussed is unknown to us, But we do know Jesus often went to the mountain to pray and communicate with the Father. I am sure the disciples had much to say about the success of their mission to the surrounding cities. The evidence was the crowd following them for more.
THE TEST OF YOUR FAITH
The work of the Lord is never done. Jesus looked at the crowd and saw their needs. They had empty stomachs and a thirst for more teaching. The lesson here is to feed the needs of the flesh and the thirst for knowledge will follow,Is the design of God.
Jesus realized that the crowd had followed a long way and there were no close by places to eat. Not only that, while He had a captive audience, Jesus would not lose the opportunity to feed the spirit. The disciples fresh from their mission was given the task of feeding the crowd.
JESUS HAS THE ANSWER TO ALL HE REQUIRES OF US
John 6:5 Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings’ worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little.
A shilling was the wage of a day laborer. The first response was where and
How much. We don’t have enough money to feed 5000 families. If we had money it would not be enough. Phillip recognized their inability and the impossibility of Jesus request.
The next response seem even more unreasonable
John 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?
We can always look at what we have and conclude it is not enough. We know what it takes to make a meal and boys’ lunch is not enough.
My question is: out of 5000 families, how did Andrew locate the boy with a lunch? Did the boy just show up and offer his lunch? Was the boy close to the disciples when food was discussed? Did Jesus focus Andrew’s eyes on the boy as the discussion was going on? We don’t know. But the point is a little in the hands of Jesus is enough to supply all our needs. I believe this was the lesson Jesus intended to teach His disciples.
ESTABLISH AN ORDER
John 6:10 Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Jesus put the disciples in charge of the crowd. Ordering the men to sit down established crowd control. It also allowed the Disciples to see the work of their master in action.
BLESS THE FOOD AND THE OPERATION BY GIVING THANKS
11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would.
Notice, Jesus established order in the crowd then prayed over the five
Biscuits and two fish, giving thanks to the Father. Jesus employed the disciples to distribute the bread first, then the fish. The point is Jesus is enough to feed as many as come to Him. We may be limited, but God has unlimited resources.
A little In the hands of Jesus is enough to feed the world. A boy’s lunch in the hands of Jesus is enough to feed perhaps 15000 plus people. The disciples saw and participated in the miracle multiplication of the bread and fish at the hands of the great mathematician. With Jesus all things are possible. The text says the crowd ate as much as they wanted. This is the lesson we must all learn.
The boy left home with his lunch not knowing he would bless a crowd. When Jesus is involved our potential is unlimited. Imagine the story the boy had to tell his mother when he returned home.
ALWAYS REVIEW WHAT GOD HAS DONE
John 6:12 And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten.
While the 12 disciples were worried about feeding 5000 men, with a boys lunch, they ended with basket full of bread and fish for each of them. The abundance is in Jesus, not in what we have. What we have in Jesus is enough.
What’s in your hands is all you need if you give it up to Jesus.
YOU CAN’T MAKE JESUS BE WHAT YOU WANT
John 6:14 When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world. 15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone.
Your selfish desires limits what Jesus will do for you. They wanted a King
Not the Messiah that He was. We have no information that anyone in the crowd stopped to thank Jesus for their meal. We have no indication that anyone in the crowd approached Jesus to worship Him.
The crowd left Jesus filled physically, but empty spiritually. The crowd
Did not get the chance to feed on the Word of God. They may have had
Health problems that were left untouched by Jesus. Many were headed to the Passover Festival with a meal for the day and nothing for tomorrow.
Instead of being filled with spirit, they were filled with greed.
Jesus left the crowd and went back to the mountain to pray. He started with prayer, continued in prayer and ended in prayer. Notice Jesus did not take
His disciples back to the mountain after He left the crowd. I wonder why?
Any experience with Jesus is a learning experience to be used in the next episode of our lives.
SUMMARY
WHAT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR MAN IS POSSIBLE FOR GOD
JESUS IS THE ANSWER TO ALL HE REQUIRES OF US
JESUS WILL TRAIN YOU FOR THE MISSION
JESUS WILL TEST YOUR FAITH
EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE INDESENT AND ORDER
BLESS GOD BEFORE STARTING A MISSION
REFLECT ON WHAT GOD HAS DONE
DON’T LET YOUR PRIDE DESTROY YOUR BLESSING
GIVE JESUS ALL YOU HAVE AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ALL YOU NEED
