Bread, Fish, and Baskets

Today’s passage of story is a well known story about Jesus. This story has been told and retold for generations, and for many people is one of miracles of Jesus that sticks out the most in their mind. Fun fact, this is the only miracle other than the Resurrection that is told in each of the four Gospels.

So we are entering into the second year of Jesus’ ministry by the time that this story happens. Remember in when Jesus cleansed the Temple it was the time of the Passover- and John tells us in verse 4 that the Passover is at hand once again in this story. Jesus and the disciples find themselves on a mountainside on what seems to be the Bethsaida side of the Sea of Galilee. And because of the the healings and miracles that Jesus is doing in the area a group of people follow them and show up on the mountainside. And I figure that the group of people must have been ancestors of the CoB, because they are HUNGRY and when they come to church they need to eat.

The problem is introduced- hungry people and no food.

You know, there are a few things in life that are absolute truths for all humans- we need food, we need water, things like that. Another truth, we will all have problems. No matter who you are, you will have not just one problem in your life, but many problems that you will have to cope with- the question is how will you cope? It reminds me of the story of a little boy in a kindergarten class. The teacher wrote a song about popcorn, taught it to the children, and had them crouch down on the floor to sing it.

Pop! Pop! Pop! (clap for each Pop!) Put the corn into the the pot.  Pop! Pop! Pop! (clap for each Pop!) Shake and shake it 'til it's hot.  Pop! Pop! Pop! (clap for each Pop!) Lift the lid and what have you got? 

One day, the popcorn song was in full swing, when the teacher noticed one child remained crouching on the floor while the other children "popped" all over the room. "Why can’t you ’pop;like the other children?" The little child replied, "I’m burning in the bottom of the pan."

One day, the popcorn song was in full swing, when the teacher noticed one child remained crouching on the floor while the other children "popped" all over the room. "Why can’t you ’pop;like the other children?" The little child replied, "I’m burning in the bottom of the pan."

Maybe you are in the midst of some trouble right now, finding yourself like the little boy in the song; burnt on the bottom of the pan of life. Sometimes these problems can paralyze us and make us feel powerless- like there is nothing we can do.

The question is what are you going to do about this problem? Where are you going to turn?

Jesus turns first to Philip, and asks him where they could get food for all the people. Remember, I mentioned they were on the Bethsaida side of the Sea? John told us way back in that Philip was from Bethsaida, and was the logical person to ask such a question. He would know where to buy some good local grub.

Philip’s response to the problem? Philip looks at the size of the problem- Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” .

I once heard a friend of mine say that problems can be like pebbles. A pebble can take up your whole vision if you put it too close to your eye- you cannot see around it, but when you place it on the ground in its proper context- you realize it is just a small part of the road you are on. The pebble did not grow, your perception of the pebble was off.

Many times when we go to the Lord in prayer we can focus on the size of the problem more than the size of our Savior.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Cancer is big- Jesus is bigger. Bankruptcy is big- Jesus is bigger. Unemployment is big- Jesus is still bigger.

In Jesus told us that he had overcome this world, and that in the midst of the trouble this world brought we can have peace because he is THAT BIG. Paul tells us in that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord because he is THAT BIG.

The second response comes from Andrew- and guess where Andrew is from. You guessed it John tells us in that Andrew was also from Bethsaida.

Andrew’s response to the problem is not the same as Philip’s but still not right because Andrew focuses on the inadequacy that they had to offer. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” .

I am also aware that many times when we pray it is easy to focus on our inadequacy as people, and not on the sufficient power of our God.

If you wanted to cook an egg, could you do it on your own? No- you need an oven. We never have trouble confessing and turning to that....

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

If you needed to loosen a stuck bolt on your car, could you do it on your own? No- you need a wrench. We never have trouble confessing and turning to that.

If you wanted to go to the beach and not get sun burned, could you do it on your own? No- you need sun screen. We never have trouble confessing and turning to that.

But many times it is so hard to come to terms with our own inadequacy and turn to God in prayer.

And so, Jesus, the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the one who promised to care for his sheep, the one who the wind and waves obey- sits down in the midst of the problem that Philip thought was too big, and takes the resources that Andrew thought were too small- he does something amazing.

President John Quincy Adams once said that “People and Nations are forged in the fires of adversity.” There is a lot of truth in that. As a pastor I have seen that the greatest change in people’s lives does not come when the baskets are full, but when they are empty. When we look around and have nothing to give, and the odds are against us, and God must do the rest.

Here’s the other thing that I love about this story. They collect the left over pieces and there are 12 baskets left over- there is more than they needed. In we are told that “God will meet all of our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus.” God is not just willing to give you “just enough” but to fill you to overflowing. Giving us enough to carry us to the next time, the next situation, the next story.

Friends, I do not know how your baskets are today. Empty or full. I do not know if you have barley loves, pickled fish, or what in your hands. Maybe you are standing in the midst of a problem that seems TO BIG or you know the only solutions you can offer are TOO SMALL. Or maybe you are sitting in the grass, holding a basket full of food amazed at what God has done for you.