Feeding of the 5000
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Good morning
I trust you have had a good week.
Today we are coming back to the gospel of John as we prepare for Easter. I think there is something wonderful about walking alongside the life of Jesus as He moves toward the cross.
As we watch Jesus, we see his love for humanity, We see his patience with those who do not understand and we see His mission.
His mission was preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God and God’s plan for the world.
God’s plan is first the redemption of the world through the Savior, His death, burial and resurrection…
Secondly, God has empowered those He saves with His Holy Spirit and uses them, (US) to carry the gospel into the world so that others might believe as well.
Today we will look at one of the greatest miracles Jesus preforms while here on earth and how He ties it into an evangelistic word for the people to hear.
So this morning let take our Bibles, i hope you brought your Bible with you. Lets take our Bibles and find John chapter 6 today.
John chapter 6 we come to the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, and with it Jesus will teach that He is the bread of life as well.
So our passage for today will be , verses 1-13, so lets look at that...
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 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?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
So here we are, Jesus, his disciples and a great crowd of people> Jesus has been teaching them and the hour is growing late.
With the hour growing late, dinner time is approaching, soon there would be no opportunity to purchase food from the surrounding communities to take care of the people. If the crowd didn’t look for food soon, they would most likely go hungry for the night.
And this is where it all begins… so here is the first thought I want you to see...
1. A Question of Need...
1. A Question of Need...
As we open the text of the passage we see that Jesus as been teaching this great multitude of people.
Now the Bible tells us that the people had seen the miracles Jesus had done, as a result of what they had seen, they began to follow Jesus.
Remember what I said last week, the miracles Jesus did, they were the sign and wonders that God used to authenticate the message that Jesus spoke to those who followed Him.
Now Jesus and His disciples had gone up on the mountain side, and as evening is drawing near, Jesus and the disciples looked up and verse 5, says a crowd is drawing near.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
But with the evening approaching, Jesus will ask Phillip a incredible question. Where can we buy bread that this people may eat...
Now understand like with many things that Jesus does, there is a two sided application, Spiritual and physical. Jesus is concerned about the physical needs of these people. But Jesus also desires to teach disciples and provided a witness to the Fathers work among these people.
So Jesus will posse a question… Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?
Now the situation is interesting… there is a crowd, literally a sea of people are before them… And Jesus is posing a question that may seem impossible to those before them.
How could He ask them this? Well, remember He is God and He knows the answer, but He calls those who follow Him to do great things and in the process, it requires faith.
Jesus is asking the disciples a question and ultimately He is going to take their response and grow them in the moment.
Jesus will always ask of us only what He can do… Why does He do this… to push us away from looking at ourselves and to trusting Him.
We can only grow as we trust Him in that moment.
Let me ask you a question, What are you convinced that God is leading you toward, but you are struggling by faith to take hold of?
Now lets look at our second thought....
Now lets look at our second thought....
2. A Natural Response....
2. A Natural Response....
So we know that Jesus knowing the need of the huge crowd that is before them, will put forth a need to His disciples.
And I am sure that immediately start thinking to themselves, really… did Jesus just ask us this...
Remember this is the feeding of 5000.... but there was probably more just from what we know of the statics of the day. There were women and children present from ’s account of the miracle
But Phillip is the first one who speaks up...
Lets look at our text, verses 7-9
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 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?”
What do you notice from this passage?
Well we see they starting looking at their resources, they starting checking their pockets, how much is in the messianic treasury, did anyone bring anything with you..
Who’s in charge of the hospitality committee… Peter… James.. did you all forget to order the chicken from Old Country Inn…????
And finally Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother speaks up… Jesus, Jesus we have located a boy here who brought His sack lunch with him. He has 5 country biscuits and two salmon patties.. Ok not really 5 barley loafs.. 5 small rolls if you will, and two pan fish.
He is willing to share this food with Jesus and the disciples and listen to what Andrew says..
Verse 9b.... “But what are they among so many...”
Do you see the problem here… it is faith.
Faith is really the heart of the issue. The disciples were looking at themselves and what they could do instead of looking to the Lord for the answer. Jesus knew what He was going to do, He knew the boy would be identified.. He is just looking to see their heart.
The same is true for us today. Are we going to look at our pockets, our bank accounts or will we trust God.
Think about our church… we have Upward, Vacation Bible School, the Infinity Sports camp and our Tokyo mission trip. Who will provided all the resources for these ventures?
Not you… God.
We are allowed to join Him in the journey. And at times its scary… We think we can’t do it. And your right we cannot in our own flesh. It is always God who will bless as we follow Him.
We are called to be faithful in the journey. If we fail to do that… He will not use us in the future because we are disobedient.
Our natural response is to say we cant, we dont have it instead of looking to God and saying what are you doing to do in this...
The disciples doubted… But Jesus had it all under control....
What journey does God have you on that makes you doubt?
Are you ready to trust Him or not?
Now this brings me to my next point....
3. A Miracle of Provision
3. A Miracle of Provision
A Miracle of Provision
The feeding of the 5000 is truly a great miracle, in fact it is the only one who that is recorded in all 4 of the gospel accounts in the Scriptures apart from the resurrection of our Lord.
Andrew finds the lunch a young boy had but he considers it to be very little in the midst of the enormous crowd before them.
But then we come to Jesus response to the situation at hand...
Lets look at verses 10-14
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
Look how orderly the Savior is… Have them sit down, get them ready to receive a meal. Luke and Mark’s gospel tells us that they were prepared in groups, kind of like setting people together at tables at weddings and other events. They were placed in groups of 50’s
And Jesus took the loaves and blessed them, He gave thanks to the Father for all things.
and he
Jesus then broke the bread and fish and began to distribute it among the disciples and they in turn gave it to the people…
I love this detail… the Bible says at the end of verse 11. they received the food “...as much as they wanted. “
They ate their fill like good Baptists at a home cooked Sunday lunch.. amen. They went away satisfied.
Do you see the work of the Savior just in the physical lives of His people, He provided for them physically. And He did so abundantly.
He does the same in our lives my friends, He takes care of us abundantly.
And listen, here… look at verse 12-14
12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
You dont waste food, when they were done, Jesus instructed the disciple to take baskets and gather up the left overs, and there were 12 baskets of food left over.
So that little bit of provision, when used faithfully for the Saviors will, it is used to feed the disciples, it feed the huge crowd of people and 12 baskets of left overs were seen at the end.
And the people marveled and knew God was at work in the world.
That is the desired outcome, that people might pay attention, that they would see Jesus and their hearts changed.
What do we exist for??? for His glory.
You see we give our little bit to Him, Jesus blesses it, breaks it and it accomplishes more than we could ever think of imagine...
Now that is the end of the miracle, but not the full ending to the story..
4. There is a great declaration..
4. There is a great declaration..
The people wanted to make Jesus king, but He departed from them and traveled to the other side of the sea of Galilee.
And the people traveled even there to see and speak to Him.. They traveled because of what they had seen in His works, but not because of the message. So Jesus takes time to teach them..
And I want you to see verse 35
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Jesus reminds them that their ancestors received food and water in the wilderness not because of Moses, but God. God is the source of all life and sustenance.
And in Verse 35 He declares His true nature. I am the bread of life. Jesus is saying that He is the one who sustains both the physical but more importantly, the Spiritual.
By believing in Him they would gain not only life, but eternal life.
And that is the reason for His coming.. to free the world from sin and give it that life that is everlasting.
Jesus came that all might believe.
He sends all those who follow Him into the world in hopes that the world might believe as well.
Aren’t you glad Jesus came, Arn’t you glad He saved you. And Aren’t you glad that He is still seeking to save the Lost.
He came for you, He came for the world.
What needs do you have today?
Pray
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 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?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
