Five Thousand's A Crowd - John 6:1-21

John 6:1-21

©January 17th, 2021 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: John

Our church has hosted many concerts for Christian artists through the years. Our first concert was back in 2008, with Tenth Avenue North. We had the bright idea that we should invite local youth groups to show up early, meet at the church, and do a short Q&A with the band. In our infinite wisdom, we also decided to offer free food as part of this! We figured we could cook up a bunch of hot dogs and feed whoever showed up. The problem was that we had no idea how many to expect. We ended up with about 100 hungry students and leaders showing up and cramming into the basement to meet with Tenth Avenue North. By God’s grace, we managed to feed everyone with the hot dogs we had, but it was a pretty stressful time.

In our story today, Jesus’ disciples faced a similar struggle, only they were in the desert, didn’t plan to feed anyone, and needed to feed between 10 and 20 thousand people! So maybe it isn’t really similar at all…

Today we look at one of Jesus’ most famous miracles, and the only one (other than the resurrection) that is recorded in all four gospels. We’re turning our attention to John 6 today and we’ll look at the feeding of the 5,000 and the miracle of Jesus walking on the water that occurs immediately afterwards.

The Scene

John sets the scene for us in the opening verses,

After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. 3 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. 4 (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) 5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. (John 6:1-5a, NLT)

John says Jesus and his disciples crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee. The other gospels tell us this was because Jesus and his disciples were exhausted and were hoping to find some relief. John tells us Jesus had already gained a huge following at this point—a group who followed Jesus wherever He went because they were amazed by his miracles.

The other gospels tell us that while Jesus was sailing across the sea, some people saw where he was going, so they ran around the Sea of Galilee on land to find him on the other side. When they got to the other side, a crowd was already starting to form, and soon a massive crowd was gathered. Rather than sending them home, Jesus ministered to them by teaching and healing.

The Miracle

Eventually it started getting late and the disciples suggested that Jesus should send the crowds back home so they could eat something. Personally, I wonder if the disciples were starting to get hungry and realized the crowd was probably feeling the same way. That’s when we see Jesus lay the groundwork for his most famous miracle.

Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” 8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

14 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” 15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. (John 6:5b-15, NLT)

Jesus turned to Philip, who was from the area, and asked him where they could buy bread for all the people. All four gospels say the group included 5,000 men. This means the actual crowd could have been 10, 15, or even 20,000 people once you start including women and children! Philip started doing some quick math and realized it would take 8 months’ wages to get enough food to even give everyone just a bite, let alone feed them fully! Philip, like most of us, looked at the resources he had before him and concluded the situation was impossible. He forgot to take into account (as we often do) the most important resource he had—Jesus!

Andrew, overhearing the conversation, discovered there was a young boy there who had five barley loaves and two fish. This would have been intended to feed only the young boy, certainly not a crowd. The fact that he had barley loaves is significant—barley loaves were the food of the poor. This boy was likely offering up all he had. He wasn’t wealthy and giving from his abundance, he was giving Jesus all he had. Andrew, like Philip, also concluded that while it was a nice gesture, it wouldn’t really help.

John tells us Jesus was testing Philip and already knew what He was going to do. Jesus didn’t need the disciples to help him feed the people. He could have made it so a loaf of beautiful French bread (maybe even pre-sliced!) would just appear in each person’s hands. He didn’t need the disciples, but he was giving them a chance to be part of what he was about to do—and he wanted to use this miracle to teach them to trust Him.

God does the same thing with many of the trials in our lives too. He can solve things with just a word, but He usually has a bigger purpose. He is teaching us to trust Him. The question is whether we will learn the lesson and turn to Him or whether we will throw our hands up and turn to despair.

The disciples failed the test, but Jesus’ lesson wasn’t over. Taking the little boy’s loaves and fishes, he told the disciples to have everyone sit down in groups. Then he gave thanks for the food and started distributing it among the people. We are told everyone ate until they were full, and not only that, they collected twelve baskets full of leftovers! They ended up with more leftovers after feeding 10-20,000 people than they had at the beginning!

I have lots of questions about how this happened. Did Jesus just keep breaking off pieces and the food never got any smaller? Did he instantly multiply the food? I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. Some have tried to explain this miracle away, saying that when Jesus commended the young boy for sharing his food, it inspired everyone else in the crowd to share their food as well. But that’s not what the text says. All the gospel writers included this account because they understood what a tremendous miracle it was. So did the people who ate! They immediately wanted to make Jesus their king because of this! That seems like a major overreaction if all Jesus did was teach them to share. Trying to explain away the supernatural just doesn’t make sense.

The people were convinced Jesus was the one they had been waiting for. They wanted to make him their king. They liked Jesus. We tend to like people who we think will give us stuff (we see this all the time in politics). The people liked the idea that Jesus was powerful, thinking he could give them a lot. Many likely hoped he would overthrow Roman rule and make Israel a world power once more. If Jesus was here to do that, they wanted him to get started! But that was not what Jesus came to do. As people started to figure this out, they started leaving him. They were only interested in what Jesus could give.

Jesus didn’t allow the popularity or calls to give him power to distract him. Often the desire for fame and adoration ensnares people. Many pastors and Christian leaders have started well, then became popular or famous and went astray. Not so with Jesus. He stayed focused. Rather than basking in the limelight, he retreated from the crowds so he could pray. Jesus’ example is, as usual, a perfect one.

The Second Scene

The second part of the story occurs after Jesus retreated into the hills to pray and the crowd had dispersed.

16 That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. 18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20 but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” 21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination! (John 6:16-21, NLT)

This account is also included in Mark and Matthew. When we piece the accounts together, we learn Jesus had told the disciples to go ahead across the lake and he’d meet them on the other side. Still, they apparently waited around for a while. When it got dark, they decided to head out without him.

Remember that they didn’t have electricity, GPS, or motors for their boats. It was dark. Since it was near Passover, there was likely a full moon, so they had some light, but it still would have been pretty dark. Many of the disciples were experienced sailors, and had grown up fishing this lake, so they weren’t too concerned about crossing at night. They knew what they were doing.

One of the quirks of the Sea of Galilee is that it is low and surrounded by mountains on each side. This meant there was one path for wind to travel through—right across the sea. When the wind picked up, it was like a wind tunnel, and it could create absolute havoc. That’s what happened on this night. The wind started blowing hard and the sea became rough. It must have been a pretty severe storm, because at 3 AM they had only managed to row 3 or 4 miles (it was about 6 miles across the lake). They had probably spent 8 hours or more fighting against the rough waves on the sea, and they were only 2/3’s of the way there!

Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus was watching them. Whether he could simply see them from his elevated vantage point on the hill where he was praying or whether he had a supernatural vision of them, they were never out of Jesus’ sight. They may have felt alone, but they were not. Jesus was watching. That same thing is true for you and me as well. You may feel all alone, but Jesus is watching. He is still in control.

Mark tells us that Jesus saw they were in serious trouble (after 8 hours of fighting the wind!) and began to walk out to them. John tells us that when they saw Jesus walking toward them they were afraid! Jesus reassured them, however, telling them not to be afraid and that I AM was here. Jesus didn’t stop the storm, but they knew they would be safe with Him. What a good reminder that is to us!

In Matthew’s gospel we read about Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water, and then losing sight of Jesus and falling. John’s gospel doesn’t include this story because John’s focus is different. He is teaching us that Jesus is God, and that He is worthy of our trust. That’s why John leaves out this other part of the story—it wasn’t necessary to John’s point.

The end of the story is also puzzling. It appears Jesus performed another miracle, because it says that when Jesus got in the boat they immediately arrived at their destination! Again, I’d like details! They were still a couple miles away, but suddenly they were home. However Jesus accomplished this, the point is clear—as long as we rely on our own strength we will continue to wear ourselves out. The only way to find rest is to run to Jesus. We must trust Him to fight (and win!) the battles we cannot.

Applications

While these are amazing stories, the reason John wrote them down was to teach us. If all we do is come away having heard a neat story, then we have missed the whole point. So what lessons should we learn from this account?

First, God loves to do what seems impossible to us. This is clearly shown in this passage. In both cases, the disciples felt helpless and hopeless because they saw no way out of the crisis they were facing. But God can do far more than we can even imagine. There should never be a time when the Christian feels hopeless because we know God has the power to do what seems impossible to us.

You may look at your situation and not see how it is good or how any good can come from it. But God promises the believer that He works all things for good. We struggle to believe that, because often we can’t see how any good could come from something. It seems impossible to us—but it’s not! There’s a popular song now that has a line I love, “The story isn’t over if the story isn’t good.” It’s true. When life feels hopeless, remember that God can do what we can’t—and He loves to surprise us by doing what we think is impossible. Run to Jesus, trust Him, and see what happens.

Second, we are never alone. The disciples felt alone, but Jesus still had his eye on them. There are many times in life we feel like we’re all alone, like everyone has forgotten or abandoned us, but that’s not true. It’s a lie Satan tells us. The truth is Jesus is always watching us. He will never allow us to be destroyed—he loves us too much.

If you have ever been in charge of small children, you know you don’t let them out of your sight (or you try not to). Sometimes kids don’t realize you’re watching them though. Those are the times that are interesting, because they learn to try new things, to stretch themselves, and to grow. As a parent, you may let them struggle, and you may let them test boundaries just a bit, but you will also swoop in the moment you know they are in real trouble. The kids may not see the danger, and they may not realize you’re watching, but the truth is, they were never alone. They were never left to their own devices. I think that’s how God treats us. Jesus always has his eye on us and He wants to protect us and help us grow. You may not always realize it, but you are never alone.

Third, sometimes God allows crises to teach us. The reason the disciples faced each of these crises was because of Jesus! They could have sent the crowds home, but Jesus told them not to. They didn’t have to go out on the lake, but Jesus told them to. If they had disobeyed Jesus, they wouldn’t have faced either of these trials! This reminds us that following the Lord is not a guarantee that life will be easy. Lots of people teach that because it’s what people want to hear, but it just isn’t true.

Though Jesus was the reason they faced the crises, they were for a specific purpose—to teach the disciples to trust Him. When you face a crisis, ask yourself what God wants you to learn. Usually He is teaching us to trust Him—sometimes that means doing what we know is right even though it’s hard or doesn’t make sense to us; sometimes it means we stop fighting and rest in God’s provision. Almost always, what God wants you to learn will require you to stretch your faith. Whatever crisis you face, remember it’s an opportunity God is giving you to learn something important—so don’t waste it!

Fourth, give what you can to God, and trust Him to do the rest. The unlikely hero of the feeding of the five thousand is the little boy who knew he couldn’t feed everyone, but offered to give Jesus what he had. That is such a wonderful picture of faith—and it’s why Jesus tells us to have faith like a child. Children can’t see the whole picture, and don’t know how to solve problems on their own, but they do offer to help in whatever way they can.

That’s what Jesus wants us to do. He doesn’t ask us to solve all the problems, he just asks us to give what we can and then to trust Him. You may feel like what you have to offer isn’t much—but neither was what the little boy had. If we will give fully to the Lord of what we have (whether that is resources, time, energy, skills, etc.), we will be amazed at how He can multiply our meager offerings. We need to learn to approach things like the little boy—offering what we have to the Lord rather than doing nothing because we can’t see how our efforts could possibly help. Never underestimate God’s power to multiply your gifts!

Conclusion

These stories teach us about the nature of God and about the nature of faith. They remind us that God is able to do far more than we can imagine. Sometimes the Lord will lead us into situations that are scary or that remind us we don’t have the power to do everything in our own strength. He does this because He loves us. He does it to teach us and build faith within us.

These accounts also teach us what genuine faith looks like. Real faith creates action. When God calls us to do things that are hard or scary, the person of faith steps forward and gives what they can to the Lord. Rather than listing all the reasons they can’t help, they focus on what they can do and trust God to use that. We must remember that God can use whatever we offer and multiply it to do more than we could imagine. We just have to be willing to step forward. We must learn to look at situations with eyes of faith.

Whatever you are facing today, let me challenge you to take a step back and look at the situation with different eyes. Remember that God can do what you can’t. So do what He asks, even if it’s hard or scary or doesn’t make sense to you. It took the disciples a while to learn this, but once they finally did they changed the world. You may think you don’t have much to offer, but remember, God fed a multitude with a little boy’s lunch! He can use you too.

©January 17th, 2021 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: John