John 6:1-15

Introduction

There are two parts to every story that are easy to pick out. Any good story must have a paeak or a climax. This is the part of the movie where things are as good as it can be. it can also be when everything finally turns for a change.

In remember the Titans its when the music plays and ques a montage and all the players love each other and they are crushing every team left and right.

In Shawshank Redemption its when the sun is setting and the prisoners sit on top of roof looking at their hard work and drinking a bucket of beer they earned.

In the boy in the striped pajamas....oh wait no good moments

In the Rocky IV its on montage when he is training with the glistening muscles in the log cabin and you hears “sing hearts on fire”

and in the real story of the life of Christ this next section is the peak of the story and his ministry. We will see Jesus perform two phenomenal miracles (they all are) and today’s miracle (the feeding of the 5000) is the only one recorded in all 4 gospels. That alone tells you the signifigance of this story.

Shortly after this and the walking on the water. Jesus will have a long discourse and many of those follwing Him will desert him and the story begins to turn and point to Christ’s torture and sacrifice on the cross.

The New International Version Chapter 6

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

We have a good bit of information in these few verses. The phrase some time after this can be rather loose and indirect, but we can piece together from the other gospels and history as to what is meant here between chapters 5 and 6.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 6:1–2

Herod Antipas had killed John the Baptist (Mark 6:14–29; cf. John 3:24), the disciples had preached throughout Galilee (Mark 6:7–13, 30–31), multitudes of people were curious about Jesus, and Herod Antipas was seeking Jesus (Luke 9:7–9). So the time between the events in John 5 and 6 was probably six months

There is a great crowd that has been following after all Jesus has done. One important thing I want you to see is that they are gathered in this solitary and remote place on the mountain side. This is similar and I believe a direct representation of Moses. Jesus is the greater prophet and the greater Moses that John was pointing to. The people needed saving from the exile of their sin and they are looking for their deliverer, and here He sits on the mountain side teaching them. They are desperate, hungry and tired just as the Jews looking to Moses almost as a WHAT NOW? WHATS NEXT?

Just as Moses, some will faithfully follow, but many will doubt desert and betray, just as their fathers did.

this is the second Passover that John mentioned and the third of course is when Jesus is crucified. Therefore that is where we gain that Jesus’ ministry was three years long. Thats it only three years.

3 years..... think about how short that is and what He fulfilled and accomplished.

1.5 years ago we started KCC. That means we are halfway through with the timeline Jesus had.

Now, I can promise you I aint Jesus.....but everything that is worthwhile done here at KCC is indeed done by Him

And I got excited thinking about this. I began to light up in my study time thinking about the many miraculous things the Spirit of God can do in His church in the next year and a half. We are a moment away from a feeding of 5000 moment. But having that said, we are also a moment away from a golgotha moment.

We must be willing to take both and both are for the Glory of God.

The New International Version Chapter 6

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

STOP VIEWING ADVERSITY AS OPPOSITION AND START VIEWING IT AS OPPORTUNITY

Jesus always has the eye for opportunity. He sees what we would view as a problem, and He sees this as an opportunity to test and teach His disciples.

Planting a church comes with Adversity.....amen? Realistically 40% of church plants fail and dont survive even 5 years. There are quotes that say 80% but this claim is baseless and untrue. But there are many indeed that do fail.

Now there are many reasons that churches fail, but some fail because they simply cannot climb the hill of opposition to opportunity.

Now here is the thing. Jesus asks Phillip how to feed the (10,000) and Phillip is like uhhhhhhh. Homie we dont even have food for ourselves.

Phillip’s analysis is accurate. Phillip has zero means to feed that crowd. Asking Phillip to feed the crowd is like asking me complete a triathalon this morning…it aint happenin.

BUT, that isnt what Jesus wants Phillip to think about and it isnt what Jesus wants us as KCC to think about.

SUCCESS AT KCC CAN ONLY COME FROM CHRIST

We will work tirelesly, we will use all our gifts and talents that God has given us, but we will never have the mindset that KCC that success will come from me or Doug or Katie or Paul or anyone in this room. The multitudes will only be delivered by Christ.

Andrew gets about half way there right? He brings a boy with some food and they offer it to Jesus, but even then Andrew says how far will that go.

We know from the gospel of Mark that Jesus said, go and see what resources there are in the crowd.

The adversity has already blurred Andrew’s vision of Christ. They have seen him perform miracles ot his point. they have seen Jesus do great things. And instead of offering what they have and saying Jesus do your thing we need you. He doubts.

Jesus is not performing this miracle to just fill their bellies though. Jesus performs these signs in order to show that He........

in 2 Kings Elisha takes 20 barley loaves and feeds 100 men. Pretty great…but there was one greater than Moses and there was one greater than Elisha. It is Jesus

He is the great one. He is the provider. He is the one our hope is in. He is our deliverer. The queen reined for 70 years Jesus reins for eternity.

He sits before 10,000 people on a Mountain Side and declares the same thing we declare about Him today HE IS GOD.

The New International Version Chapter 6

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Jesus, the great shepherd, does exactly as mentioned in Psalm 23 and he has the people like sheep to sit down in the green pasture.

YOU CANNOT BE FED BY GOD WHILE MOVING IN CHAOS

Sometimes its important for us to sit down and watch Jesus work.

When we sit down and wait for His instruction, it shows that we

Trust Him and His voice

We are ready to listen

We are ready for His provision

The New International Version Chapter 6

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Jesus wasnt done teaching lessons that day. All 10,000 had their bellies full and even then there were 12 baskets left one for each disciple. Each disciple who doubted what Jesus would do.

The New International Version Chapter 6

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Moses said another prophet would come from them in DDEUT

Jesus could have taken His kingdom in the moment

YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE KINGDOM WITHOUT FIRST SEEING THE CROSS