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The All-Providing King
The All-Providing King
John 6:1-15
INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. We completed our study of chapter 5 last time and as we return to John's Gospel, I want to spend a few minutes reminding ourselves of some of the important concepts that John has set forward in this Gospel.
First, we need to remember the purpose John stated for writing. It is always important as we study the Gospels to keep in mind the inspired author's purpose. There's a reason behind these things. It's not just simply four narratives, but it is an argument based on the author concerning Jesus. John said that he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Now we are going to go on to the 6th chapter where John records for us the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.
Second, we have observed in this Gospel, that John is showing us that Jesus does what God has already done. Remember the parallel between how the Bible begins, the first book, Genesis, in the beginning God, and then we have John's Gospel in the beginning the Word. Right at the start John tells us the Word is God. Then he continues in the following chapters showing us Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, by observing how Jesus is accomplishing and doing what God has already done.
Third, keep in mind that in this Gospel John has been talking about signs. His Gospel is unique in how John emphasizes the necessity of signs. He only records seven miracles and he calls those miracles signs, which means that we are not supposed to step back and just say, wow, that was a neat miracle. The miracle is to communicate something deeper. There is a deeper message, a deeper concept than just simply, He did a miracle and that makes Him God.
There is something intrinsic in the miracle that causes it to be a sign. It is a symbol, it is a communicating device to the reader, so that you will know that Jesus is the Christ, not only by His power, but also in what He does.
Please keep those things in mind as we study this 6th chapter. This chapter is one solid story, but to do 71 verses in one lesson is just not going to happen. We need to break it into pieces. First, there is the fourth great sign (John 6:1-14); then the people's efforts to make him King (John 6:15); the fifth of the seven signs (John 6:16-21); next the discussions on the other side of the lake and the extended metaphor of the bread of life (John 6:22-51); then the "hard saying" regarding the eating of His flesh, etc. (John 6:52-59); and the downward turn in the Lord's popularity (John 6:60-71).
As we go through this chapter, please keep in your mind that this is one story, one event that John has put together concerning who Jesus is.
Before we introduce this chapter, let's read the first 15 verses, get a feel of what John is recording for us, and then we'll break it down into the pieces that John wants us to understand.
John 6:1-15 – “After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.”
“When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”
“Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all.” Then Jesus 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. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”
“So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”[ESV]
I. Overview – Let’s first have an overview of what is going on. We want to make some observations before we get into the details of what John is teaching us.
A. The first thing I think worthy of observation is that this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. The synoptics record this sign as the culmination of a series of wonders, but John seems to have presented it for the sake of the discussions that flowed out of it; and it also fitted his objective of stressing Jesus' deity.
1. Since this is the only miracle that gets treatment by all four, what makes John’s viewpoint distinct? What is different about this recording of the miracle than the synoptic Gospels? I believe we do a great disservice when we take the Gospel accounts and try to harmonize them, to blend them together and make them one. If God wanted one singular narrative, He certainly could have given us one singular narrative.
2. There is a reason that John's Gospel has some different details, that are not found in the other Gospels. As I read I often wonder, why did John say that here? How come this is different than Matthew, Mark and Luke's Gospels? What is John trying to get us to understand?
B. The second thing that we need to see is this is filled with Exodus overtones. Notice all the Exodus imagery that is found here. For example, John goes out of his way in verse 4 to point out it's the Passover that's coming. The Passover was given to Moses and the people of Israel when they were slaves in Egypt, and it was observed the night before the Exodus. The great Passover when God struck down the firstborn who did not have the mark on the doors. The Passover is memorial about the Exodus and how God had led the people by a mighty hand from their slavery.
1. We also notice the picture how Jesus crosses the sea and goes up the mountain. Which is exactly what Moses does in the Exodus as he crosses the Red Sea and then goes up to Mount Sinai. John records this but none of the other Gospels do.
2. John also tells us that there's a great multitude following Him as He goes. Which is what Moses did. Moses led the mighty number of Israel as he takes them across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai and into the wilderness.
C. The wilderness is the third parallel. Jesus goes to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias). That is the side of the sea that is known for its barren hillside. The other Gospel accounts just say it's a desolate place.
1. This is observable geographically and doesn't have to be stated by John. We know that's not like the west side where there's Capernaum and there's all those cities and towns.
2. This is a desolate area as is made clear by Jesus’ question to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread…” The point is they are in the middle of nowhere and there is no place near to buy food. It's a desolate place. Just as when Moses leads the people into the wilderness.
D. The Exodus symbolism continues with Jesus’ question. None of the other Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus asks the question, “Where are we to buy bread…”. It is always the question of the disciples. This is a strong parallel to what Moses asks in Numbers 11:13 – “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?...”
1. We can see what John is showing us here, feel the weight of Passover, of Sinai and wilderness as we read this chapter. It's only going to get stronger as we read and I suggest you read the whole chapter and see for yourself though we will not get past verse John 6:15 today.
2. John is setting this up for us in the very beginning with Jesus crossing the sea, going up on the mountain. The crowds follow. They're in a desolate place. Jesus is acting just like Moses not only in His actions, but also in His words. We'll see the people draw that conclusion in verse 14. This is the one. This is the prophet like Moses that Moses said the Lord would raise up. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
E. One other thing I note here is the story also gives a warning for future trouble. Notice verse 2, “A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.” The crowds were following Him because of the signs. We have observed that this has been a problem many times in the Gospel of John. The issue was first highlighted for us in John 2:23-25. “Many believed when they saw the signs he was doing but Jesus did not believe in or entrust himself to them because he knew what was in their hearts.” They believe because they see the signs. But there is not an inward faith that comes from seeing the signs.
1. Jesus condemned the people for this specifically in John 4:48, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” John has shown us the false, non-saving belief of Nicodemus in chapter 3 and the true, saving faith of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4. Now John is foreshadowing this same issue. He sets us the scene with the crowds coming for the wrong reason. Jesus must deal with the problem that their belief is shallow. It is not true saving faith.
2. They just simply are coming because of external events. Now let's get into the story and look at some of the things that are going on. In verse 5 we see Jesus asking the question.
II. The Test – John 6:5 Jesus asks Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” John tells us the number of men were about 5,000 and Matthew says about 5,000 besides women and children. Feel the enormity of the situation! That is a lot of people and there is no place nearby to get supplies. Visualize thousands of people streaming toward Jesus and His disciples. That is a huge number of people. Can you picture the faces of the disciples when Jesus asks that question? You've got to be kidding me! Look at all these people.
A. Now we consider what Jesus is doing as verse 6 continues, “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” Jesus is asking a question to see what the response of His disciples is going to be. This is a testing of faith; would they turn to Jesus and declare that He can resolve this situation. “You are the Son of God and you can do all things”.
1. Recall what Ezekiel said when God asked him something seemingly impossible, “can these bones live?” Ezekiel responds, “O Lord God, you know.”
2. Rather than looking to Jesus for the answer and trusting Him to provide, the disciples look to self-reliance. We don’t have enough money to fix the problem. We don’t have enough food to solve the situation.
3. Consider what Jesus is doing here. I suspect Jesus is not asking His disciples to solve this problem. He's not asking His disciples to look to themselves and come up with some kind of answer. He's looking for them to see Jesus as the answer. He wants them to turn to Him and say, we don't have an answer, but You can solve the problem. You are able to deal with the situation. You are the all-providing King, You can do something. — This is the test.
B. There is something important for us to recognize, we need to see our insufficiency. It's ultimately why we are tested isn’t it? It really doesn't matter what we're going through. It doesn't matter if it is the severest of severe trials. It doesn't matter if it's a minor ordeal. Ultimately, everything boils down to recognizing in the trial we are completely insufficient. We do not possess all the answers. We do not know how things are going to turn out. We cannot change the circumstances the way we would like in any event.
1. I need to recognize that I am insufficient but there is One who is all-sufficient. I am not to first turn to myself and say, well, let me see how I can solve my problem. Then if I can't solve my problem, shrug my shoulders and say, well, maybe God can do something.
2. Sad but true many of us, myself well included, turn to our own insufficiency first instead of God first. The disciples say they do not have enough money to buy the amount of food needed even if there was a place to get it from. As far as the food on hand they say; “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
C. The scene continues in verse 10, and we see something interesting; “Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”” Then John writes, “Now there was much grass in the place…” I read that and wondered. Matthew, Mark and Luke call this a desolate place, yet several of the gospels mention the grass where the people could sit. I think there is something that is being declared here in this highly symbolic gospel. It's desolate. But where Jesus is, there's green grass. Interesting.
1. Jesus has the people sit down. With the five small loaves and two small fish available, Jesus takes the loaves and fish, gives thanks to the Father, and then distributed the bread and fish. With 5000 men and an unknown number of women and children, the disciples begin to hand out the food. The disciples keep passing out the food until the crowd had eaten “as much as they wanted.”
2. This is not a snack. This is dinner for the crowd. The crowd eats until they are satisfied. He takes the loaves and gives thanks and distributes them to those who were seated. I try to imagine a grassy hillside with 5,000 men plus women and children all seated around and the disciples distributing the fish and loaves. How long does it take to feed a few thousand people? Visualize what's going on here. This must have taken quite some time, and it says they have as much as they wanted.
D. Then notice the emphasis is made in verse 12. “And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”” They ate until they were full! Jesus supplied an abundance of food. It's a great picture because it tells us that only Jesus can satisfy. There's a great image as the disciples see Jesus is the one who is sufficient. They are not sufficient for the problem in front of them. But here is the all-sufficient King who truly satisfies.
1. Everyone eats all that they want. They are completely satisfied. They are completely filled. It is a beautiful picture. It teaches us everything else is emptiness.
2. That void in your life you feel, that emptiness you have, only God fills. Here is that picture being done in the symbol. He is trying to communicate it to them in this imagery that He has come, and He brings satisfaction to the hungry and thirsty no one else can satisfy. Only Jesus can provide. Only Jesus is sufficient. Only Jesus can satisfy.
III. Nothing Lost - In verse 12 after they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost. This command is not recorded in the other accounts. There is a symbolism that exists here, and I want to stress I do not think the point is “even in abundance don't be wasteful”. Not the point at all. I want you to recognize the imagery that's being given to us.
A. That nothing may be lost. The bread that Jesus has offered to the people. He has come for the people so that no one will be lost. There is a deep meaning behind what has happened. He is accomplishing something here.
1. Look at verse 13, “So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” Jesus has come so that life would be given and none would be lost. You ever wondered why Jesus made sure it was 12 baskets that were filled and not 4 or 7 or 10 or 40.
2. Why 12? Because Jesus has come to Israel and so that none of Israel will be lost. He has come to offer them life, to save them from their sins. Now, you might be thinking that this is reading too much into the text. But look at verse 14: this is a sign. “When the people saw the sign that he had done,…”
3. John identifies that there is a deeper symbolic message in the feeding of the 5,000 than the mere fact that Jesus used His divine power to fill bellies. Something greater is being taught and this message sets the tone for the chapter as Jesus will declare himself to be the bread of life. Jesus has come so that no one may be lost. He has come to gather Israel in for its salvation. All who are gathered to him will be saved. Those who are satisfied in Jesus are gathered in and will not be lost.
4. Jesus has come to offer the satisfaction that cannot be found anywhere else. Jesus has come to solve the problem of sin that we have and so desperately need someone to deal with. Jesus has come to solve that problem for us.
5. All who belong to Him will be saved or to put it another way, those who are satisfied in Jesus are gathered in and they are not lost. This is a tremendous message that we're going to see repeated in John's gospel over the next few chapters.
6. He has come to save. He has come so that none need to be lost. He has come to redeem. There is no reason for anyone to be lost because He is all sufficient, and He provides exactly what we need.
IV. False Expectations – Verse 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!””
A. They see the symbolism. All that John laid out about Passover and Exodus and crossing the sea and how he's just like Moses. He's the one. That's what Deuteronomy says. Moses said there'd be somebody like me who would rise up. The Jewish expectation was there would be another Moses who would deliver the people. He's doing it. He is the one. He is that deliverer. He is the prophet.
B. Then we see what Jesus does. Verse 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.” Now, wait a minute. I thought they got it right. They're saying you're the new Moses, the new Exodus. You're the deliverer. You're the one, right? They've got it. But we've been told that Jesus knew the hearts of the people, He's able to read that they're drawing the wrong conclusion.
1. They do recognize an important truth. They have seen the sign that He is sent by God, and He is the prophet that Moses spoke of. Yet they are drawing a false conclusion because rather than coming to Him seeing Him as the savior from their sins and the life giver, they're coming to Him because they're wowed by the sign.
2. Wow, that was neat. Which is what we've seen repeatedly in this gospel. In fact, verse 26 of this chapter tells us that when they come to him, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves…”. You are coming for the wrong reason. You're seeing the signs, but you're drawing the wrong conclusion. You're not seeing me as the one who provides what you need spiritually.
3. You're seeing me as somebody who provides for you materially. Somebody who provides for you physically. Now we can have the food that we want. They are thinking physically and materially rather than spiritually. This has happened throughout this gospel. Think of the woman at the well. Jesus says “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” She says, “Give me that water so I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
C. When Jesus feeds the 5000, they want to make Jesus a physical king who will give them all that they want. We see this point clearly stated in John 6:26. This is why Jesus withdraws from them and returns to the mountain. Just as when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone only to find the people acting sinful and returned to the mountain to receive the Law again, Jesus finds the wrong hearts in these people and returns to the mountain.
D. Jesus has come to be their lasting eternal satisfaction. The people just want to be fed. We will leave that thought there and consider it with greater depth in the future lessons from this chapter as Jesus will explore this problem with the people’s hearts.
CONCLUSION: That's what's being displayed for us here. Unfortunately, the people just simply wanted to be fed. By that I mean they just want their desires met. They want their physical needs confirmed and addressed. They do not see that their spiritual needs must be dealt with. How often God tests us to see if we will trust Jesus to be our all-providing king.
How often He will test us and stand back and see, will the first thing on our lips be, Jesus, you are the all-satisfying king, You can do all things. You have satisfied my needs to the utmost. You have come and dealt with my sins. You have set me free from that which I enslaved myself. You have taken my defilement and corruption and cleansed me. You have placed me in your glorious kingdom and made me to be a servant of yours. In fact, a glorious servant so that you call me brother and God our father. Unbelievable.
Will we see him as that, and have the heart to trust God, no matter what happens physically in this life? No matter what transpires in difficulty and hardship? Will we see Him as the one to trust? Or do we only turn to Him for the physical, wanting Him as a God of comfort and ease.
The Lord is looking for us to turn to Him in every circumstance, whether good or bad, so that we can belong to Him and receive the true life that we need. That's what Jesus is looking for. Looking for those who will have a true, transformed life, a true saving belief in who Jesus is, and not just merely a shell, a facade, a simple, yes, He's the one who does neat things.
I want to leave you with the words of the Apostle Peter, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,…” That's the message of John. He has given us everything we need for godliness, for life, to give us all that we need. He called us so that none would be lost.
He has come to save you from your own foolish life and sinful ways. He’s come to redeem you and make you a child of God. That's what we need to pursue. If we keep that in our mind's eye, and keep that in our sight, that will lead to transforming faith. That will lead to the true belief that Jesus is looking for, to see Him as the one who provides everything we need.
Are you ready to do that? Turn away from your sins. Be immersed in the water for the forgiveness of your sins. Accept Him as the King. Submit to Him and turn everything to Him. Yield to Him and look to Him for all you need. Won't you come while we stand and sing?
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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville
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By chardonThe All-Providing King
John 6:1-15
INTRODUCTION: Good morning church. We completed our study of chapter 5 last time and as we return to John's Gospel, I want to spend a few minutes reminding ourselves of some of the important concepts that John has set forward in this Gospel.
First, we need to remember the purpose John stated for writing. It is always important as we study the Gospels to keep in mind the inspired author's purpose. There's a reason behind these things. It's not just simply four narratives, but it is an argument based on the author concerning Jesus. John said that he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Now we are going to go on to the 6th chapter where John records for us the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.
Second, we have observed in this Gospel, that John is showing us that Jesus does what God has already done. Remember the parallel between how the Bible begins, the first book, Genesis, in the beginning God, and then we have John's Gospel in the beginning the Word. Right at the start John tells us the Word is God. Then he continues in the following chapters showing us Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, by observing how Jesus is accomplishing and doing what God has already done.
Third, keep in mind that in this Gospel John has been talking about signs. His Gospel is unique in how John emphasizes the necessity of signs. He only records seven miracles and he calls those miracles signs, which means that we are not supposed to step back and just say, wow, that was a neat miracle. The miracle is to communicate something deeper. There is a deeper message, a deeper concept than just simply, He did a miracle and that makes Him God.
There is something intrinsic in the miracle that causes it to be a sign. It is a symbol, it is a communicating device to the reader, so that you will know that Jesus is the Christ, not only by His power, but also in what He does.
Please keep those things in mind as we study this 6th chapter. This chapter is one solid story, but to do 71 verses in one lesson is just not going to happen. We need to break it into pieces. First, there is the fourth great sign (John 6:1-14); then the people's efforts to make him King (John 6:15); the fifth of the seven signs (John 6:16-21); next the discussions on the other side of the lake and the extended metaphor of the bread of life (John 6:22-51); then the "hard saying" regarding the eating of His flesh, etc. (John 6:52-59); and the downward turn in the Lord's popularity (John 6:60-71).
As we go through this chapter, please keep in your mind that this is one story, one event that John has put together concerning who Jesus is.
Before we introduce this chapter, let's read the first 15 verses, get a feel of what John is recording for us, and then we'll break it down into the pieces that John wants us to understand.
John 6:1-15 – “After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.”
“When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”
“Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all.” Then Jesus 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. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”
“So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”[ESV]
I. Overview – Let’s first have an overview of what is going on. We want to make some observations before we get into the details of what John is teaching us.
A. The first thing I think worthy of observation is that this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. The synoptics record this sign as the culmination of a series of wonders, but John seems to have presented it for the sake of the discussions that flowed out of it; and it also fitted his objective of stressing Jesus' deity.
1. Since this is the only miracle that gets treatment by all four, what makes John’s viewpoint distinct? What is different about this recording of the miracle than the synoptic Gospels? I believe we do a great disservice when we take the Gospel accounts and try to harmonize them, to blend them together and make them one. If God wanted one singular narrative, He certainly could have given us one singular narrative.
2. There is a reason that John's Gospel has some different details, that are not found in the other Gospels. As I read I often wonder, why did John say that here? How come this is different than Matthew, Mark and Luke's Gospels? What is John trying to get us to understand?
B. The second thing that we need to see is this is filled with Exodus overtones. Notice all the Exodus imagery that is found here. For example, John goes out of his way in verse 4 to point out it's the Passover that's coming. The Passover was given to Moses and the people of Israel when they were slaves in Egypt, and it was observed the night before the Exodus. The great Passover when God struck down the firstborn who did not have the mark on the doors. The Passover is memorial about the Exodus and how God had led the people by a mighty hand from their slavery.
1. We also notice the picture how Jesus crosses the sea and goes up the mountain. Which is exactly what Moses does in the Exodus as he crosses the Red Sea and then goes up to Mount Sinai. John records this but none of the other Gospels do.
2. John also tells us that there's a great multitude following Him as He goes. Which is what Moses did. Moses led the mighty number of Israel as he takes them across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai and into the wilderness.
C. The wilderness is the third parallel. Jesus goes to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias). That is the side of the sea that is known for its barren hillside. The other Gospel accounts just say it's a desolate place.
1. This is observable geographically and doesn't have to be stated by John. We know that's not like the west side where there's Capernaum and there's all those cities and towns.
2. This is a desolate area as is made clear by Jesus’ question to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread…” The point is they are in the middle of nowhere and there is no place near to buy food. It's a desolate place. Just as when Moses leads the people into the wilderness.
D. The Exodus symbolism continues with Jesus’ question. None of the other Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus asks the question, “Where are we to buy bread…”. It is always the question of the disciples. This is a strong parallel to what Moses asks in Numbers 11:13 – “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?...”
1. We can see what John is showing us here, feel the weight of Passover, of Sinai and wilderness as we read this chapter. It's only going to get stronger as we read and I suggest you read the whole chapter and see for yourself though we will not get past verse John 6:15 today.
2. John is setting this up for us in the very beginning with Jesus crossing the sea, going up on the mountain. The crowds follow. They're in a desolate place. Jesus is acting just like Moses not only in His actions, but also in His words. We'll see the people draw that conclusion in verse 14. This is the one. This is the prophet like Moses that Moses said the Lord would raise up. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
E. One other thing I note here is the story also gives a warning for future trouble. Notice verse 2, “A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.” The crowds were following Him because of the signs. We have observed that this has been a problem many times in the Gospel of John. The issue was first highlighted for us in John 2:23-25. “Many believed when they saw the signs he was doing but Jesus did not believe in or entrust himself to them because he knew what was in their hearts.” They believe because they see the signs. But there is not an inward faith that comes from seeing the signs.
1. Jesus condemned the people for this specifically in John 4:48, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” John has shown us the false, non-saving belief of Nicodemus in chapter 3 and the true, saving faith of the Samaritan woman in chapter 4. Now John is foreshadowing this same issue. He sets us the scene with the crowds coming for the wrong reason. Jesus must deal with the problem that their belief is shallow. It is not true saving faith.
2. They just simply are coming because of external events. Now let's get into the story and look at some of the things that are going on. In verse 5 we see Jesus asking the question.
II. The Test – John 6:5 Jesus asks Phillip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” John tells us the number of men were about 5,000 and Matthew says about 5,000 besides women and children. Feel the enormity of the situation! That is a lot of people and there is no place nearby to get supplies. Visualize thousands of people streaming toward Jesus and His disciples. That is a huge number of people. Can you picture the faces of the disciples when Jesus asks that question? You've got to be kidding me! Look at all these people.
A. Now we consider what Jesus is doing as verse 6 continues, “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” Jesus is asking a question to see what the response of His disciples is going to be. This is a testing of faith; would they turn to Jesus and declare that He can resolve this situation. “You are the Son of God and you can do all things”.
1. Recall what Ezekiel said when God asked him something seemingly impossible, “can these bones live?” Ezekiel responds, “O Lord God, you know.”
2. Rather than looking to Jesus for the answer and trusting Him to provide, the disciples look to self-reliance. We don’t have enough money to fix the problem. We don’t have enough food to solve the situation.
3. Consider what Jesus is doing here. I suspect Jesus is not asking His disciples to solve this problem. He's not asking His disciples to look to themselves and come up with some kind of answer. He's looking for them to see Jesus as the answer. He wants them to turn to Him and say, we don't have an answer, but You can solve the problem. You are able to deal with the situation. You are the all-providing King, You can do something. — This is the test.
B. There is something important for us to recognize, we need to see our insufficiency. It's ultimately why we are tested isn’t it? It really doesn't matter what we're going through. It doesn't matter if it is the severest of severe trials. It doesn't matter if it's a minor ordeal. Ultimately, everything boils down to recognizing in the trial we are completely insufficient. We do not possess all the answers. We do not know how things are going to turn out. We cannot change the circumstances the way we would like in any event.
1. I need to recognize that I am insufficient but there is One who is all-sufficient. I am not to first turn to myself and say, well, let me see how I can solve my problem. Then if I can't solve my problem, shrug my shoulders and say, well, maybe God can do something.
2. Sad but true many of us, myself well included, turn to our own insufficiency first instead of God first. The disciples say they do not have enough money to buy the amount of food needed even if there was a place to get it from. As far as the food on hand they say; “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
C. The scene continues in verse 10, and we see something interesting; “Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.”” Then John writes, “Now there was much grass in the place…” I read that and wondered. Matthew, Mark and Luke call this a desolate place, yet several of the gospels mention the grass where the people could sit. I think there is something that is being declared here in this highly symbolic gospel. It's desolate. But where Jesus is, there's green grass. Interesting.
1. Jesus has the people sit down. With the five small loaves and two small fish available, Jesus takes the loaves and fish, gives thanks to the Father, and then distributed the bread and fish. With 5000 men and an unknown number of women and children, the disciples begin to hand out the food. The disciples keep passing out the food until the crowd had eaten “as much as they wanted.”
2. This is not a snack. This is dinner for the crowd. The crowd eats until they are satisfied. He takes the loaves and gives thanks and distributes them to those who were seated. I try to imagine a grassy hillside with 5,000 men plus women and children all seated around and the disciples distributing the fish and loaves. How long does it take to feed a few thousand people? Visualize what's going on here. This must have taken quite some time, and it says they have as much as they wanted.
D. Then notice the emphasis is made in verse 12. “And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”” They ate until they were full! Jesus supplied an abundance of food. It's a great picture because it tells us that only Jesus can satisfy. There's a great image as the disciples see Jesus is the one who is sufficient. They are not sufficient for the problem in front of them. But here is the all-sufficient King who truly satisfies.
1. Everyone eats all that they want. They are completely satisfied. They are completely filled. It is a beautiful picture. It teaches us everything else is emptiness.
2. That void in your life you feel, that emptiness you have, only God fills. Here is that picture being done in the symbol. He is trying to communicate it to them in this imagery that He has come, and He brings satisfaction to the hungry and thirsty no one else can satisfy. Only Jesus can provide. Only Jesus is sufficient. Only Jesus can satisfy.
III. Nothing Lost - In verse 12 after they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost. This command is not recorded in the other accounts. There is a symbolism that exists here, and I want to stress I do not think the point is “even in abundance don't be wasteful”. Not the point at all. I want you to recognize the imagery that's being given to us.
A. That nothing may be lost. The bread that Jesus has offered to the people. He has come for the people so that no one will be lost. There is a deep meaning behind what has happened. He is accomplishing something here.
1. Look at verse 13, “So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.” Jesus has come so that life would be given and none would be lost. You ever wondered why Jesus made sure it was 12 baskets that were filled and not 4 or 7 or 10 or 40.
2. Why 12? Because Jesus has come to Israel and so that none of Israel will be lost. He has come to offer them life, to save them from their sins. Now, you might be thinking that this is reading too much into the text. But look at verse 14: this is a sign. “When the people saw the sign that he had done,…”
3. John identifies that there is a deeper symbolic message in the feeding of the 5,000 than the mere fact that Jesus used His divine power to fill bellies. Something greater is being taught and this message sets the tone for the chapter as Jesus will declare himself to be the bread of life. Jesus has come so that no one may be lost. He has come to gather Israel in for its salvation. All who are gathered to him will be saved. Those who are satisfied in Jesus are gathered in and will not be lost.
4. Jesus has come to offer the satisfaction that cannot be found anywhere else. Jesus has come to solve the problem of sin that we have and so desperately need someone to deal with. Jesus has come to solve that problem for us.
5. All who belong to Him will be saved or to put it another way, those who are satisfied in Jesus are gathered in and they are not lost. This is a tremendous message that we're going to see repeated in John's gospel over the next few chapters.
6. He has come to save. He has come so that none need to be lost. He has come to redeem. There is no reason for anyone to be lost because He is all sufficient, and He provides exactly what we need.
IV. False Expectations – Verse 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!””
A. They see the symbolism. All that John laid out about Passover and Exodus and crossing the sea and how he's just like Moses. He's the one. That's what Deuteronomy says. Moses said there'd be somebody like me who would rise up. The Jewish expectation was there would be another Moses who would deliver the people. He's doing it. He is the one. He is that deliverer. He is the prophet.
B. Then we see what Jesus does. Verse 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.” Now, wait a minute. I thought they got it right. They're saying you're the new Moses, the new Exodus. You're the deliverer. You're the one, right? They've got it. But we've been told that Jesus knew the hearts of the people, He's able to read that they're drawing the wrong conclusion.
1. They do recognize an important truth. They have seen the sign that He is sent by God, and He is the prophet that Moses spoke of. Yet they are drawing a false conclusion because rather than coming to Him seeing Him as the savior from their sins and the life giver, they're coming to Him because they're wowed by the sign.
2. Wow, that was neat. Which is what we've seen repeatedly in this gospel. In fact, verse 26 of this chapter tells us that when they come to him, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves…”. You are coming for the wrong reason. You're seeing the signs, but you're drawing the wrong conclusion. You're not seeing me as the one who provides what you need spiritually.
3. You're seeing me as somebody who provides for you materially. Somebody who provides for you physically. Now we can have the food that we want. They are thinking physically and materially rather than spiritually. This has happened throughout this gospel. Think of the woman at the well. Jesus says “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” She says, “Give me that water so I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
C. When Jesus feeds the 5000, they want to make Jesus a physical king who will give them all that they want. We see this point clearly stated in John 6:26. This is why Jesus withdraws from them and returns to the mountain. Just as when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets of stone only to find the people acting sinful and returned to the mountain to receive the Law again, Jesus finds the wrong hearts in these people and returns to the mountain.
D. Jesus has come to be their lasting eternal satisfaction. The people just want to be fed. We will leave that thought there and consider it with greater depth in the future lessons from this chapter as Jesus will explore this problem with the people’s hearts.
CONCLUSION: That's what's being displayed for us here. Unfortunately, the people just simply wanted to be fed. By that I mean they just want their desires met. They want their physical needs confirmed and addressed. They do not see that their spiritual needs must be dealt with. How often God tests us to see if we will trust Jesus to be our all-providing king.
How often He will test us and stand back and see, will the first thing on our lips be, Jesus, you are the all-satisfying king, You can do all things. You have satisfied my needs to the utmost. You have come and dealt with my sins. You have set me free from that which I enslaved myself. You have taken my defilement and corruption and cleansed me. You have placed me in your glorious kingdom and made me to be a servant of yours. In fact, a glorious servant so that you call me brother and God our father. Unbelievable.
Will we see him as that, and have the heart to trust God, no matter what happens physically in this life? No matter what transpires in difficulty and hardship? Will we see Him as the one to trust? Or do we only turn to Him for the physical, wanting Him as a God of comfort and ease.
The Lord is looking for us to turn to Him in every circumstance, whether good or bad, so that we can belong to Him and receive the true life that we need. That's what Jesus is looking for. Looking for those who will have a true, transformed life, a true saving belief in who Jesus is, and not just merely a shell, a facade, a simple, yes, He's the one who does neat things.
I want to leave you with the words of the Apostle Peter, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,…” That's the message of John. He has given us everything we need for godliness, for life, to give us all that we need. He called us so that none would be lost.
He has come to save you from your own foolish life and sinful ways. He’s come to redeem you and make you a child of God. That's what we need to pursue. If we keep that in our mind's eye, and keep that in our sight, that will lead to transforming faith. That will lead to the true belief that Jesus is looking for, to see Him as the one who provides everything we need.
Are you ready to do that? Turn away from your sins. Be immersed in the water for the forgiveness of your sins. Accept Him as the King. Submit to Him and turn everything to Him. Yield to Him and look to Him for all you need. Won't you come while we stand and sing?
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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville