The John Project

John 6:13 surveys the aftermath of a miracle. And I’m just mesmerized by the simple statistics. Five loaves and two fish produced twelve baskets of food AFTER filling the bellies of five thousand men plus women and children.

Now, I think we need to take just a few moments to consider the implications of this.

Doesn’t it force us to reevaluate our faith? Did Jesus actually do this or not? If He did, how can it be so easy for us to just carry on with the routines of our lives without any expectation that He might want to invade our circumstances with His miraculous power?

The next verse, John 6:14, says that those who had front row seats for that miracle became believers on the spot. And wouldn’t you? So why is it possible for us to read the account of what happened and not be equally moved to belief?

Maybe it has to do with the way we casually read the biblical accounts of miracles as though they’re disconnected from our personal reality.

Perhaps I shouldn’t admit this, but I’m a bit of a Star Wars nerd. I love watching the Millennium Falcon travel through hyperspace in the films and imagining the lightsaber duals I read about in the books. But I’m well aware that these things only happen in a galaxy far, far away, not on the street where I live.

So, I have to ask myself, “Is that how I categorize the epic displays of the supernatural I read about in the Bible? Do I intellectually relegate them to another time and place?” If so, how do I square that with John 14:12 where Jesus said that after He returned to the Father, those who believe in Him would experience even greater works than He performed?

I don’t think the Lord could be clearer about His intentions to continue being who He is, the omnipotent God. Everything He does is miraculous, beyond the constraints of this natural world. He can’t be any other way. So, let’s get our expectations aligned with His attributes in this regard. If we want our miracle-working God to be active on the street where we live, it WILL involve miracles.

So, today, let’s allow Jesus to help us read the Bible differently, to see in its pages not some fantastic story of what happened once upon a time, but as a preview of what God is prepared to do right now.

John chapter 6 verse 12 graphically illustrates two important truths about God: He is both lavish AND frugal. He is both abundant with His grace AND meticulous with His care. Let me explain.

My wife and I are currently remodeling a home. And our contractor is continually asking us if we want this fixture, that color, this window, that door, this tile, or that trim. Frankly, it’s wearing us out. But we have to answer each of his questions with one of our own: “Can we afford it?” We only have so much money.

You know what I mean. Every resource we have as human beings is finite. We have a limited amount of time, talent, and treasure. And since this is our frame of reference, we tend to imagine God as though He’s in the same boat. And even if our theology is better than that, all of us experience times when we hesitate to bring our needs to Him because we feel like we may be pushing the limit of what He can afford. But God doesn’t have to stretch His supply or budget His benevolence.

The end of verse 11 and the first part of 12 tell us that Jesus didn’t stop multiplying the loaves and fish until everyone in the crowd had eaten all they WANTED and until they were FULL. He didn’t cheap out. He doesn’t have to. He’s the maker and master of all things. And when we come to Him with our needs, our requests are NOT evaluated against a limited supply. His gifts of every sort – spiritual, physical, and material – are abundant.

Now, don’t misunderstand. This verse is not licensing our GLUTTONY. It’s showcasing God’s SUFFICIENCY. But this is also juxtaposed against His ECONOMY which is illustrated when He commands the Disciples to gather up all the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.

And there’s clearly a lesson here about our need to exercise better care in how we manage what God gives us. But I think there’s even more.

Many of us know what it’s like to mourn the ways we have squandered the goodness of God in our pasts. And we imagine that those lost expressions of His love are irretrievable. But John 6:12 reveals a Savior who is concerned about discarded fragments. We have a God whose amazing grace is so powerful He can insure that nothing of His intentions for us are ultimately forsaken.

As C.S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce, “Heaven, once attained, will work backwards…The good man's past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven…”

Dear one, today, bring your needs to our all-sufficient God, AND trust Him to carefully gather up all the pieces of your life you thought were lost.

The last half of John 6:11 describes how Jesus involved the Disciples in the loaves and fishes miracle. It says He distributed the multiplying food to the hungry people through them. The miraculous literally passed THROUGH their hands. They were conduits of wonder. I can’t even begin to imagine what an amazing experience that must have been for them.

But as someone who longs to be more USEUL when God is moving to meet people’s needs through displays of His power, I notice two things here that I find extremely helpful.

First, through the events of the preceding verses, Jesus made it clear to the Disciples that they were not responsible to MAKE the miracle happen. Neither THEIR money nor THEIR culinary skills were involved. It was ALL Jesus. Their role was to simply dispense what He was creating. They were like divine delivery-persons. UPS and FedEx drivers aren’t required to purchase or manufacture the items in their trucks. Their job is to just make sure the boxes get to the right address, ring the doorbell, and leave them on the porch.

So much pressure comes off when I understand that. Miracles are not up to me. My job is to lay hands the sick. It’s His to do the healing. My job is to speak the words of prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, and discernment HE gives. My job is to pray for the bound and broken-hearted. His is to deliver and comfort.

The second thing I see here is that the grand miracle of feeding the multitude unfolded in stages, mouthful by mouthful. The Disciples got to be involved in distributing a series of bite-sized miracles that altogether became something legendary.

Now, don’t misunderstand. A miracle is a miracle. The terms “large” and “small” do not really apply. And God can work massive miracles in an instant. But I’ve found that for the most part, He invites me to participate in a lot of little ones that accumulate over time into an amazing expression of His glory.

As an older man who has walked with God for a long time now, this is deeply moving to me. I look back over my life and rejoice with amazement at the times I’ve witnessed demonstrations of God’s explosive power. But I also cherish the cumulative weight of all those quieter ones. And I’ve come to understand the value of living in the daily expectation of a steady stream of God’s manifest power.

So, if you’re desperate today for a large, loud, and immediate miracle from heaven, we have a God who is more than able. But it may just be that His provision is on the way to your doorstep a box at a time. Don’t miss them.

The first part of John 6 verse 11 says that AFTER Jesus had received the loaves and fishes from the young man and BEFORE those meager provisions became bounty, He gave thanks.

Now, EVERYTHING Jesus said and did was intentional, purposeful, and strategic. Among other things, He was modeling for us what a life of faith looks like. So, it’s incredibly important to pay close attention to EVERY move He made and EVERY word He spoke.

There’s a reason He paused en route to a miracle of provision to first give thanks. And since I’m often in need of God’s supernatural provision, I want to understand why. What was He thankful for? I think it’s clear He was thankful for what He’d already been given – five loaves and two fish.

They weren’t nearly enough, but Jesus focused on what He’d been given, not on what was still needed. And there’s something extremely powerful about that heart-posture that opens the door for the Lord’s supernatural supply.

But to be honest, when I’m in need…of money, healing, wisdom, comfort, guidance…gratitude is not usually my response. In fact, quite the opposite. I’m far more likely to complain, expressing my impatience and even venting my anger than to be grateful.

And you know what I’ve found? Thanklessness is habit-forming, and it poisons my soul. So that when God in His faithfulness does supply my need, I’m more likely to think, “Well, it’s about time,” than to fall on my knees with praise for His goodness. And ultimately, I think that makes me less likely to even recognize the wonderful miracles He regularly performs on my behalf.

I wonder if that might be true for you too. What do you say we choose to survey the circumstances we’re in today noting with thankfulness what we’ve already been given instead of grumbling about what we still need? I wonder how that might change what happens next?

In John chapter 6 verse 10, we’re told that Jesus asked His disciples to instruct the crowd to be seated in the grassy field. And Mark’s gospel gives us the additional information that Jesus wanted the people to be seated in groups of fifties and hundreds. And Mark also takes the time to specifically tell us that they did as instructed.

Now, John 6:10 is easy to skip over on our way to the main event. But there’s no “filler” in the Bible. God never wastes words. And the importance of the principle contained here cannot be overstated. Jesus was setting the stage for a miracle. And if you think you might ever need one of those, pay attention.

He was preparing for the organized distribution of a large quantity of food. He was about to supernaturally multiply five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men plus women and children. But He was the only One who knew that. No one else there that day had ANY idea what was about to happen.

Just stop and think about that. The Disciples and the hungry crowd obeyed Jesus without even the slightest understanding of why He was asking or how their compliance could have anything to do with the meeting of their need.

And that’s the point. They did what He said simply because He said it. That’s what faith is ALL about: Trust-filled obedience. And displays of God’s miraculous power are nearly always preceded by an act of faith that rarely seems to be relevant to the need. Like when Jesus directed the servants at the wedding in Cana to fill six pots with water and take them to the master of the feast. They could NEVER have guessed that water would become wine. But their simple obedience facilitated an amazing miracle.

Or like the time, I responded to a very vague prompting I thought might be from the Lord. I was just folding the laundry at home one day when I sensed He was asking me to reach out to a young couple I’d heard about but hadn’t yet met and ask if they’d be interested in allowing me to mentor them in ministry. There was no way I could have known the miracle Jesus was setting up. At that time, I had no idea that my wife and I would soon be embarking on a new season of ministry assignment. And with the small step of obedience I exercised in contacting that couple, the Lord was arranging what became the miraculously smooth transition of pastoral leadership our church experienced when they succeeded me and my wife as senior pastors just eighteen months later.

Listen. If you need a miracle today, stop worrying about how in the world God is going to feed the multitudes. Instead, start looking for the nearest divine command you can obey. And if you draw a blank, consider opening the Bible, it’s full of them. Your step of child-like obedience, whatever it looks like to you, will place in the Lord’s hands the loaves and fishes He can work with to do something wonderful.

Last time, we talked about how John 6 verses 5 and 6 show Jesus using a need – the hunger of thousands – to test faith. We learned that when God allows our faith to be challenged, His purpose is to INCREASE our spiritual health not deplete it. And we also learned that our Lord is ALWAYS in control of a trial’s outcome. He can be fully trusted.

Now, verses 7 through 9 reveal three different types of response to this test of faith. Let’s see if we can find ourselves in them, and by comparing, discover a better way to handle the faith-trials WE encounter.

Jesus had posed a question. “How are we going to feed all these people?” And the first response came from Philip. He whipped out his calculator, did the math, and reported to Jesus that there was no way they could AFFORD to buy anywhere close to enough food. He focused on the size of the need and said, “It’s too big.”

Next up was Andrew. He came to Jesus with five barley loaves and two small fish he’d gotten from a kid who’d brought a lunch with him that day. But then, he asked his own question, “What are they among so many?” You see, he was focused on himself and was saying, “I don’t have enough.”

But there’s another person involved in this episode, the boy with the lunch. And although the text doesn’t specifically say so, it clearly implies that this young man freely offered his loaves and fishes. They weren’t taken from him, they were given. And by doing so, he was demonstrating that he was focused on Jesus, and by his actions, saying, “I believe You can do anything.”

Oh, the faith of a child!

Dear Lord, when I next face a need that tests my faith, may my response be the simple childlike trust demonstrated by that young man. May my choice be not to focus on the size of the need or my own limited resources to meet it. Help me instead, to trust in the greatness of Who you are. May my heart’s cry be, “You can do anything!”

John chapter 6 verse 5 moves us into the “loaves and fishes” narrative. A massive crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children was approaching. And when Jesus saw the multitude, He asked one of the Disciples a question: “How are we going to feed all these people?”

Then, verse 6 tells us two very important things WE should remember whenever WE encounter a need that has the potential to overwhelm us whether it’s spiritual, physical, financial, or relational.

First, we’re told the Lord was using it as a test. Need always does that – tests our faith. And although these trials can seriously rock our world and challenge us to our core, God’s purpose in allowing them is NEVER to disqualify or defeat us. It’s always to reveal both how far He’s already brought us and to expose areas of trust He wants to help us grow into.

It’s like the gym that a friend of mine manages. All day, every day, people walk through his doors determined to put their bodies to the test. They pay my friend’s company for the opportunity to be challenged with weights, machines, and instructors for the benefit of seeing their health, strength and fitness increase.

In the same way, the Bible tells us to REJOICE when our faith is tested because it’s increasing our spiritual health. God is using it for our good.

The second thing verse 6 tells us is that Jesus knew in advance what He was going to do. The outcome was NEVER in doubt. God is in control. And oh, how good is that! As believers, these what-in-the-world-am-going-to-do kind of situations always reach us through the filter of God’s love, mercy, and grace. We square off against them in an environment managed by the power of the Sovereign God. As His kids, we are never – and I repeat, NEVER – in jeopardy.

Now, I can’t know what kind of need may be testing you today. But Jesus does. And as challenging as it may seem, remember these soul-securing truths. One, if you let Him, your Savior will use it to strengthen your faith muscles. And two, Jesus already has a rock-solid plan for meeting that need.

Trust Him!

John chapter 6 opens with an account of the occasion when Jesus fed thousands of people with only five loaves and two fish. Pretty exciting stuff! But before going any further, I’d like to focus on just the first three words of verse one, “After these things…” Why? Because there’s ALWAYS a backstory. And this phrase lets us know there’s a context for what follows.

The first four verses of the chapter set up the “loaves and fishes” story by giving us the time of year and the location where it happened. We’re told that it was springtime just before Passover and in a deserted area across the Sea of Galilee.

But by saying, “after these things,” John lets us know there’s even more to the story and implies that we should consider these additional details. He makes it clear they’re worth digging for.

And we don’t have to search far. The other three Gospels – especially Mark – fill in the six-month gap between John chapters five and six. And we find out that there was a reason Jesus had taken His disciples across the lake. He was leading them to a wilderness area for some rest. They were all dealing with the emotional impact of John the Baptist being beheaded by Herod. The Disciples had just returned from their first ministry tours and needed debriefing. And the intensifying of Jesus’s miracle ministry was creating so much activity that we’re told they didn’t even have time to eat.

So that’s why they crossed the lake. And it makes a difference to know that, doesn’t it?

In a very crude way, it’s like this sign here. Unless you take the time to stop and read it, you probably wouldn’t give this tree a second thought. But if you do, you find out that it was brought to this island by a sea captain from a distant port and planted here more than a hundred and fifty years ago. There’s a backstory. And digging for it makes a difference in how you see the tree.

And that’s true for people too. There’s ALWAYS a backstory.

But we usually interact with others based on the superficial. We rarely stop to even think that there may be more to consider.

And this is especially true for how we relate to ourselves. We waste so much of our emotional resources focused on our surface issues instead of asking Jesus, “What’s the backstory here?” But if we did, we’d be much more likely to discover the context for what He’s trying to deal with in our lives and be better able to cooperate with Him as He brings us healing and deliverance.

So, I encourage you today, when you find yourself wrestling with the “stuff” in your life – and you know what I mean – ask the Lord to help you see the backstory. Stop ignoring the real issues while whining about what you think God should be doing to help you but isn’t. And be willing instead to stop and read the signs that reveal how these things got rooted in your life in the first place. Then, you’ll be better able to allow the Lord to set you up for what comes “after these things.”

In John 5 verses 33-47, Jesus concludes the argument He was making to the religious leaders regarding His claim to be the Son of God by identifying four unassailable witnesses that had already testified on His behalf: John the Baptist, the miracles He performed, God the Father, and the Old Testament Scriptures.

For those who resisted breaking with the pack to embrace his Lordship, Jesus was reminding them that none other than the universally respected John the Baptist had publicly declared Him the Son of God, staking his own reputation on the truth of that statement.

For those who refused to believe without tangible proof, He reminded them that THEY had seen His miracles with their OWN eyes.

For those who were stubbornly withholding faith unless the heavens opened and they heard God speak in an audible voice, He reminded them that they had been personally present as that exact thing happened when He was baptized by John.

For those who were clinging to their skepticism until there was theological agreement on the subject, He pointed out that the Holy Scriptures speak clearly of Him and affirm His divinity throughout.

And that brings us to verse 40 where Jesus says, “But you were not WILLING to come to Me that you may have life.”

Placing faith in Jesus for salvation, or anything else for that matter, is really never about convincing arguments, proofs, and evidence no matter what anyone says. It’s always about a WILLINGNESS to trust Him. And Jesus promises here that this simple act of surrender is what opens the door to the life we long for. So, why are people, including you and me, so often UNWILLING?

Well, I’ll just speak for myself. Taking ANY step of faith, requires that I confront the desire of my sinful nature to maintain CONTROL. But faith is the exact opposite of control, isn’t it? Trusting Jesus with my health, finances, marriage, career – let alone my eternal destiny – means being WILLING to release the control of those things to Him, believing there is no better place for them than in His hands.

But that’s the issue, right? Do we really believe that?

It’s hard for me to admit this in the face of the overwhelming evidence of my Lord’s love, faithfulness, and power. He has NEVER failed me. Still, there are times I hesitate to trust my cares to Him. And perhaps that’s true for you too.

If so, let’s agree today, to come to Him WILLINGLY releasing all our concerns to Him that we may know life as He intends.

In the final section of John chapter 5, we have a kind of courtroom drama playing out. Jesus, like a skillful defense attorney presenting His final argument before the Jewish religious leaders, details the weighty testimonial evidence for His claim to be the Son of God.

He begins in verse 31 by acknowledging that according to their Law which required two independent witnesses to establish the truth of a matter, serving as His own witness is insufficient. That’s what He means when He says, “My witness is not true.” He doesn’t mean that He’s telling a lie. He’s simply agreeing that under their system, His personal testimony alone is not enough.

So, over the remainder of the chapter, He reminds them of the powerful testimony they’ve already heard from not just two, but FOUR INDISPUTABLE witnesses. And in verse 32, before elaborating in detail later in the passage, He teases them with some of what is coming when He says, “There is another who bears witness of me.” A clear and unequivocal reference to God, the Father.

And reading those words again yesterday caused my throat to tighten with emotion and my eyes to tear up as I was reminded of the forceful impact of the testimony of my Heavenly Father in the recurring case of the Devil’s suit against my salvation. It seems that almost daily Satan attempts to call into question the right to consider myself a child of God. And he skillfully introduces as evidence all the dirt he continues digging up from the remains of my sinfulness.

And it can be VERY convincing. When the fruits of my wickedness are paraded through the courtroom of my soul, I can often find my personal witness to God’s grace losing ground against the testimony of my sinful past.

But…“There is another who bears witness of me.”

God has declared in John 1:12 that because I have placed my faith in Jesus, I have been given LEGAL standing as a child of God. And Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

So, if you find yourself today being tempted by the “Accuser” to doubt your place in God’s family because of something he dredged up from your past, remember 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”

Case closed.