“After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough 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 for so many?’ Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’”

                Something I’ve spent a lot of time being fascinated by is the different natures that God communicates through each of the four gospels. They all tell parts of the same story, Matthew, Mark and Luke having more carryover with one another than John. In the case of today’s passage we see the only miracle account that is recorded across all four gospels, aside from the resurrection.  If we read John’s recording on its own, it looks like Jesus has His confrontation with the religious rulers in Jerusalem and then immediately goes away, to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. This can read a little strange if we know the geography of the region, as Jerusalem lies to the south and Bethsaida, where Luke’s account puts the events of John 6 taking place, is some seventy miles away on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. Looking to the other gospels provides us with context for what took place between Jesus’s healing of the crippled man by the sheep pool and where He multiplies loaves and fish. While the exact timing of certain events in correlation to one another can sometimes be difficult to pin down between the gospels, here we know of two large occurrences, both of which lead up to and even help contribute to Jesus being where He is when we pick up in John 6. One is the sending out of the twelve, recorded in Mark 6:7-13 and Luke 9:1-6. Here we see that Jesus sent His twelve apostles out in pairs to cast out demons, heal the sick and proclaim the gospel, bestowing upon them the authority to do so. While the apostles are out on their mission, the second event takes place: the death of John the Baptist. This helps us see the cultural gravity of the religious leader’s desire to kill Jesus. Mark 8:15 says of Jesus,

“And he cautioned them, saying, ‘Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.’”

The Pharisees, we’ve discussed at length previously. Outwardly pious, showy in their faith, they are as Jesus says in Matthew 23:27-28,

“… Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Herod Antipas, who is the one responsible for the execution of John the Baptist, is a radically different figure from the Pharisees. While he is certainly intermingled with the Jewish people, the pseudo-king who rules the region politically under the provision of Rome is not a religious authority. But what we see in Jesus’s warning from Mark 8 is that the Pharisees and Herod have something at their core in common, and this is displayed through the death of John the Baptist: Both are hypocrites who are bent on keeping their power in place, and are willing to kill those who threaten it. Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, threatens in the truth of His testimony and ministry to expose the darkness of the Pharisees. John the Baptist was arrested by Herod for speaking the truth – that for Herod to break up his brother’s marriage and marry his wife was a violation of the Law and was morally wrong. It was then Herod’s new wife who conspired to have the Baptizer executed. This helps us see that the desire of the religious leaders to kill Jesus is not toothless, but for them is just a matter of time and means. It is after hearing of the death of His cousin and after the twelve apostles returned from their mission, that we see Jesus withdraw to the desolate region near Bethsaida. This was expressed as a trip seeking a measure of isolation, but the renown of His ministry, presumably intensified by the miracle work He most recently performed through His apostles, brings the people flocking after, and even ahead of Him.

1. God Teaches

“Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.”

Jesus came to this place seeking isolation, but we see no bitterness in His response to the crowd. Matthew and Luke’s gospels tell us that He healed the sick among them, while Mark and Luke both tell us that He taught the people. Mark 6:34 specifically says,

“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”

John’s gospel shows us that before He addressed the crowd, Jesus goes up a mountain and sat with His disciples. This could indicate them resting together, but given that the common custom was for rabbis to teach from a seated position, it can also show us that Jesus as their Rabbi, their Teacher was instructing them, and that this then expanded to the people. It’s important to note that we see Jesus healing and performing miracles, but also teaching about the Kingdom of God. I’ve heard many people with worldly mindsets reference Matthew 9:10-13 as a means to point out supposed Christian hypocrisy,
“And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

“See,” people say, “Jesus hung out with sinners, so stop telling me I’m wrong for…” whatever they choose to insert there. The world, to be crystal clear, does not accept Jesus for who and what He is, but will without hesitation try to use Him to get out of moral correction or guidance. They fail to realize that Jesus’s miracles, His reaching out to those who were poor and broken in body and spirit, never came without the Truth of the coming Kingdom. Luke 9:11 shows us in the parallel to today’s passage that as the crowds arrived Jesus,

“… welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.”

When we look back at the Old Testament, there are times that God can seem brutal (though not unjust) in His teaching and judgement. But what seems harsh at times is a response to sin, whereas we see God show mercy and blessings to the righteous. Exodus 33:11 says concerning the tent of meeting,

“Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…”

In 2 Samuel 7:12-15 God says to David,

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.”

These words would be fulfilled directly through Solomon, and go on to speak to the everlasting kingdom that will be delivered in Christ. But “When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him” could just have easily applied to David or to the whole of Israel as it did to Solomon. David, and ultimately Israel as a nation, were instructed through correction for their sin, but not completely destroyed or abandoned by the Lord. If we look to an example like Job, where chapters 38-41 are almost entirely God answering Job’s questions, we see that, despite the intensity of God’s words, He treats Job with honesty and compassion, actually giving the man answers. When all is said and done, we see Job restored, and wiser for the clarity that God has given him. So Jesus as the Son, as the person in flesh, mirroring the Father also pours out mercy as He teaches, imparting wisdom and truth.

2. God Tests

“Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.’”

We’re given a picture in John’s account of Jesus, looking beyond where He sits with His disciples to the massing crowds, and posing a question to Philip: Where should they get bread from to feed the people? Something that I once heard Jackie Hill Perry say, which I deeply appreciated, is something to the effect that God does not ask questions because He doesn’t know the answer. Jesus, having already shown divine foreknowledge, doesn’t ask Philip this because He doesn’t know what will happen or what He should do, but as John tells us, it serves as a test. A clear distinction I want to make is that while God tests, He does not tempt. James 1:13-15 makes this abundantly clear,

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

And in Matthew 6:13 Jesus says, as part of the Lord’s prayer,

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

God is not a source for temptation, it is the sin nature of our own flesh which provides that. Not only is God not the cause of temptation, but He is the one path away from sinful desire. It is His power, His Spirit that can deliver us from evil – that which lies in our own hearts and that which comes from the enemy. Trials, like what Job faced, are used by the Lord to test and temper His children, drawing them closer to Him. Jesus, who appeared to be in the midst of teaching His disciples, seated on the mountain, continues instructing as He puts His question to Philip. Philip presumably means well, but his response concerning the food is no solution. Knowing that this is a test, we can’t really look to what he says as a “right” answer. A denarius being about a day’s wage for a laborer, the sum he references is roughly six months of income for an individual. Acknowledging this doesn’t provide a course of action, but it does help us see that the disciple is at a complete loss for what to do. While the obvious answer to us should be that Philip turn to Jesus, or suggest they pray over the matter, what he does isn’t all that different from how many of us respond when God tests us now. While it’s easy to look down on the stumbling of the disciples, their doubts and shortcomings serve as reminders to not grow self-reliant or complacent in our faith, and be caught wrongfooted when tested. The other three gospels show the disciples encouraging Jesus to send the crowds away so that they can seek food for themselves, but Jesus’s reply is simply, “You give them something to eat.”

“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 for so many?’”

It is interesting, and once again sadly relatable, to see that the disciples just can’t grasp the power and majesty of Jesus. They’ve witnessed Him do miraculous things, and they have just returned from being sent out to work some of the same miracles themselves. But the challenge of feeding the thousands of people before them has them stumped. We see Andrew come forward with another answer to the problem. It’s one that he knows, like Philip’s response, won’t actually work, but there’s something more to it. Money that they don’t have, to buy food that’s not available wasn’t much of a course of action, but what Andrew brings forth, while certainly not enough, is at least some food. In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we see the prophet Elijah sent by God to a widow in the Canaanite city of Zarephath. There is a severe drought in the land, and God has told Elijah to go to there and that the widow will feed him. When he arrives and requests food, the woman confesses that she has almost nothing left, and that she was about to go prepare what little flour and oil she had left into a last meal for her and her son, knowing that after that, they would starve. Elijah tells her not to be afraid, to make the bread, but to bring him some of it. In verses 14-16 he tells her,

“‘For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’ And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.”

In 2 Kings 4:1-7 we see a similar account with Elisha, Elijah’s successor. A widow, left in debt, faces the prospect of losing her two children into slavery at the hands of her creditor. There is nothing left to her of any value but a single jar of oil. Elisha tells her in verses 3-4,

“… Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.”

The widow obeys and we see in verses 6-7,

“When the vessels were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There is not another.’ Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.’”

Dr. Adrian Rogers said, “The Devil is trying to get you to look at your faith, rather than looking to Jesus.” He made the point that the enemy deeply wants to make us doubt our salvation by questioning the strength and magnitude of our own faith, rather than seeking the boundless provision of God. Jesus never said, “come to me, all who have great works to their name, who are morally upstanding and righteous, and are good enough to enter the kingdom of God.” Rather in Matthew 11:28-30 He says,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Whether it’s the quality of our faith or the works in our lives, we will never be good enough or strong enough to approach the throne of God by our own hand. What Andrew brings forward isn’t much, but it’s what they have. We can’t make ourselves righteous before we come to God, when all righteousness comes from Him. He is our salvation. But though Andrew brought forward food that was laughably insufficient from a human perspective, it was not too little for God to use.

3. God Provides

“Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.”

Five loaves of bread and two fish, multiplied to feed five thousand people is miraculous enough on its own, but Matthew’s gospel specifies that there we’re women and children present beyond the five thousand men. Commentators put the total count between 10,000 – 20,000 people. To give some perspective, Spectrum Area has a max capacity of 17,500 people. It’s important to have some context for the scope of what Jesus did here, and to human eyes, the bigger the number, the more impressive the feat. But it’s important to remember that Jesus was not and is not limited by the constraints of the physical world. He is God in human form, He is the Son, operating with and under the authority of the Father. So while Jesus taking an amount of food sufficient for one person and multiplying it to feed five thousand people is amazing to us, and two to four times that many is even more impressive, the number of people didn’t limit the ability of Jesus. John’s account says that Jesus gave thanks, while the other gospels word this as Jesus saying a blessing over the food before breaking and multiplying it. This was the work of God the Father through Christ the Son, because the two are one. Verse 4 of today’s passage, which I skipped over earlier says,

“Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.”

My first thought was that this could be used to mark the time from the healing of the crippled man and altercation with the Jewish leaders in John 5, to the feeding of the five thousand at the start of John 6. The problem with this is that, while there’s plenty of speculation, it’s not clear which feast had Jesus in Jerusalem in John 5, so that doesn’t help us track the time between those events and the start of John 6. Also, based on the information given in John’s gospel so far, and bearing in mind that his was written years after the other gospels were completed and dispersed among the early church, we see that his purpose in writing doesn’t seem to be to give us a coherent, blow by blow timeline. Rather his aim, as stated from the opening verses, is to make clear the divinity of Jesus as the Christ. So, if not as a marker to help determine the passage of time, what’s the relevance in telling us that the Passover is at hand again? The feast of the Passover is celebrated following the instructions given by God in Exodus 12, and commemorates the tenth and final plague in Egypt: the death of the firstborn. God’s people were instructed to kill their Passover lambs at twilight on the night of the plague, taking some of the blood and painting it on their doorposts as a sign. The lamb itself was to be roasted whole over a fire, consumed “with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” that night, and any that is left until morning was to be burned. When God moved against Egypt in the final plague, He passed over the houses with the blood of the Passover lamb on their doors. So we see the lamb is consumed in its entirety at the time of sacrifice and that its blood provided complete protection for the household. As John the Baptist proclaimed in John 1:29, Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” His provision of the loaves and fish is not limited by the number of people, but provides to the fill. His sacrifice on the cross was not partial or lacking, it was not barely sufficient, but more than enough. He was not just a man who sacrificed Himself, but God who took on flesh and, in His might, and perfection, gave up His life and took it back up, that the entire world would have a path to redemption.

“And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.”

Jesus’s death and resurrection is a complete act, more than sufficient to blot out the sins of mankind and offer forgiveness for all who come to Him. But as Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-2,

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

We see this addressed in Paul’s writings to the Corinthians as well, some of whom had a twisted understanding of salvation that led new believers to think and teach that freedom in Christ and freedom from the Law was license to sin freely. But just because Christ’s sacrifice is more than enough, doesn’t give us leave to abuse the abundance of His gift, which shows a mindset that betrays the spirit of our salvation. This is mirrored in the treatment of the excess food after feeding the crowd in John 6. The leftovers aren’t just thrown on the ground or disposed of because they were miraculously produced and there’s an abundance. They’re collected and kept because they’re of value. The blessings of God should always be cherished, but never taken for granted just because He is almighty.

“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’”

There’s a constant theme in the gospels of most people just not quite getting Jesus’s position. Peter is called out onto the waves with Jesus in Matthew 14:29, but in the next verse he begins to sink as fear of the wind and waves grips him. He confesses Jesus as the Christ in Matthew 16:16, but after He rebukes Jesus for telling of them of His coming death and resurrection, he’s told in 16:23,

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

There is an internal war that persists to this day of people seeing Jesus with amazement or valuing parts of His teaching from a worldly perspective, but being blind in a spiritual sense to the reality of His station. Nicodemus calls Jesus “Rabbi” in John 3:2. The Samaritan woman by the well tells Jesus, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet” in John 4:19, though her eyes were opened to the Truth soon afterward. Now we see the crowds acknowledge Jesus, not just as a prophet, but the Prophet, the one Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15. “Rabbi,” “prophet,” or “Prophet,” none of these means of address are meant to be disrespectful, yet they miss the enormity of Christ. Some, like the Samaritan woman have hearts and minds that are opened to see the truth of Jesus’s position as the Messiah. But the response of the crowds in John 6, after hearing Jesus’s teaching and witnessing a miracle that defies all human understanding, shows us that no amount of witnessing with the eyes can make up for understanding in the Spirit. Jesus isn’t just great. He isn’t just wise or righteous or powerful – He is God. Acknowledging Him as anything less fails to see that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. That though He is fully human, He is also fully the I Am, and it is by this power and authority that He teaches, tests and provides in all abundance for His people.

Pastor Chris’s sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etOGojgs-Lw