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The Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis was planning to launch its 1.5 pound loaf of bread. But first, the new product needed a name and identity. Vice President Elmer Cline was charged with merchandising development of the new bread loaf.
Inspiration struck while Elmer was visiting the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Speedway. He was awestruck by a sky filled with hundreds of colorful balloons. To Elmer, the image signified a sense of “wonder,” and Wonder® Bread was born. (www.wonderbread.com/history.asp)
Jesus is the true “Wonder Bread” who fills us with wonder and amazement: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35a).
The feeding of the five thousand is the fourth sign John used to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God (cf. 20:30-31).
This miracle is the only one (apart from the resurrection) that is mentioned in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17).
Matthew tell us, “The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matthew 14:21). Jesus may have fed as many as twenty thousand people! (Twenty thousand people would fill Halifax’s Metro Centre twice.) That’s a lot of people to feed with five loaves and two fish!
Instead of focusing on the miracle, today’s sermon will be about what happened after the miracle.
1. Jesus turned bread from a boy’s lunch into Wonder Bread: bread that MULTIPLIED.
The crowd was filled with wonder because of the amazing miracle.
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (vv. 14-15).
“The Prophet” is the one prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”
The Jews of Jesus’ day believe that the Prophet “like [Moses]” was a reference to the Christ (Messiah). The NT declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy.
“Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people’” (Acts 3:23; cf. 7:37).
Moses had fed the Israelites in the wilderness with manna (“bread from heaven,” Exodus 16:4). After Jesus miraculously fed the multitude with bread, they got excited. They thought they had found the Christ. And they were correct; Jesus is the Christ. But He was not the kind of Christ they were looking for. They were expecting a Christ who would be their king and drive the Romans out of their land. That was not Christ’s mission.
2. Jesus came down from heaven to be our Wonder Bread: bread that gives ETERNAL LIFE.
We are filled with wonder because Jesus can satisfy our deepest hunger.
The crowd was hungering for political power, not spiritual life. They wanted their physical needs met, not their spiritual needs. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill’” (v. 26).
“Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (vv. 49-51).
John informs us that when Jesus fed the multitude “the Jewish Passover Feast was near” (v. 4). In John’s Gospel, three Passovers are mentioned:
• During the first Passover, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (2:19). John explains that “the temple had had spoken of what his body” (v. 21).
• Near the time of the second Passover, Jesus announced that He would give His life to the world (6:33, 51).
• During the third Passover, Jesus died (11:55).
The Jewish Passover celebrated the exodus from Egypt. During Passover, a lamb was killed and eaten in each household. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is declared to be “the Lamb of God” (1:29, 36). Jesus was not ready to be an earthly king. He came to be the Lamb of God. “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). He came to die so that we might have life.
3. During the Lord’s Supper, we eat Wonder Bread: bread that symbolizes the BODY of Jesus.
We are filled with wonder because Jesus sacrificed His body for us.
Christ’s feeding of the multitude reminds us of His institution of the Lord’s Supper:
• “The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).
• “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted” (v. 11a).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs two creative miracles: turning the water into wine (2:1-10) and multiplying the bread. Wine and bread are the two elements of the Lord’s Supper.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” (vv. 53-54a).
Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus refer to receiving the benefits of His death through faith. Just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so also is faith in Christ’s death on the cross necessary for eternal life.
[At this point, we observed the Lord’s Supper.]
LIFE LESSON: The CROSS must come before the CROWN.
The pursuit of the crowd became an opportunity for Jesus to teach the people what “following” Him actually demands.
The feeding of the five thousand marked the pinnacle of Jesus’ popularity.
“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (v. 66).
“‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God’” (vv. 67-69).
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21). This was Christ’s first clear prediction of His death.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’” (Matthew 16:24-26a).
Many people want a “Christ” who only gives and makes no demands of them. Will you take up your cross and follow Him?
[You can download a free Wonder Bread graphic from NewSpring Ministries.]
WONDER BREAD
Jesus is the true “Wonder Bread” who fills us with wonder and amazement: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35a).
1. Jesus turned bread from a boy’s lunch into Wonder Bread: bread that ____________________.
The crowd was filled with wonder because of the amazing miracle.
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” (vv. 14-15; see Deuteronomy 18:15).
The Jews of Jesus’ day believe that the Prophet “like [Moses]” was a reference to the Christ (Messiah). The NT declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy (Acts 3:23; 7:37).
2. Jesus came down from heaven to be our Wonder Bread: bread that gives _______________________.
We are filled with wonder because Jesus can satisfy our deepest hunger.
“Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (vv. 49-51).
John informs us that when Jesus fed the multitude “the Jewish Passover Feast was near” (v. 4). In John’s Gospel, three Passovers are mentioned:
• During the first Passover, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (2:19). John explains that “the temple had had spoken of what his body” (v. 21).
• Near the time of the second Passover, Jesus announced that He would give His life to the world (6:33, 51).
• During the third Passover, Jesus died (11:55).
The Jewish Passover celebrated the exodus from Egypt. During Passover, a lamb was killed and eaten in each household. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is declared to be “the Lamb of God” (1:29, 36). Jesus was not ready to be an earthly king. He came to be the Lamb of God. “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). He came to die so that we might have life.
3. During the Lord’s Supper, we eat Wonder Bread: bread that symbolizes the ______________ of Jesus.
We are filled with wonder because Jesus sacrificed His body for us.
Christ’s feeding of the multitude reminds us of His institution of the Lord’s Supper:
• “The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24).
• “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted” (v. 11a).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs two creative miracles: turning the water into wine (2:1-10) and multiplying the bread. Wine and bread are the two elements of the Lord’s Supper.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” (vv. 53-54a).
Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus refer to receiving the benefits of His death through faith. Just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so also is faith in Christ’s death on the cross necessary for eternal life.
LIFE LESSON: The ___________ must come before the ____________.
“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (v. 66).
“‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God’” (vv. 67-69).
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21). This was Christ’s first clear prediction of His death.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’” (Matthew 16:24-26a).
LIFE GROUP QUESTIONS
Warming Up
1. Read John 6:1-15.
2. Why do you think this miracle is included in all of the Gospels?
Look to the Book
3. What mistake did Philip make in his answer to Jesus’ question?
4. Why do you think Jesus used a boy’s lunch to feed the multitude rather than simply creating bread from nothing?
5. Can you think of any other instances in which God used someone or something insignificant to accomplish a great task?
6. What challenge(s) can we find in Andrew bringing the boy to Jesus?
7. What lesson(s) can we learn from the leftovers?
8. How would you characterize the people’s attitude toward Jesus? How do people still have the same kind of attitude about Jesus today?
So What?
9. What lessons do we learn from this miracle that encourage our faith?
