The miracle of our met need - John 6
John 6:5-23
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).
2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.
3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.
5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”
6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.
12 When they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
The citizens of Feldkirch, Austria, didn’t know what to do. Napoleon’s massive army was preparing to attack. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which was situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was hastily summoned to decide whether they should try to defend themselves or display the white flag of surrender. It happened to be Sunday, and the people had gathered in the local church.
The pastor rose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength, and apparently that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord’s resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us." The council accepted his plan and the church bells rang. The enemy, hearing the sudden peal, concluded that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to defend the town. Before the service ended, the enemy broke camp and left.
The problem is not God; the problem is our attitude towards the provision of God.
We find three of those attitudes in John 6, the feeding of the 5000.
Therefore, when Jesus raised His eyes and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, "Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?" (John 6:5)
Quite suddenly Jesus and the disciples were confronted with an overwhelming need. Jesus did not respond as if something terrible or unusual has happened. A situation does not panic Jesus.
We will always have needs, it is the nature of being human. These bodies were not created to be without problems, they were not created to last forever. Life in this world was never intended to be without struggle. However, our Lord does intend for us to turn to Him when we have needs.
But sometimes we can be surprised by needs. Often our needs hit our lives with such fury that it leaves us breathless or fearful. Unexpected bills come , poor health strikes without warning. Crises often arrive unannounced and unplanned.
It might be helpful to remind ourselves that we will always need something. There is always something, but the fact that some needs surprise us does not mean that God is surprised. Far from being unprepared, our Father is well aware of our needs ahead of time, all of them.
We read that Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. (John 6:6)
When Jesus asked Philip where they were going to get the food to feed the huge crowd. Jesus was conscious of the need and already had a supernatural solution in mind, but was calling it to Philip's attention. It was a test!
More than any other life situation needs expose and test our internal support systems. Needs reveal the true object of our trust. Where do we turn for help in a crisis? Do we cry out to the Lord? Do we confidently trust Him to give what we need when we need it?
Or do we look for our quietly-constructed, man-made safety nets? Safety nets are those just-in-case solutions we maintain in case the Lord doesn't come through. The places where we run for shelter and help when we feel abandoned.
Needs will show you in whom or what you are really trusting. They serve a purpose.
To a casual observer, Jesus was asking Philip how they were going to feed the crowd. However, John explains that Jesus was really testing Philip to see where he would run when confronted with a need so great, that no human safety net would work.
Your Father in heaven is calling you to live without safety nets. No matter how great the need, He desires that you run and call upon Him. Your needs are designed to draw your heart into greater dependence upon your Father, and not upon yourself or your resources.
Philip answered, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?" (John 6:9)
Two hundred pennyworth was a lot of money. One pennyworth was one days work pay. That meant that you had to work for two hundred days to get this kind of money. But, even that would not be enough. If they by any way could buy 200 pennyworth of bread it would still not have been sufficient.
In fact it would only have given them little. That is precisely what man’s provision does. It gives you little. This is not just about money, I’m talking about God’s total provision for you and me.
Philip thought only about personal ability to feed the crowd, asking himself how long he would have to work to feed the group. He did the math. His calculations were flawless, but his formula was flawed. He left God out of the equation.
Andrew looked at what was immediately available as a solution. The small lunch was a feast for one boy, it was prepared by a Mother for one small boy, but it could not begin to eliminate the need confronting the disciples.
Phillip was saying "What I can DO is insufficient and inadequate. Andrew was saying "What I HAVE is insufficient and inadequate.
Not only were the disciples' safety nets ripped apart by the overwhelming need, but their faith was exposed. At this moment for them, God was not a powerful provider, but a distant spectator. God was not an interested loving Father, but an absentee creator.
They did not really believe that God would take care of them. They had become distracted from the basic truths of faith. Their view of God had become distorted.
Paul warns the Romans about the warped view of God that can result from an attitude of ingratitude:
(Romans 1:21-23)
For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
As a consequence of ingratitude, lost men and women cannot see God as He really is. They miss His glory and power. They replace Him with gods of their own creation.
We must maintain a grateful, trusting spirit in the face of our needs, however great they are. Otherwise our view of God will be warped. We can seek Him and call upon Him, believing in our hearts that He is an incredibly gracious and generous Father.
Then Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, numbering about 5,000. Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated; so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. Some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord gave thanks (John 6:10-11, 23).
The disciples were astounded. Jesus took the resources they had - which were inadequate - and gave thanks to God. A choice was involved, the disciples gave what they had to the Lord. And two miracles resulted.
1. There was the miracle of the inadequate becoming more than adequate. Everyone ate as much as they wanted!
2. Then there was the miracle of understanding. The disciples never forgot what they had witnessed. The day after, John described a boat that touched ashore near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord gave thanks (John 6:23). The spot was branded into their memories. They never forgot what had happened there and the lesson they had learned.
Armed with a deep, fulfilling relationship with God, the disciples realized they could thank God for everything before it was provided - even needs that were overwhelming - just like Jesus had demonstrated.
The people closest to Jesus were His disciples. They were His friends and intimate companions. It would have been easy for Him to have acted quickly to remove all anxiety from their hearts - but He didn't. He asked questions and moved deliberately to train their hearts to be trusting and grateful at all times. They were learning together.
Some lessons can be mastered alone. Other lessons are learned in together, in fellowship with other believers.
Today we need to look to our Lord to meet our, whatever your need is on a natural emotional or spiritual level, He can, and will, meet it.
