A mistake many high school students make is to think that one day they will graduate and never have to apply in their daily living any of the things they learned in those classrooms in the past twelve years. The reason they think that way is because we have been trained to think of a classroom setting as being the only place of learning and once we are out of the classroom setting we have graduated from this level of our lives. The fact is, that is not true at all!
In our text we have an outdoor classroom setting with Jesus and the disciples. In this particular “class” Jesus was about to give the disciples their BIG EXAM.
Jesus had His disciples on the mountain when He looked up and saw five-thousand people approaching Him in that isolated place. The multitude did not go there because they loved Him. The Bible says they were there because they had seen Him perform miracles and they wanted to “cash in.” They thought they had a chance to have Him perform some miracle for them!
The big exam came for the disciples when Jesus turned to Philip, in verse 5, and said, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Philip scored a big zero.
Evidently he asked the treasurer how much money they had in the purse and then he told the Lord, verse 7, “...Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.”
Philip was like so many are in our churches today. When a problem comes up they have no idea what to do. Philip told Jesus that if they took every penny they had and bought bread with it, it would not have been enough to pass around regardless how small they made the pieces.
Philip could have made an “A” on that test if he had said, “Lord, feeding that crowd is no problem for You...they could have said…
• I remember that time when we on that ship in that terrible story that almost sank our ship. We thought we were going to drown. You woke up and You calmed that sea.”
• I remember when we reached shore we came in contact with a man who was demon possessed. He lived like a wild animal in the hills and caves. He would tear his clothes off and run around naked. He would take rocks and cut himself. Then you cast the demons out of him and he became a decent man.”
• I remember that crowd we were in one day when you healed the lady who had been to every doctor in town about her blood disease and had been steadily getting worse until then.”
• I remember the man whose daughter had died and You raised her to life again.
• Lord, to feed this five thousand is no problem with You. You could do it with the snap of Your finger.”
But, Philip did not say that. He said, “Lord, we just do not have enough money to feed this crowd.”
Do you know what Philip’s problem was?
At that moment, he did not have FAITH in the LORD JESUS CHRIST! He proved that by his answer when Jesus asked him about where they would get bread to feed those people. The Lord did not ask Philip because He did not know what to do. There has never been a crisis that Jesus could not handle.
• He has never PANICKED.
• He always has a PLAN.
He asked Philip this question because He wanted Philip to see what he would do. Jesus already knew what Philip was going to do.
Illus: We have heard Christians say, “God sends certain trials to see how we will react to them.”
What these do not realize is that God knows before any trial comes just how His children are going to react. There is nothing in our PAST or in our FUTURE that God does not already know about us!
God gave Philip that test so Philip himself might see that his faith was not in the living Christ, but in money.
Christ was not seeking advice from Philip because He did not know what He was going to do.
Look at verse 6, “And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.”
In that outdoor “classroom” Christ gave Philip a test and Philip failed it “big time!”
Notice, when the question on that test was asked, two wrong answers were given. They were wrong because the disciples had their FAITH IN THE WRONG PLACES.
(1) PHILIP THOUGHT THE ANSWER TO THAT PROBLEM WAS MONEY.
As soon as Philip was asked that question he thought about money. So often our first response to problems will reveal what our faith is anchored in.
Illus: Some folks can face a crisis in life and the first thing they do is turn to a friend. They will call every friend they have seeking a solution. Eventually, when they realize their friends can not help them, they will turn to the Lord. But their first reaction demonstrated where their trust is really anchored.
Many today, like Philip, feel money is the answer to all problems and that is where they turn. For example--
Illus: We hear a great deal today about the drugs, alcohol, and sex in our schools. Our politicians try to solve those problems by raising taxes and spending more money on education. We have some of the best school facilities and best paid teachers in the world. What the ungodly authorities can not comprehend is that the problem is with this liberal, anti-Bible crowd. Parents stand for nothing in the home, and many of those who stand before our children do not stand for Biblical morality. Money will not solve that problem. When the youth of this day are blessed with godly parents and godly teachers that they respect, then we will see the youth of this nation turning to Christ.
For example-
Illus: You can take a godly woman, dressed modestly, and evil men will curb their conversation when she walks into their presence.
Why?
Even ungodly men know what to respect. And, so do young people. Respect has to be earned by a life of respectful living.
Our nation thinks that money can solve all the problems of the world!
The second wrong answer was that...
(2). RESOURCES CAN SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS WE FACE.
Look at verses 8-9, “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”
In other words, Andrew was saying that MONEY is not the solution, but we do have a lad here who has some loaves and some fish, but what is that among so many?
The Lord Jesus heard enough wrong answers in that outdoor classroom setting. In verse 10 we read that He told them, (paraphrase), “Sit down, I am going to teach you something!”
I. THE TESTING.
The first lesson Jesus was going to teach them there was that there will always be those who will follow for the wrong purpose, and once they have gotten what they want, they walk off and leave.
These are the ones who want the...
A. The freebies. Verses 1-3, “...And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.”
The Lord was about to teach His disciples, in that outdoor classroom, how to be nice to those who are not being nice to you, and who only want to use you.
Notice the scripture says there was a “...great multitude...” that followed Him. Now that seems commendable. However, the fact is that they were following Him for the wrong reason. They were there for a HAND OUT, but when things got hard, they became the DROP OUTS.
That was exactly what they did. Look at verses 66-67 in this chapter, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?”
The Lord knew how it felt to have men forsake Him when the pressure was on. That great multitude who were following Him for the wrong purpose forsook Him. It seemed as though everyone was going to leave Him. He asked the twelve, “...Will ye also go away?” Later they did. Before His crucifixion they fled like scarred rabbits.
That crowd did not fool the Lord. Jesus knew exactly why they were there. Still, HE WAS NOT RUDE TO THEM! He did not ask them to leave. Evidently His twelve disciples did not feel the way He felt.
In Luke’s record of the feeding of the five thousand we read, Luke 9:12-15, “...then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.”
They knew why they were following the Lord and they wanted them sent away. Instead, Jesus was going to teach them if they wanted to be LIKE HIM, THEY COULD NOT BE RUDE, even to those who wanted to use them and misuse them. Jesus said, in Luke 9:13, “...Give ye them to eat.”
The disciples were being TESTED on being Christ-like and they scored a big zero. Jesus could see they needed to learn two things.
1. They needed to learn to love those who wanted to misuse them.
Anyone can love those who love him, but it takes the power of the love of God to be able to love someone who is trying to use us and who will discard us as he would discard a dirty dish rag when he is through with us.
2. They needed to learn to serve instead of complaining.
They said, “...Send the multitude away...” Jesus said, “...Give ye them to eat...” Why? The Lord knows that those in our churches who are busy serving have less time to complain.
Besides, Christ did not come to send people away. Jesus came to draw men unto Himself. We still have that crowd today who seem to think that their God-given duty is to decide who will be able to come to Christ and who will not be able to come. If all God’s people were busy serving spiritual food they would not have time to be involved in such matters.
3. We need to learn the same lessons. Those who want to send the people away are still trying to send them away. They do this two ways.
a. We reject some on different social levels.
Illus: A church was doing a great job for the Lord. They had a loving fellowship of people. Then, as the church began to grow, the more “Ritzy” crowd began to move in and take over. Soon the poor and the outcast felt out of place. The church decided to build another church in the neighborhood where many of the poorer people came from.
One of the deacons said, “THEY will feel more comfortable in the church we will build for them.” Something is wrong in any church when the poor do not feel welcome or comfortable. Something is wrong when those who claim to be Christians have the attitude, “Send them away.”
b. We reject some of other races. Some of the most racist people in America are the people who send money around the world to reach the lost. If the same people they send money to walked into their church, their attitude would be, “Send them away.”
Illus: One man said, “We can not keep the (people of a certain race) out of our church, but we can make them unwelcome.” What an unChristlike attitude some have. They are not busy serving spiritual food. All they have time for is saying, “Send them away.”
When this crowd of five-thousand came, the twelve disciples were put to the test and they made a big zero. They were tested by those seeking THE FREEBIES. They were also tested in another way.
B. The Followers. Verses 5-6, “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.”
The Lord was going to teach His disciples that He never had a situation that He could not handle. When He saw the 5,000+ crowd, He did NOT PANIC. He had a plan. He already knew what He was going to do. Look at verse John 6:6. “...for he himself knew what he would do.”
Illus: Have you ever looked out of a window after hearing a commotion outside and saw some relatives, with six mean children, from out of state who had decided to pay you a surprise visit for a week? You probably did not know what to do, so you put on this hypocritical smile, as if you were delighted that they had come for the week!
The Lord was going to teach them He is master of every situation. They only thought of sending the people away, but Jesus was going to demonstrate that no need was too great for Him to meet.
II. THE TEACHING. (Read verses 10-14)
A. The feeding. Now notice, Andrew said that there was a lad there with some bread and fish, then he asks, “...but what are they among so many?”
When Andrew said that, the Lord had them all sit down and He began to TEACH THEM SOMETHING. He taught them it is not HOW MUCH we have that counts, it is when we take what we have and give it to Him and He blesses it that it can be used of God. Andrew admitted that there was some loaves and some fish, but then he asked “...but what are they among so many?”
That is the attitude that God can use to show His power and that He is adequate. When we feel the need is so great, but we are so small compared to what is needed.
Illus: Every week there are people who feel they are more than adequate for the situation. They do not spend time on bended knee in prayer crying out, “God, the need is so great, and I feel so inadequate.” In fact, they feel so adequate that they do not spend time on their knees at all.
When a minister, Sunday school teacher, choir member, usher, etc., will seek the Lord, and will ask the Lord to bless them, then God can use them!
What seemed completely insufficient, as far as Andrew was concerned, was taken and blessed by Christ and it fed the five thousand plus crowd.
B. The Fragments. (Read verses 12-14)
When Christ does something, He does not just barely do it! He goes beyond what is expected of Him.
Illus: For example, Paul wrote to the Romans and said, Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Notice, Paul did not say we are just “conquerors.” He said, “We are MORE than conquerors...” God does not want to be known as the God Who barely meets the needs of His people. He wants to be known as the God Who can make us not only a conqueror, but MORE THAN a conqueror!
Notice in the feeding of the five thousand; Jesus did not just barely feed the crowd. He fed the five thousand plus crowd and then told them, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” Also notice, they gathered twelve baskets of fragments. That was much more than they began with!
Conclusion:
I. THE TESTING
A. The Freebies
B. The Followers
II. THE TEACHING
A. The Feeding
B. The Fragments
