Problem Solved
Fortifying the Foundations # 14
John 6:1-15
8-10-03
Intro:
We take our text this morning from John 6:1-15
6:1Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is,the Sea of Tiberias),John refers to the Sea of Galilee as the Sea of Tiberias because many of his readers knew it by that name. It was probably not called that at the time of this event but was known as the Sea of Galilee[1] 2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Feast was near. 5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, "Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" 8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" 10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14After 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." 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. NIV
This story begins with something wonderful; something every one of us is familiar with.
I’m not talking about the miracle at this point. I’m talking about the
I. PROBLEM: Over 5000 hungry people and nothing to feed them[2]
When I’m faced with a problem its hard for me to see anything wonderful about it. What I usually see is another demand being placed on me and frankly, I wasn’t looking for another demand. I was looking for a little relief. Has anyone here noticed that life can get a little demanding?
Here is Jesus and his disciples greatly in need of rest. They have been ministering to a lot of people and decide to cross over the Sea of Galilee and find a little, quaint spot for some R & R.[3]
Jesus can’t go to Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration because the Jewish leaders are laying for him there. Jesus loved his Father’s house. He loved Passover Feast because he, more than anyone else, understood its full significance. But we have already seen what has happened when he attends. Here are the four Passovers in the book of John that date Jesus’ public ministry as a little over three years long:
1. John 2:13 few months into public ministry
2. John 5:1 1 yr. + few months
3. John 6:4 2 yr. + few months
4. John 13:1 3 yr.+ few months[4]
In John 2 Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple and a terrible confrontation with the religious leaders followed. Last week we talked about the conflict that occurred after the healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda. We know that next year when he goes to Jerusalem he is crucified.
If he goes to this Passover he will be killed a year early. So in obedience to the Father he avoids that situation. Isn’t that an awesome illustration of Jesus’ humanity and humility?
How would you handle that if you were God manifest in flesh? I would be tempted to go
and dare them to mess with me. I would have the angels waiting with bolts of lightening in
hand. And if they gave me any trouble we would have “fried Pharisees” that year.
But that is not Jesus’ spirit. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” [5] Jesus graciously, patiently just stays away from Jerusalem.
John the Baptist been recently beheaded by Herod[6] It was the best of times and the worst of times—the worst of times because of the persecution and blood thirst in Jerusalem against God’s prophets; the best of times because of the awesome ministry taking place.
Jesus has sent out the disciples two by two in ministry and they have come back with exciting reports. There are many healings and miracles taking place in Jesus’ ministry.
But the ministry team is exhausted and they cross the Sea of Galilee to find a place to rest[7]
As they are crossing the people on the shore recognize the boat[8]and with great enthusiasm run after Jesus.
Guess what? When they arrived at their “Bed and Breakfast” there were people already there, waiting for ministry. Many others were to follow[9] So instead of resting Jesus ministered. He taught them the word of God and healed the sick.[10]Now they were really tired.[11] So they moved back from the crowd to rest on a hillside.[12]Jesus looks up and here they all come. Knowing that background it is not hard for me to understand why
the disciples suggested that he send the multitude away[13]
Now here is the problem. You’ve got 5,000 men. Matthew tells us that number is besides women and children[14]Some estimate the crowd to be as much as 20,000 people. We really don’t know. But we know there were more than 5,000. All these people are hungry and need to be fed. What are we going to do about this impossible situation?
Jesus does not immediately give a solution. Have you ever been a little frustrated with God’s timing in your life? You know you’ve got problem. Surely God knows you’ve got a problem. Yet Jesus looks at you and asks for a solution. John 6:5, Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"
Why does God allow you and me to be confronted with such “hairy” problems in our lives? I don’t know about you but there have been times in my life when I’m thinking, “Lord, are you just trying to find my breaking point?” Sometimes I feel like the old farmer who was going through some hard times. He was praying and just told the Lord, “Lord, I’m not surprised that you have so few friends, the way you treat the ones You’ve got[15]
I hear poor Philip thinking, “Why me? I mean there are eleven other disciples here. Why don’t you pick on one of them?” What’s happening when God allows us to be faced with these impossible situations? And keep in mind Philip is tired. When we’re tired we tend to handle this stuff a little differently than when we’re fresh and rested.
I’m absolutely sure Jesus could have solved this problem without pulling Philip into it. Sometimes people get the idea that following Jesus is the way to avoid problems. I don’t thinks so. Ask Philip. Ask Paul. Ask John as he sat on the Isle of Patmos. Following Jesus does not eliminate life’s problems. But it does sanctify them toward God’s purposes. And what is God’s purpose—to conform you and me into the image of His Son[16]
John 6:6 is full of revelation as to what God is doing in your life and mine with problems.
“He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” Jesus was not trying to get Philip to come up with a good solution, as if Jesus needed that.
Jesus asked the question to engage Philip with the problem, to lead Philip through a learning experience. It’s designed first to remind Philip of his own inadequacy (his need for the Lord) and then to position Philip to discover God’s adequacy in his behalf.
The problem exposed Philip to Philip. Jesus already knew what was in Philip. Jesus already knew how he was going to solve the problem. But along with solving the problem, God had something He wanted to do in Philip.
Now, your problem/my problem—we find ourselves trying to decide what to do about it. Does God know what He’s going to do about that problem? Did it take Him by surprise? Is it too big for Him? Is He out of solutions? No, but the question comes to you and me as it came to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? How are we going to pay the mortgage? What can we do to get that teenager to make wise choices? How can I get along with that cranky person at work?” The call for a solution rings in our ears.
We struggle for an answer just like these disciples did. Maybe we should just send these people away and let them fend for themselves for something to eat. Take the problem and hand it back to them. But why wouldn’t Jesus accept that solution? Mark 6:34 Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
Philip is a lot like most of us. He is much better at defining the problem than solving it. John 6:7 “Philip answered him, "Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" “Jesus, I don’t even have enough to give them one bite, let alone a whole meal.” See that is part of what Jesus wanted Philip to realize.
Are you a rescuer? What Philip should have said was, “Jesus, I don’t know how we’re going to solve this problem, but I’m sure you will come up with something.” Instead he is wrestling with his own inadequacy, trying to be adequate for the situation. Does anybody know what I mean—inadequate but trying hard to be adequate?
Andrew steps forward with something. But when he hears himself say it, he half laughs at his own proposal. We’ve got this little boy here with five small barley loaves and two fish. These are not the big French loaves of bread you see at the grocery store. This is a little boy’s lunch. These are five little biscuits. And the small fish are really small fish. They are like little sardines[17]Barley loaves were poor man’s bread that substituted for wheat. In fact, barley-bread in that culture had become a byword for worthless[18]The term was used like we say, “Not worth a nickel.”
These guys have a big problem and are not coming up with great solutions. But Jesus does have them engaged in a process that he wants to walk them through. Jesus has the
II. SOLUTION.
How does the problem get solved? What process did Jesus walk these disciples through for their miracle.
1st The disciples are faced with their own inadequacy and humbled by that. That is an important preparation for what is about to take place in their lives. God is about to use them in a glorious way. He is going to involve them in one of the greatest miracles ever recorded in human history. They will not look back upon this experience with arrogance. They will look back amazed that God graciously let tem be a part of the solution.
2nd They gave to Jesus what they had. This little boy handed Jesus his happy meal[19]
That’s called sacrificial giving when you’re a hungry little boy. Wouldn’t you love to have watched that gentle transaction as Jesus received those loaves and fish from that little boy? When I get to heaven I want to hear that boy’s life story. How was he impacted by that encounter with Jesus? What did he do when he grew up? How was his posterity influenced by the story?
These five barley loaves and two sardines constitute a very humble beginning for feeding over 5,000 people. Sometimes we look at a problem and we’re paralyzed by its magnitude and impossibility. “Yes, I’ve got five barley loaves and two sardines, but would that even matter in this situation? In fact, sometimes we feel like we’re little more than five barley loaves and two sardines. But all God asks us to do is give Him what we have. He never asks for more than that because He supplies all the rest.
It’s interesting that the disciples tended to look outside for a solution to the problem. Send them away for food. But the seeds of solution were right there in their midst. The answer is usually in the house. How can this church expand its ministry to our community? The answer is probably sitting right here in this room. How will we finance the mission to reach our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world? The answer begins with my five barley loaves and two fish placed in the hands of Jesus.
3rd They obeyed Jesus directive as to what to do next. John 6:10 “Have the people sit down?” The disciples did what Jesus told them to do. This miracle was characterized by order not chaos. I have been in Pentecostal circles where any kind of order was considered anti-spiritual, something that would quench the Spirit. But Jesus had these people sit down in groups of fifty and hundred[20]
After Hurricane Mitch many people in Honduras were left homeless and hungry. When we[21] went into that country a few years ago to deliver food the leader of our team was very definite in what we were to do before distributing the food. We were to bring the crowd to order before the truck trailer was ever opened. We then instructed the crowd as to how the food would be distributed. Then we opened the trailer and began to hand out the food in an orderly fashion. There were nowhere near 5,000 people in those crowds but order was still essential. I watched on the news coverage, some the problems incurred when our troops tried to give humanitarian relief in Iraq right after the war. In some cases the soldiers did not understand the importance of establishing order in the crowd before the distribution began. As a result they were having some serious problems.
4th In verse 11 Jesus exemplified an important principle in this miracle process. He looked up toward heaven to the Father and gave thanks. He publicly acknowledged God’s goodness and provision. He publicly acknowledged his dependence upon the Father. He thanked God for the little that he had in his hand, he consecrated it to the Father, then he used what he had.
5th Notice the disciple’s involvement in this miracle. We tend to err on one of two extremes. One extreme is to simply try to solve the problem independent of God.
The other extreme is to want God to work some kind of magic so we don’t have to get our hands dirty, so we don’t have to do anything. On the one hand, our human insufficiency must be acknowledged from the heart. On the other hand, our human involvement must be available to God.
There is no doubt that the food multiplied as Jesus broke it and distributed it to the disciples. But I am also prone to believe as the disciples broke it and distributed it to the multitude it continued to multiply. I think that is the practical probability. Can you imagine one person breaking off each piece of bread and fish for 5,000 people? Jesus had given his disciples power to heal the sick and cast out demons when they were sent out two by two prior to this time. I think he could have empowered them to participate in the supernatural aspects of this miracle.
Certainly there were things they had to do. The solution to your problem will probably involve something for you to do. God has the answer. But we are very often part of the answer. Amen?
6th The miracle did not stop until the need was fully met. Everybody got full. God is not short on resources. He is a God of abundance. When God solves your problem He won’t half solve it. He won’t stop unto the job is done. When God opened the Red Sea for Israel, they didn’t swim across. They walked across on dry ground[22]When the walls of Jericho fell down they came all the way down[23]In this miracle there were twelve baskets of food left over—more than they started with. God is not stingy. God is not in a financial pinch. He has everything you and I need.
The disciples stayed with the process until it was complete. Have I mentioned that they were tired? It’s work to cater food for 5,000 people even if God is supernaturally working in the process. Operating in the supernatural realm does not exempt us from our humanity. I’m sure these disciples became physically weary before everyone got fed. But the persevered and faithfully finished the task God gave them to do. There was abundance for everyone.
7th But God is also not wasteful. He did not allow the disciples to be wasteful. If I could multiply food I might be tempted to just leave the leftovers lying there. John tells us exactly why Jesus had the disciples gather up the leftovers. “Let nothing be wasted.” This is perhaps a command that our society has overlooked. “Let nothing be wasted.” Look at God’s ecological system. Nothing is wasted. The leaves that fall from the tree decompose and become nutrients in the soil. Sometimes people have a problem because they have violated this command. “Let nothing be wasted”—even that stuff piled up in the attic. “Let nothing be wasted”—especially the talents God has given you for service.
Conclusion
God allows us to encounter problems as we journey through this life. Sometimes we wonder why this would be since He is capable of sparing us all that. But there us usually something He wants to do in us in the process of solving the problem. He has bigger plans for us than just problem-free living.
The text suggests a few questions we might ponder as we come to the conclusion of this service:
1. What problem am I facing that I might bring to God this morning?
2. Have I come to terms with my own human inadequacy in this matter? Am I really just trying to solve the problem myself or have I seen that what I bring to the solution is simply the five loaves and two fish and a willingness to obey?
3. Have I committed myself to the human involvement God asks of me in the solution?
Jesus didn’t let Philip and Andrew off the hook. His command to them was “You feed them.”
