WHAT THE LAD HAD.
John 6: 1-14
Int. We have a story before us that has been told and retold, and from which numerous lessons have been drawn. It is the only miracle which Jesus did that is recorded in each of the four Gospel accounts, Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6. Luke tells us that it was late in the afternoon. Matthew and Mark mention that it took place shortly after Herod had ordered that John the Baptist be put to death. John points out that it was just before the Feast of the Passover.
This is the only place in the record of Jesus’ life on earth that He asked anyone for his advice. We never find Him consulting anyone in any other place. He asked Phillip where they could purchase some bread for the crowd that was gathered there. Phillip did not answer the question as to the “where.” Phillip’s answer was, in effect, “what is the use of talking about the where, when we have no money to buy bread.
John inserts an amazing statement just here. “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” Phillip was so focused on the crowd that he seemed to forget Who he was with.
Andrew, who was standing nearby, picked up the conversation. He shared that there was a lad there who had five small barley loaves and two small fish. Then he added, “but how far will they go among so many?” On the one had, Andrew made a venture in faith, but then, he seemed to find amusement in his own suggestion. Phillip’s answer was direct and was perfectly honest, and Andrew’s was probably aimed at bringing a little laughter among the disciples. Jesus did not criticize either of the two men, not did He say any unkind word to them. What He did say, was as if He responded to Andrew, and said, “Andrew, you’ve solved the problem. “ He actually did say, “Have the people sit down.”
There was much grass in the place. As already said, this is in harmony with the note of time conveyed in ver. 4. Mark speaks of the people sitting down “upon the green grass” — this is a vivid touch from an eyewitness; Matthew also speaks of the grass. Mark and Luke add another memorable feature which John does not include. The men were distinguished from a more general word, which may have included the “women and children,” who in no great numbers probably formed, according to Eastern custom, a company by themselves. The men sat down. The matter of the “number” is about five thousand. Luke says they sat, “in groups of fifty.” Mark first declares that Jesus ordered them to sit down in parties, and the result of which was as having the appearance of garden beds, of fifty or of a hundred each.
Then our Lord looked at the supply from which He would draw. Just a small lad with his little basket containing his lunch. Let us think about that lad and try to imagine what he must have thought when he realized that Jesus was asking for his lunch.
I. FEELINGS THE LAD MUST HAVE HAD.
Edersheim: “While all other meat offerings were of wheat, barley… is the food of animals.” Five small barley loaves would have been the bread of the poorest class of people. And two small fish. The use of this word is peculiar to our Gospel. Both Matthew, Luke and Mark use the ordinary word for “fish; “but John uses a word which means “relish,” that which is eaten with bread). This mostly consisted of small fish caught in the lake, which were dried, salted as “sardines” or “anchovies.”
1. The Surprise that must have been overwhelming to the Lad..
(Out of all these people, Jesus picked me)
Jesus could have turned the stones into bread, and the bugs or worms into fish. He really did not need the boy nor what he had, but He chose to involve the boy in the plan that He had.
-Why would Jesus choose a tax collector like Matthew?
-Why would Jesus choose a hothead like Peter?
-Why would Jesus choose a dangerous man like Saul of Tarsus?
2. The Regret that must have been worrisome to the Lad.
(If only I had brought more, or at least if I had brought something better than this)
Just think, this is the one time in history that this boy had something to offer the Lord, something that in the hands of Jesus would be truly significant. “Oh, if I only had more to give, if it were something worthwhile. Little did he know that little is much in the hand of the Lord.
II. COURAGE THAT THE BOY DID HAVE.
Even though in the boy’s eyes, as well as in the eyes of all the others, the supply was absolutely inadequate. But to the Lord, our inadequacy makes room for His sufficiency!
A. The Choice the Boy had to make.
1. He could have kept what he had out of a sense of shame. If he offered what he had to Jesus, the crowd may have roared with laughter. “Hey, Kid, who do you think you are?” “Do you actually think that your pitiful gift can really make a difference?” There have been those who have held back from a full surrender to the Lord, because they thought that others would laugh at them.
2. He could have remained quiet out of a sense of selfishness.
He could have said, “hey, this is my lunch, I may need it for myself.” If he would have given it away, when he needed it, he wouldn’t have it.
B. The Courage the Boy chose to show.
Apparently, the boy without any hesitation, stepped up to Jesus and handed Him the basket. He was exercising an act of faith. Some may have said he was foolish, others may have felt that he was being taken advantage of, but he must have felt that he simply wanted Jesus to have what he had.
The widow gave Elijah her last flour and oil in a small cake, at a desperate time in her life, but she did it by faith. David walked down into the valley to face Goliath with his sling, but he did it by faith. The widow gave her two mites in the temple treasury, but she did it by faith.
No one has ever taken a step of faith toward giving God what he had and then later had to express a disappointment in God.
III. AMAZEMENT THAT THE BOY EXPERIENCED.
Jesus then took the loaves; and having given thanks, seen in the word used by John, whereas Mark speaks of his looking up to heaven and blessing the loaves, uttering words of praise. This expression corresponds with the function of the head of a household at one of Israel’s great feasts. He distributed to them who were set down. He gave to the disciples, and they to the multitude. In this, we see a clear illustration of the method in which all his greatest gifts have been spread over the world. John calls special attention to the part, the supreme part, taken in this proceeding by the Lord himself. Advantage has been taken of this to show that the story is a prelude to the Lord’s last meal, at which Jesus gave to his disciples the bread which he broke, representative of His own broken Body.
1. That Someone as great as Jesus would choose something as lowly as what he had to offer.
The small loaves and fishes were really only a means that Jesus used to indicate in a larger setting to His disciples as well as to believers all down through the ages, that when we bring to Him what we have and allow Him to possess what we are, the results that follow will exceed our greatest expectations.
2. That Jesus could do what He did with what the boy had.
When you consider that the great God of all the universe created all that is from nothing, what else does He need to accomplish that which is astounding and unbelievable.
Jin Moon Kim came to this country after having survived torture by the communists, and three years in a prison camp during the Korean War. His main burden was to prepare himself and return to Korea as a Gospel preacher. As a result of his surrender, over one million dollars has been given, eighteen churches have been established, thousands of Koreans have been taught God’s Word, and a restorative ministry has penetrated the lives of numerous inmates in the Korean prisons. Little is much when God is in it!
Conc: Minister went to visit an old blind widow. As he approached the door, he heard praying on the inside. After the prayer ended, he knocked on the door. When he entered he made himself known and visited with the lady for awhile. Then he asked if there was anything that he could do for her. She asked for a loaf of bread and then added, we haven’t had any solid food for a day or two. He asked how she had been living. She said,” there are huckleberries in the woods and our cow gives milk. My grandchildren gather it for me. We have huckleberries and milk, and we have God, too.”
