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May 31, 2020

Jesus: God's Answer to Our Desires

Passage: John 6:1-15

Preacher: Tim Badal

Series:Hit Reset

Detail:

Open God’s Word to John 6, as we continue in our series “Hit Reset: Seeing our dead ends as divine opportunities.” Today we’re coming to a passage that is remarkable, so I’m looking forward to our time together in God’s Word today.

Thus far we’ve seen three miracles. We saw Jesus turn water into wine. We saw Jesus heal a nobleman’s son from a distance. And we’ve seen Him heal a lifelong paralytic. With each of these healings, we’ve seen how God in the person of Jesus Christ changed the dead ends of these people’s lives into divine opportunities.

John listed seven miracles for a reason. As we’ve said before, these weren’t all the miracles He did, but they were highlights. John chose these as the top seven as representative of the earthly ministry of Jesus. In John 20:30-31, we’re told, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” These verses give us a twofold purpose for our study of these miracles.

First, we want to introduce people to Jesus. There may be some listening who have never had much involvement with Him and we want you to meet Him. Maybe you’re listening to this podcast for the first time, so this is the first time you’re hearing about Jesus and what He did. Our goal is that you would believe in Him, that you would put your trust and hope in Him and that you would receive eternal life by confessing your sins to Him, believing He is the Lord and Savior of all.

Secondly, John also tells us there will be a sanctifying process that comes along with believing. There is a one-time decision to put our faith in Him, then through believing, we receive the life we’re seeking. That’s an important focus of this series. As Christ followers, we need to remember that no matter how difficult our circumstances are or how big our dead ends seem to be—whether relational, financial, physical, spiritual or emotional—true life in this world is found in an ongoing and growing faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

This second truth is an important element in the miracle we’ll be looking at today. We’re going to learn what God did through His Son Jesus when He was faced with the impossible. The events in John 6 held a special place in the hearts of John and the other disciples. This miracle—the feeding of the 5,000—is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels.

So let me ask, when you get together with family and lifelong friends, is there a certain story that is told every time? It’s one of those stories where everyone remembers where they were and what they were thinking when it took place. Whenever it comes up, there’s a big discussion in which everyone reminisces about what was said and what was done.

For the disciples, the feeding of the 5,000 was that kind of story. It was one of those situations where everyone had a part to play. Here is John’s version as he tells it in John 6:

Video: After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee, or Lake Tiberias as it is also called. A large crowd followed Him because they had seen His miracles of healing the sick. Jesus went up a hill and sat down with His disciples. The time for the Passover festival was near. Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to Him.

“Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?” He said this to test Philip. Actually, He already knew what He would do.

“For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than 200 silver coins to buy enough bread.”

Another one of His disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, said, “There’s a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish, but that will certainly not be enough for all these people.”

“Make the people sit down.” There was a lot of grass there, so all the people sat down. There were about 5,000 men. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God and distributed it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish. And they all had as much as they wanted. When they were all full, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces left over. Let us not waste a bit.” So they gathered them all, and filled 12 baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eaten.

Seeing this miracle Jesus had performed, the people there said, “Surely this is the Prophet Who was to come into the world.” Jesus knew that they were about to come and seize Him in order to make Him king by force, so He went off again to the hills by Himself.[1]

What an incredible scene that was. John 6 comes on the heels of the miracle in John 5 which Pastor David walked us through last week. We saw what it was like for a lifelong paralytic to be healed, but we know that’s only part of the story, because in the latter part of John 5 we discover that there were some who believed in Jesus’ power to do miracles, but there were some who did not.

The theme of belief and unbelief is woven through the Gospel of John and that same pattern can be found in our world today. When a person encounters Jesus, he will either believe in Who He is or he will not believe and will turn away. In the second half of John 5, Jesus was debating with the religious leaders who chose not to believe in Him.

John 6 then opens with the words, “After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, and a large crowd was following him.” While there were those who did not want to believe Him—mainly those in the religious establishment—there were many who believed Him enough to follow after Him. In fact, in this story, it included over 5,000 men, not counting women and children. This entourage of people had seen the miracles Jesus performed by healing the sick. It wasn’t like He was trying to draw a crowd. Nevertheless, His works caused many to wonder, “Who is this man? Could this be the Messiah the prophets have foretold?” As they watched, Jesus once again proved His power specifically because of the problem this crowd brought. We read in another Gospel that this miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 took place later in the day. Jesus had been teaching for some time, so by evening the people were getting hungry. We also read elsewhere that the disciples first suggested the problem be solved by sending the people home, thinking it was their problem.

But John gives two other possible solutions to the problem. When Jesus asked Philip what should be done to feed the people, Philip gave another solution. In verse seven we read, “Philip answered him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.’”  Philip realized Jesus had compassion on the people and wanted to take care of them, so using his Google spreadsheet, he calculated that it would take 200 denarii to give everyone even a small amount of bread.

Let’s apply that scenario to our lives. How often, when we’re faced with a problem, is our response to figure out a solution instead of putting faith in the God of the universe? Philip’s solution was standing right in front of him, but instead of realizing Jesus was the answer, Philip did what he could to calculate the answer himself. But his solution wasn’t really going to do the trick. Two hundred denarii was not enough. It was about the yearly salary of a common laborer, which was probably what Philip and many of the other disciples were used to making. He was essentially saying to Jesus, “Even if I worked a whole year, it wouldn’t be sufficient. This is an impossible situation.”

Yet there was another solution that came up, this time from Andrew. We don’t know much about Andrew. What we know best about him is that he was Peter’s brother. Some of you live in families where you’re known because of someone you’re related to. That was Andrew. We also know Andrew connected people to Jesus. He was the one who brought his brother Peter to Jesus. Connecting people to Jesus is really an awesome ministry and one we should seek to have as well. In this story, we see Andrew doing the same thing—in this case, he connects Jesus with a little boy. The boy had a small meal. Andrew knew that wouldn’t be enough, but maybe Jesus could do something with it.

The difference between Philip and Andrew is that Philip was focused on the problem, while Andrew was focused on the potential Jesus would bring to the situation. He had seen Jesus turn water into wine, so he knew Jesus could change the substance of something. He had no idea how something so small could help, but he had faith to bring it to Jesus anyway.

This miracle reminds us there is no problem too big for Jesus to solve.

This is such an important lesson for us in our day and it’s the first point in today’s message. Jesus presented the problem to the disciples and asked them what they would do. It’s always good for us to ask people who face problems, “What would you do?” One disciple said, “Let’s send them on their way.” Philip suggested, “I’ve calculated what it would take to purchase bread, but it won’t work.” Andrew brought something that gave Jesus the opportunity to show His power.

In asking them what they would do, Jesus was testing His disciples. He wanted to test the depth of their belief in Him and it was small. Of course, as the miracles continues, their faith also grew. We should be encouraged by the realization that no one believes right away. None of us have arrived at the fullness of faith. We’re all growing too and it’s the very tests that come our way that cause our faith to grow.

COVID has been a test for us, challenging us to ask, “Will our faith grow or will we seek to alleviate the problems on our own?” As your pastors, it’s our desire that we will hit “reset” and instead of seeing COVID as a dead end, we’ll see it as a divine opportunity for God to do great things.

Jesus knew exactly what He was going to do to fix the problem, but what He wanted to do with His disciples—and what He wants to do with each of us—is to bring us along in the journey. He often allows us to get to the end of our own ideas, then when He takes us beyond them, our faith will grow.

The disciples saw the problem they were facing as being too big to solve. But as we’ll soon see, what was impossible for them was possible with God. Jesus took a few loaves and fishes and multiplied them. He alleviated the problem without even breaking a sweat. No problem is too big for Him to solve.

Do you believe that today? Do you really believe there is no problem in your life that is too hard for God? Whatever you’re dealing with, not only does God know about it, but God has a way to address that issue. I love what God said to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). The answer to that question for every Christ follower should be an emphatic, “No! There is nothing too difficult for Jesus.” We need to run to Him and trust in Him. We need to give our problems to Him instead of trying to solve them ourselves through our own ideas or calculations. He is the answer.

This miracle reminds us that no person is too insignificant to serve.

On the heels of that first important truth is a second truth. John focuses his camera on one particular character—someone we’ve never met in any other Gospel. It’s part of the story that’s unique to John’s version. That character is a little boy. As we’ve said, Andrew was the one who brought the boy to Jesus. Verse nine states, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.”

The word “boy” in the original language implies that he was merely a lad, not a teenager. So he had a kid’s meal with him, like Lunchables in our day—some crackers and meat. We don’t know where his parents were. So why does John mention this detail? He doesn’t tell us, but we can speculate.

Those of you who are Bible students, you know that John was the youngest disciple. We know this through the way Jesus interacted with him and through some of his mannerisms. We’re told that when they were eating the Last Supper, John was reclining on to Jesus’ chest. That might seem odd for a grown man, but a youth might do this to represent his affection for someone else. Also, Bible scholars believe John was young when Jesus called him. We also know he outlived all the other disciples by many years. So as John shares this event as he remembered it, it’s seen through the eyes of a younger person. What may have been an insignificant detail to everyone else who would tell that story was significant to him. I think John was thinking that just as Jesus used a little boy, he also used young John—even if he felt less significant than the older disciples.

Notice that the insignificance wasn’t just the boy’s age, but also the meal he brought. When we’re told he had five barley loaves, we need to realize that barley was what poor people used to make their bread. Whoever this young boy was, we know he came from a family with meager financial standing, a peasant household. Then there were the fish. We’re not talking about salmon or trout. Probably these were more like pickled sardines that would fill the belly but might not have tasted all that good.

What we know about the boy and the meal is extremely important. Yes, there is no problem too big for God to solve, but we can also think there is no person too insignificant to serve. That’s the flip side of the coin. Yes, our problems are too big for us to solve—we need Jesus. He is the only answer. But so often we think we have nothing to bring to the table, thinking we don’t have to have any part in the solution ourselves. In John 6 we’re reminded that a small boy, who was probably insignificant in the world’s eye, along with an insignificant meal, were what God used to do something great. What an awesome encouragement that is to us in our finite state and in our world of lack. We actually do have something to bring to Jesus, meager though it be.

We look at the problems in this world and wonder what we can do. We see so much pain and sorrow and poverty, wondering what our limited resources could do in the face of that. We think, “I’m only one of seven billion people.” But Jesus invites us into His ministry. Yes, we depend on Him to empower us, but we have something to offer as well. This story demonstrates that one little boy, however insignificant he may have been, was used by Christ to be part of something great.

In order for us to get to the place where our insignificant contributions can do something big for God, two things have to be true.

The meager things we have must be transferred to Jesus.

The text doesn’t discuss this, but I think it’s almost humorous that this kid didn’t freak out when Andrew took his meal from him and gave it to the Person Who was speaking from the side of the mountain. He could have said, “Hey, I prepared. I was ready. I knew the preacher always preached for hours, so I packed myself a lunch.” Or more likely, “My mom was smart enough to pack me a lunch. I’m not going to share it with anyone else. I’m hungry myself.”

No, this young boy was willing, apparently without any argument, to hand over the little he had to Jesus. That’s the essence of stewardship. When we talk about giving our time and money and giving our lives back to God, this is what this boy was doing. Whenever we transfer the little we have back to Jesus, He can transform it.

We have no idea how Jesus took that little meal and made it bigger and bigger. It didn’t just serve one boy or two boys or three boys—it fed 5,000 men, plus the women and children who were with them. That’s thousands and thousands of people who were fed because one boy transferred the little he had into the hands of an extraordinary and multiplying God. God can take our meager offerings and use them to bless many, many others. If you want to see miracles in your world, start transferring your finite things into the hands of a supernatural, all-powerful God.

This week in our small group, we were talking about how God has come through for His people. One of the women in our group said, “We could do this forever, because God has proven to be faithful with the little things we give Him, making them a blessing to so many others.”

This miracle would not have taken place if that small boy would have remained selfish. How sad it is when so many Christ followers choose to hold on to their meager things instead of transferring them into the hands of God. Do you want to see God do great things in your community, in your family and in the lives of your friends? Be that little boy who gave what he had to God so God could do what the boy could not do. God transformed it in such a way that the faith of thousands grew stronger.

As we’ve seen in this story, there is no problem too big for God to solve and there’s no person so insignificant that they can’t serve. This reminds us we have much to bring to the table when we give what we have to God. But there’s an even broader theme in this story, connecting John 5 to John 6.

In John 5, there was an argument about whether Jesus had either the power or the right to heal on the Sabbath. When his critics began to throw the Law of Moses at Jesus, He responded, “Do you want to know who accuses you? It’s Moses. In Deuteronomy 18:18, God said to Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” Moses was the person who talked about Me.”  Jesus had come and shown Himself to be the One Whom Moses and the prophets were talking about. He was the Messiah Who came with signs and wonders. The only thing required of the people was that they believe in Who He was. Even though these religious leaders sought to follow the patriarchs, they were actually denying the One to Whom Moses and others were pointing—Jesus Himself.

I love the fact that Jesus didn’t just silence His critics with words; He also did it with deeds. We can overlook some of these details, but we read in John 6:4, “Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.”  Where did the Passover come from? It came from the days of the Exodus when the people of Israel were in bondage to the Egyptians. Moses was alive when the Passover began. Jesus was essentially telling the people that He was the One they were looking for. They weren’t to be so focused on Moses that they missed the One Moses was looking for. He proved He was greater than Moses in several interesting ways.

One of the questions we asked our small groups last week was, “What connection is there between what Jesus did in John 6 and what Moses did during the Exodus?” There were actually many connections. Both took place at the time of the Passover. Both Jesus and Moses were leading lots of people. Both Jesus and Moses led people who were needy. Both Jesus and Moses led people who needed to be guided. Both Jesus and Moses led people who needed food. While it’s true that Moses led and fed the people, he did so as a middle agent on behalf of God.

In the multiplying of the loaves and fishes, Jesus showed His power firsthand because He was in fact the Son of God—and the people began to catch on. Look at John 6:14, which says, “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’”   This was the one they had been waiting for and they realized it because of the miracle they just witnessed.

As humans, we are looking for two basic things: someone to lead us and someone to feed us. Those were the people’s needs on that day in Galilee. They wanted someone to follow and they wanted something to eat. They needed the sustenance of the temporary and the leading toward the eternal. That’s true of us as humans. We have a material part and an immaterial part. Together they make us who we are. We try to satisfy those desires on our own or to satisfy them in the lives of one another.

This miracle reminds us that no hunger pain is too deep for Jesus to satisfy.

This miracle proves to us that Jesus is the answer that addresses our biggest need. There is no hunger pain too deep for Jesus to satisfy. If you’re looking for someone to lead you or someone to feed you, Jesus is the answer. That’s true from a physical standpoint and it’s true from a spiritual standpoint.

I don’t want to steal from Pastor Steve’s message next week, where Jesus will be speaking about being the bread of life and that we should not labor for that which perishes, but for that which is eternal. But in the context of what we’ve read today, we know that you and I have a need and that it has multiple symptoms. If we took a poll of everyone, those symptoms would be many. Some people feel they need power. Some need prestige. Some are looking for pleasure. Some look for a position in life. All of these are things we long for. But whatever you’re longing for right now, whatever you’re searching for in this world, it’s never going to be something you can fill through your own striving. It can never be filled by yourself or anyone else, but by Jesus alone.

The feeding of the 5,000 reminds us of the incredible truth that all of Scripture proclaims that Jesus is what we are looking for. So my friends, where are you going to put your faith? Where are you going to turn when problems come? What are you going to do when you feel so insignificant in this world? Will you try to fix it on your own? Will you look to some other human being who is as finite as you are? Or will you turn to the One Who multiplied the loaves and fishes, Who changed water into wine, Who healed a nobleman’s sick son from a distance, Who raised up a lifelong paralytic, Who once raised the dead and Who Himself, after being crucified on a cross dying for man’s sin, and by the power of His Father in heaven, would raise Himself from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Who are you going to believe in—yourself, someone else or Jesus, the answer to our desires? My hope and prayer, as we continue to walk through these amazing miracles, is that our faith would grow and that we would depend all the more on the One through Whom all things are possible.

Village Bible Church  |  847 North State Route 47, Sugar Grove, IL 60554  |  (630) 466-7198  |  www.villagebible.church/sugar-grove

All Scriptures quoted directly from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Note: This transcription has been provided by Sermon Transcribers (www.sermontranscribers.com).

[1] https://www.jesusfilm.org/watch.html