This morning we’re in chapter 6 of John’s gospel…we’re going to look at the miracle of the feeding of the 5000…but there are some significant things you need to know about John’s version of this event…need some history.
This is the only miracle Jesus performed that is recorded in all four gospels…
[Matthew 14:13-21 / Mark 6:32-44 / Luke 9:10-17 / John 6:1-13] …so it must be an important event…and although all four writers record the feeding of the 5000, each writer included details unique to his version not found in the other three.
Mark was the first to write his gospel…his is the shortest in length…Mark was not an eyewitness to the events of Jesus’ life so many believe that Peter was the primary source for most of what Mark wrote.
Matthew—who was an eyewitness to Jesus’s life—and Luke—who was not an eyewitness to the events of Jesus’ life—were familiar with Mark’s Gospel and relied on it as a framework—more realistically—they borrowed his accounts.
The three accounts complement one another…with each of the writers contributing something to the story and offering additional details omitted by the other writers.
The Apostle John was clearly familiar with all three of the Synoptic Gospels…he wrote his gospel 60 years after the event happened…in fact…by the time he wrote his account all or most of the apostles had been dead for close to 30 years.
Apart from events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, John repeated very few things that had already been recorded by one or more of the other three writers…it’s as if he thought no need in repeating information that’s already been written.
When John does repeat something that has already been recorded by the other three writers, it’s always for a specific reason…and this is one of those times.
John wrote his gospel from a different perspective…the goal of the other three gospels had been to present a chronological account of Christ’s life and ministry …recording as many details that would be helpful for God’s people to know.
John’s intent was not to provide a chronological record of everything that had occurred during Jesus’ ministry…because John wrote his account of Jesus’ life so much later he probably had come to a far better and clearer understanding of the events in Jesus life.
Having 30 years to think about those events, John wrote to provide additional understanding of things that had not previously been clearly written about.
In order for us to get a detailed account of what led up to the feeding…which John doesn’t include…you have to review what is written in the other three Gospels because John doesn’t give us much detail other than the miracle its self…he doesn’t reveal the buildup of why the event even occurred.
John starts out in John 6:1…same thing he said in 5:1…‘after these things’ …what things…that’s a pretty broad statement…that really doesn’t give much information as to what had been happening…Mark, however, does tells us some of what had been happening previous to the feeding…and what the Disciples had been doing:
And the apostles gathered themselves together with Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. (Mark 6:30)
Luke offers the same account:
When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him all that they had done [Luke 9:10].
Couple things…One; what had Jesus been doing and where had He been…Two; where had the apostles been…what had they been doing…and why did they need to get together with Jesus and give account of their activities.
Mark and Luke make no mention of where Jesus had been…only Matthew tells where Jesus had been…again
When Jesus had heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by himself [Matthew 14:13]
Jesus was obviously affected by the news of the death of his cousin…John the Baptist…King Herod had John beheaded [Matt. 14:10-11] …Jesus departing into the desert was a response to that news.
So, Jesus is already in a secluded place…and the disciples show up giving Jesus ‘all that they had done’ …what had they been doing? Luke tells us:
He (Jesus) sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. [Luke 9:2].
Having now returned from their mission trip Mark says:
The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught [Mark 6:30]
Jesus then encourages them to
“Come away…to a secluded place and rest a while. And they went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves. [Mark 6:32]
John says that didn’t work out exactly as planned because the people saw where they went.
A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. [John 6:2]
Here we see what drew the people…they came to Jesus because of what He could do for them…then and today…this is the default position of all sinners…give me what I want now…people with earthly interest…personal interests…it’s what all unregenerate people want.
Even though Jesus knew that their earthly interest was their deepest desire He still did what Jesus always did…He felt compassion…His healing and feeding of the crowd shows His compassion on human beings and their needs.
He saw a large crowd and He felt compassion on them…” [Mark 6:23]
and he healed their sick. [Matt. 14:14].
This is an all-day compassion occurrence…you can imagine how many ailments 5000 plus people must have had…Jesus spends the entire day preaching and healing [Matt. 14:14 / Luke 9:1] it’s now getting evening time…look at the compassion the disciples demonstrate:
His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and it is already late; send them away so they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” [ Matt.14:15 / Mark 6:35-36].
Buy themselves something to eat…they don’t have any money…the disciples have just returned from a mission trip where they talked to people about the truth of who Jesus is…performing miracles to confirm that truth.
These guys are the chosen ones Jesus picked to reveal the kingdom of God…yet they are the same ones telling Jesus to send the crowd away to find their own food knowing there is none…that sounds a little calloused.
At this point the disciples should have recalled the many miracles they had seen Jesus do…maybe they saw an impossible situation confronting them… possibly feeding a few…BUT feeding 5000 people including women and children …maybe they worried and doubted their ability to feed such a great multitude.
What Jesus says next is the KEY verse of this entire miracle…Jesus looks at them and says: ‘you give them something to eat’ [Matt. 4:16 / Mark 6:37].
Notice the lame response from the disciples:
And they say unto him, shall we go and buy (food for) them to eat? (Mark 6:37)
OK…these guys don’t have any money either…so what’s up with that response?
Throughout Jesus’ entire ministry…without malice…or intent…He sets these guys up for failure…for three years these guys are a major disappointment…they never come to the realization of who Jesus is…or what He’s capable of…they continue to be clueless as to what He can do…even after just coming back from performing
miracles themselves…they’re asking…should we go buy food.
Matthew and Luke record the disciples saying:
‘we have no more than five loaves and two fish’ [Matt. 14:17 / Luke 9:14].
That’s not exactly true…the disciples have nothing…not sure where the ‘we’ came from…John is the only one who records the conversation between Jesus…Philip and Andrew…something the other writers leave out.
A key piece of the lesson is found in the conversation involving these three men:
(Jesus) said to Philip—testing him— “where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” [John 6:5]
One of His disciples Andrew …said to Him. “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish. [John 6:2].
Here’s where critical scholars explain how everybody got fed…skeptics explain away the feeding by the explanation that the little boy’s generosity in giving his bread and fish to Jesus prompted others to share the food they had brought so that there was enough for everyone.
We know that during this period there were many people who were made destitute by the Romans – resulting in poverty and hunger throughout the entire region.
Here’s something to consider…if Jesus’ purpose and concern was about feeding people why didn’t He continue to feed people?
Since the time of Jesus…over the past 2000 years, billions of people have gone hungry all over the world with many having starved to death including children.
Many Christians have died from starvation in the 2000 years since Jesus fed the 5000 people…if the story was about feeding people:
…Why didn’t he set up restaurants or food distribution centers in every village?
…Why have so many people gone hungry over the centuries?
HERE’S THE KEY TO THIS WHOLE STORY — If you’re looking at this narrative from the view point of people being fed you’ve missed the whole meaning of what’s going on.
What is the lesson of feeding the five thousand?
Want to share with you again what the salient point of this entire miracle is:
‘you give them something to eat’ [Matt. 4:16 / Mark 6:37].
What happened next is paramount to the lesson Jesus was giving them…if we assume that the lesson here is about Jesus feeding people…we have it wrong.
It’s about Jesus giving the disciples the opportunity to display the kingdom of God…unfortunately…they were clueless.
ONE of the reasons for the feeding goes back to what we talked about last week…to validate that Jesus’ works are evidence that He is the Messiah …I’ve preached two sermons on that the past two weeks…so let me just say…the miracle of the feeding demonstrated the presence of the kingdom of God…but that’s just one reason.
This is a monumental miracle…Scripture declares that there were 5000 men…but that also included women and children…this causes the 5000 number to swell to a number that is actually somewhere around 20,000 people.
Now the miracle grows to a level that is hard to fathom…not 5000 but 20,000…and despite the incredible size of this miracle…the feeding is only one part of the miracle…this isn’t just about feeding people…the disciples had to trust the Lord for everything they distributed…they were put in a position of total dependence upon the Lord for the supply…confirming His claims as the Messiah.
Here’s the SECOND amazing thing about this miracle…Bible doesn’t say that Jesus just passed around the baskets of food…Jesus fed the crowd through His disciples…His disciples were the arms and hands of God.
Jesus could have simply snapped His fingers and caused everyone present to have a meal…but He didn’t…instead, He “gave to his disciples to distribute to the people” [Mark 6:41].
God still uses people in the same way today…He graciously involves us in His work today…allowing us to be God’s arms…hands…and feet in blessing others.
The Church has become the arms and hands of God…we are given the same opportunities He gave to the disciples.
It’s not about doing things per se…more importantly…it’s about proclaiming the kingdom of God through what you’re doing.
Jesus is telling the church the same thing He told the disciples…“You give them something to eat!” but if you just focus on the food giveaway you’ve missed the intent of what Jesus is saying…here’s what it is…you give them something that reveals the kingdom of God!
It’s not the size of the miracle…nor the size of the work you are performing…it’s what you’re doing that reveals the kingdom of God.
Many times I think about our church when compared to larger churches…I feel at times like our resources are but a few loaves and two fish while the big churches with their big budgets overflow with potential.
Let me tell you – never underestimate the ministry of a church when God is involved…God delights in taking humble, seemingly insignificant people and using them for His glory.
I am constantly overwhelmed and humbled by your commitment to proclaim the kingdom of God.
This church is following Jesus by being open for opportunities of service…we are following Jesus’ command, “You give them something to eat!” …which is really saying… “You give them something that reveals the kingdom of God!”
This church is following that command and is proclaiming the kingdom of God through our partnership with New Hope Food Pantry which easily feeds 5,000 families annually.
This church is proclaiming the kingdom of God with our offerings to support our many missions including…Lottie Moon…Annie Armstrong…and Advice and Aid.
This church is proclaiming the kingdom of God with help feeding those at the Somerset apartments with weekly food assistance…helping the kids with back-snacks …supplying residents with household needs…giving Christmas baskets
This church is proclaiming the kingdom of God with our work at Villa St. Francis and Good Samaritan care homes insuring those who can’t be in church still have the opportunity to sing and hear God’s word preached.
This church is proclaiming the kingdom of God by insuring the Hispanic church… and the Algerian church have a place to worship…giving the Narcotics Anonymous folks a place to meet…giving the Ethiopian missionary an office.
This church is proclaiming the kingdom of God with our AWANA program that for over 20 years has been proclaiming the love of God to little children…we’ve been doing it for so long that some of those kids have grown up and they’re bringing their kids back.
Do you ever think about all we do…you do…it’s not only proclaiming…but demonstrating through actions, the presence of the kingdom of God…no matter how insignificant you may think your efforts are…you can expect God to do far beyond what can be imagined.
My prayer for this church is that God’s Spirit will continue to move among us to open our spiritual and physical eyes to see even more opportunities to proclaim the kingdom of God.
If we assume that the lesson here is about Jesus feeding people…we have it wrong.
It’s ‘you give them something to eat’ …not physical food…Jesus is speaking about something that has eternal consequences…proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Here’s the THIRD lesson…Scripture says they ate as much as they wanted [John 6:11] everybody was filled with enough food…BUT LOOK…they gathered up the leftovers fragments and it filled twelve baskets [John 6:13]. Nothing wasted.
I’ve read commentaries that elaborate on the 12 baskets of leftovers at the feeding of the 5000…and the seven baskets of leftovers at the feeding of the 4000 and how they are symbolic in nature.
And on the surface that sounds really great…I’m amazed how theologians seek to continue to find new ways to explain the Bible.
I don’t want to make light of the fact that numbers are spiritually significant in the Bible…they are…but I think what’s more important than trying to symbolize 12 baskets with the 12 tribes or the 12 apostles OR the 7 baskets as establishing the Church…more than that…it’s emphasizing Jesus’ concern that nothing should be wasted…and how that applies to our lives today.
Jesus had power to provide any quantity of food He wanted…he could have feed 5000…25000 or whatever number He chose…He fed close to a million Jews wandering in the desert every day for forty years.
The lesson here is…regardless of the bounties of Providence…regardless of how much we have…it is not to be squandered or wasted…though Jesus had an infinite supply He didn’t waste it.
If it was important that God’s supply was not wasted…it’s important that we don’t waste the blessing God provides to us.
The lesson is that we are not to squander the bounties of Providence that God gives us…this includes not only physical blessing but spiritual blessing as well.
We do this by thinking that God has been less than generous with us when compared to someone else…often times as Christians we don’t feel monetarily rich especially if you’ve ever driven through Leawood… but the reality is…I’m not destitute…God is meeting my physical needs.
Often times we see big churches with their big budgets providing unlimited services to their church members…and I wish we could provide the same services for our members…but the reality is God provides so we can take care of our church family.
Often times we think God has slighted us spiritually when seeing big name Pastors or Christian speakers with their thousands of social media followers and realize… I’m just a Preacher…a Sunday school teacher…an AWANA leader…or I play in a small praise team in a small church.
The reality is…the same Spirit that gives spiritual gifts…that calls Christians into service, is the same Spirit that gives you your spiritual gift and calls you into whatever activity you’re involved in.
We all have gifts from God…and it becomes so easy to compare ourselves with others and then to not be the kind of stewards we should be because we feel we haven’t received as much as someone else OR we haven’t been blessed as much as others.
God has given us each a variety of skills…gifts…and talents…as just as the loaves and fishes created by Jesus was a gift…a gift not to be wasted…squandered or lost…as Christians we should not squander or waste what God has given us by being less than faithful managers with the abilities God has given to us.
When thinking about how you’re involved in church…about how and where you spend your free time, can you say that you are using your gifts fully…or are you squandering God’s gifts?
Now comes the hard response…if the answer is “yes” …what are you willing to do about it? …if I am squandering His gifts am I willing to make a change? …do I love God enough to seek to do the best with all He has given me?
God will shatter the expectations of what we are able to do if we would learn to be reliant on Him…when Christians are willing to offer whatever it is we have…our lives…our time…money…talents…using what God has given us…God will use ordinary things to create extraordinary things.
The point of the feeding of the 5000 is:
FIRST…a continuation of Jesus providing evidence of His claim as the Messiah;
SECOND…that He can and will meet all the needs of his people;
THIRD…for Christians to have the same compassion that He did;
FOURTH…we must never believe our gifts are too small to serve God.
FIFTH…God has given each of us…skills…gifts…and talents that are not to be wasted or squandered.
God delights in taking humble, seemingly insignificant people and using them for His glory.
If we assume that the lesson here is about Jesus feeding people…we have it wrong.
It’s ‘you give them something to eat’ …something that has eternal implications … proclaiming the kingdom of God.