As Much As They Wanted (John 6:1-15)

So how about that sing along Friday? That was awesome. Thank you, Pastor Phil, and all the musicians, and technical people, support people, servants, was such a wonderful night. Very encouraging to me. Couldn't be happier with it.

Thank you. We are starting into John chapter 6 today, which is one of those really big and important chapters of the Bible. The overall message of it is pretty simple, but, John presents it in such a deep and challenging way that it's worth slowing down a bit to just to try to make sure we understand all that's going on. We're gonna do that over the next 5 services. The chapter is structured a lot like the one that we just finished, chapter 5.

John 6 · chapter mention

Jesus works a miracle and then he works to defend himself with a lengthy speech. That's what chapter 6 is. Back in chapter 5, Jesus spoke out in Jerusalem to defend himself against charges of blasphemy and Sabbath breaking brought against him by the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Here in Galilee, now he's back home in Galilee here in chapter 6, he's gonna face a different problem. Here he's it's not too many haters that he's surrounded by.

He's gonna be surrounded by too many of the wrong kind of friends and he's gonna work to kind of pop their balloon very, very intensely, actually. The balloon of their misguided enthusiasm and support. The the miracle that initiates all this or prefaces all this is Jesus feeding of the 5,000. That's what we're gonna be looking at today. It's the only one of Jesus miracles that is covered and or recorded in all 4 of the gospels.

It's the only one that all of them tell us about. John's, normal approach is He's the latest of the gospel writers. His normal approach is to to tell us things that none of the all of the gospels include. All those extra stories, special things about Jesus that nobody else has yet told us about. Here though, he breaks that rule and he places a well known, well worn story about Jesus into its fuller context to reinforce his relentless theme that life is to be found in trusting Jesus.

Life is found in trusting Jesus. Is Jesus worthy of your trust? Are you willing and able to trust him to meet your needs? That's the question I want us all pondering as we work through this account. Let's read it together.

This is John chapter 6 verses 1 to 15. This is God's word and it is eternally true. After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tabarias, and a large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now, the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

John 6:1–15

Lifting up his eyes then and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. There I worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little. 1 of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, there is a boy here who has 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but what are they for so many? Jesus said, have the people sit down.

Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down about 5,000 in number. Jesus then took the loaves and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost. So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the 5 barley loaves left by those who had eaten. The sign that he had done, they said, this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world, perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

This is the word of the Lord. I see 3 parts or movements in this short passage. There's the problem, the provision, and the purpose. Look, I've made them alliterative. I might make a preacher yet.

What was the problem? The Avett Brothers. You heard of that band? They have a song called The Weight of Lies, and they had it has this line that says, I once heard the worst thing a man can do is draw a hungry crowd. That's the problem.

The problem of a hungry crowd. How did that problem come about? Well, the account opens with Jesus and his disciples sailing away to the other side of the lake to get away from the crowds. John's relying here on our knowledge of the earlier gospel writers to fill in the reasons why they would want to be getting away for a time of of isolation. Mark, in particular, he's relying on and he's Mark says that several things.

The disciples have just come off their first ever solo preaching tours. Jesus sent them out in pairs to preach repentance around Galilee. They've just finished that. It was a bit of hard work, I'm sure. And Mark also tells us that, Jesus' cousin John the Baptist, the forerunner, has just been executed by Herod, been beheaded.

And that had to be weighing heavily on all of them, Jesus included. And then Mark also tells us how just at this moment, as they're departing, at this time Jesus is so sought after, so many people coming and going, that he and his disciples cannot even get time to have a bite to eat. They can't even have a meal. And so these men are stretched thin and weary. They're like, too much too little butter over too much bread, like Frodo Baggins said.

That was Bilbo. That's right. Who who corrected it? Yeah. Nice.

Gandalf. Well, you would know. Jesus says to them, it's recorded in Mark, these words, come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. Mark 6 chapter 30. It's Jesus that's that's Jesus instruction to his friends and disciples.

Do you follow that advice in your own life? Important moments to rest, to seek rest and refreshment? Are you too afraid to do that? Like the work is not gonna we're not gonna make it if I don't press through muscle on. Unspiritual to take a vacation or to or to rest and have protect some margin in your life.

Well, it's not sinful to rest, Can't be sinful to rest if Jesus himself is instructing his disciples in the importance of it. But the people won't let them have their break. That's what's going on here. John tells us in verse 2 that a large crowd was following him. Jesus couldn't get away from these people for trying.

At this time, his supporters we learned from this passage. His supporters at least number 5,000 men, and that's not including the women and children. So the real number here that Jesus is ends up feeding is probably more like 15,000 plus people. In the in previous years in IU Football that would have been a really great crowd. What draws these people to him at this time?

Why are they so eager to be with Jesus? Well, draw points to Jesus reputation as a healer in verse 2. It says that they saw the signs he was doing on the sick. They marveled at his power. Well, you know, from other incidents that they were drawn to his teaching, Jesus taught them with unusual authority, not as their scribes taught, but with this profound authority and presence.

Jesus was attractional. People couldn't get enough of him at this time. Into the wilderness. How did they follow? Have you have you wondered that?

Jesus goes by boat across the lake. Did they did this did they stage a little Dunkirk of their own here? Imagine 15,000 people getting into boats. No. They actually we told from Mark that they ran around the top of the lake.

They ran on foot around the top of the lake and were there waiting for Jesus on the other side when he arrived. How would you feel if you're Jesus at this time and you find, oh my goodness, there they are again. I know how I would feel. Whatever Jesus was tempted to feel, we know that his heart for people won out. Mark tells us that when he saw the people, he felt compassion for them because they were sheep without a shepherd.

And so he goes up this is his response. However he's feeling, we know what he does. Moved by their eagerness, he sets aside his plan and then hit the needs of his men, and he goes up on the mountain and gathers the people to miracle of the feeding, but Mark tells us that something else happens in between and that is a whole day of teaching. That's what he draws them to up the mountain for initially. The people appear to have come to him for this purpose.

They are not complaining. They're eating this up. Everything he has to say, they're hanging on his words. Note carefully that they're hanging on his words. Note carefully that the miracle that follows that was necessitated by thousands of people running into the backcountry to be with Jesus, giving no thought to their own needs.

About that? So far, he says, is every one of us from being ready to follow Jesus to a desert mountain. That scarcely 1 in 10 can endure to receive him when he presents himself at home in the midst of our comfort. So far are we from heading out into the hills to spend a whole day listening to Jesus without thought to ourselves and our needs that we're scarcely ready to receive him when he comes to us in our and makes it easy for us. And makes it easy for us.

And Calvin goes on to say that we will never be fit for the kingdom of heaven It's Lord, your desire for food, your appetite for entertainment, for the Colts game. Can't miss that. My goodness, for Jesus, can't miss that. Just too tired to go to DMM this Saturday. I worked hard this week.

So eager were these people to be where Jesus was that they aren aren't even mindful of their physical needs. They've apparently made no provision for this situation at all. But the beautiful thing here is that they, they may have forgotten themselves, but Jesus hasn't. He's looking out for them. Can Jesus be trusted to meet your needs?

He's ahead of you. He knows what you need before you ask. Of his own initiative here, of his own initiative, Jesus takes care of those who neglect themselves to follow him. Jesus takes care of those who neglect themselves to follow him. That's just like he promised to do in another mountain top Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6.

He said these words, seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Things like food and shelter and and the Old Testament once unbelievably asked. This is recorded in Psalm 78. They asked this question by their lives, by their attitudes. Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?

Provision. He gives his followers a miraculous feast. Let's talk about that feast. That's his verses 18 to 13. He's got a that feast.

That's his versus 18 to 13. Jesus is going to explain later on in chapter 6 that this miracle points to something bigger beyond itself, beyond physical provision to him. He is the bread. He is the bread of life, the sustenance for the soul. That's where he's going with this.

This is not accidental. Jesus is very intentional in what he does, and he is beginning to reveal things about himself. It's where he's going. And so John, just in passing here, wants us to note the particular season that this is happening in. He says, it was the time of the Passover of the the feast of the Jews was near.

Now Passover was a really big deal for the Jews, not unlike, the 4th July to us in its significance as a celebration. And it featured in its traditional meal, bread unleavened bread, which symbolized for the people, memorialized for the people, God's provision for them in a time of great deliverance. And then, soon after, it In the midst of that deliverance, it it included manna from heaven, bread from heaven. And John just sort of noting in passing. He's sort of preparing us to import all of that history into what Jesus is up to here.

Is initiating this. This is Jesus' idea. He's not responding to things happening and saying, oh, what are we gonna do? He's he's setting this whole thing up. He's leading question to Philip, knowing full well what he was about to do.

He brought this to Philip's attention. He says, what are, Philip, what are we going to do? Where are we going to buy food for all these people, Philip? Now, he'd said this to test Philip's faith. And there's a there's a phrase I learned recently to describe what Jesus is up to here.

And it's he is parked. You ever heard that? Knowing where somebody's goat is parked. Brandon Chastain introduced me to this phrase. To get somebody's goat, you gotta know where they park their goat.

Jesus knows very well where Philip's goat is parked, spiritually speaking, faith from a faith perspective. And true to form, Philip takes the bait and responds, Lord, 200 denarii wouldn't be enough to buy food for all these people. What are you talking about? So 1 denarius a day Well, it 1 denarius represented, we're told, one day's wages for an average laborer. One day's labor.

So 200 denarii would represent by 8 months pay. But even so great a sum of as that, Philip is saying, would not even begin to touch the scale of this problem. Now aren't we a lot like Philip, in how we respond to difficulties and challenges and troubles? So much like him. We are experts in running estimates in our heads and in our hearts of exactly how impossible it is for God to be our help in this or that situation.

I mean, he only shows his glory through good planning and stewardship. I mean, Dave Ramsey taught us. I don't Nothing against Dave Ramsey. A lot of good wisdom. But seriously, this is how we think.

He God would never get us back into a corner where we would have to actually trust him. How should Philip have responded to Jesus? Philip, where on earth are we going to buy food for all these people? Lord, you know. That's not how he responds.

Are there some lessons for us in this Hospitality is expensive in all kinds of ways. Providing for large and growing families is expensive and costly. Providing for the needs of a growing church is expensive and hard. But these are biblical commands that when we give ourselves in faith and obedient to obedient obeying them in faith, we can trust Jesus to give what he commands, to give us the means to fulfill his purposes. Can Jesus be trusted to meet our needs?

Yes. Resourceful Andrew thinks he's found something to offer. Verse 8, Andrew, who's Peter Simon Peter's brother, he brings a little boy to Jesus. And not just a boy, but in Greek, a little boy. Little boy with his little boy lunch.

And Andrew somehow has found him and he brings him to Jesus. Now, how did Andrew find this boy? Did they organize a search party? See what we have on hand, one little boy with 1 little lunch? Or did this little boy, was he thinking about Jesus' need for food?

And was he coming to offer his own provision to the Lord? That's, that's my preferred option. But we don't know. We know what he had. He had 5 loaves and 2 fish.

These loaves are probably more like little cakes of barley bread. Nothing fancier than our, like, wonder bread from the store. Just low class calorie bombs. And these fish, these are not musky or bass. They're probably just little salty sardines, pickled fish, sardines style tent of sardines.

What is that to all these people though? And you know the story. What is that to all these people in the hands of the maker of the universe? And Jesus be trusted to meet our needs. Absolutely.

Have the people sit down, says Jesus first 10. And they proceed to do so in the lush grass that's there. Another John loves these little indications of time and place, time indicators. This is Passover happens in the early spring. And so before the sun has scorched the earth in the summer and dried up the grass, there's lush grass there for them to sit in.

And they sit down. And they sit down. And says that the men sat down. The men sat down about 5000 in number, verse 10. All the women and children had to remain standing, I guess.

That's patriarchy for you folks. Am I right? It was a patriarchal culture and scripture is not the least ashamed about that. Biblical patriarchy and woman hating misogyny are not the same things. Men and women can obediently observe the clear economic implications of their distinct sexual callings without doing any injustice to their equality as image bearers of God.

Not only is that biblically possible, it's biblically necessary. This is our God given duty as men and women to obey our callings, the callings of our sex, men and women. Given where the story is going, is that John is letting us know exactly how many adult males, heads of households, were just about prepared to get behind Jesus, to throw their entire weight, to risk all their fortunes and their lives and their families on him, to make him king, to establish his earthly rule as their champion and deliverer from the tyranny of Rome. 5,000 of them. That's not enough in, you know, in the scale of world history to be, you know, it's not the largest army ever, but that's a pretty significant guerrilla force right there.

Something to start with. Still, The real number here of mouths to feed was probably more like 15,000 plus when you count the women and children. And Jesus commences to satisfy every last one. How did he how did he do it? Well, he starts with prayer, asking the father for creative ability, power to do what he's about to do.

He had that already. He is God. But he starts by thanking God for providing things richly to enjoy. Start of meals? Like, is that arbitrary?

It's just who who came up with that? Why why at meal times? Well, one great reason is because Jesus does. Jesus does. That's how he starts this meal.

Blessed art thou, oh Lord God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth. If that if that if Jesus used the traditional form of Jewish prayer, those are the words that he said. A variety. I think our prayers could probably be improved if we thought a little bit about what Jesus is doing here. Blessing God, the provider of all good things.

Verse 11, he took the lows. And after he had given things, Can Jesus be trusted to meet your needs? So called liberal Christians say not. They deny the whole reality of this miracle. Whether it's the virgin birth or the creation of the world, the parting of the Red Sea or the resurrection itself, liberal theologians have their rational scientific explanation for the whole thing.

You know what they say about this miracle? It's pretty funny. They say what happened here was Jesus sparked a share fest example, sparked this awesome sheriff fest by his willingness to come and offer his, Jisus then started to share it and it caught on like wildfire. And those who had Sharing is good. And it is a miracle when this selfish guy is willing to genuinely share from a generous heart with a sincere desire to please the Lord.

That's a miracle. But that interpretation is so stupid. Why even read the Bible, if that's what you want to get out of it? I mean, seriously, the public library right now is filled with thousands of children's books that could teach that principle just as well. What's truly awesome here is Christ's power to spread a table in the wilderness from noth and now running out to just give and give and give some more, until everyone has had all that they can possibly hold, and then to have more besides.

That's the miracle. That's a savior worthy of your trust. If he can do that for you, what part of your life can't you trust him with? John tells us Jesus Jesus hands out the bread. You see that?

Distributed them. But when you look at Mark, Mark says that Jesus gave the loaves quote, to his disciples to set before the people. So which which is right? Who's got it right? Was it Jesus or was it the disciples?

Well, the answer is yes. The source of this miracle, the one holding the bread and breaking it, is he's right to attribute the distribution to Jesus. But Mark is also right and it's very sweet to see that Mark's emphasis is on the fact that he was willing to use his disciples to carry the bread to the people. That's how it is with preaching and ministry. I've had, some of you from time to time come up and say, well, pastor that was a wonderful message.

Thank you for preaching today. And I won't lie. It's really encouraging when you do that. We should desire and seek ways to encourage one another in our labors. It's good to do.

But it's really necessary to remember, for me and for you to remember, I don't make the bread. I don't make the bread. I don't sit in my office and come up with life changing truths. Jesus has given us the bread of life himself. He has communicated through his word.

If you like the taste of what you're hearing, you like the taste of Jesus. It's just my privilege to have the to get to carry him to you in this way. How well does Jesus provide here? Super abundantly, super abundantly beyond what we could ask or think. Much as they could possibly hold, they're stuffed.

There's 12 baskets full left over to pick up. 1 for each tribe of Israel, symbolizing Jesus' ability to provide for all the needs of all his people. Jesus told his disciples to collect it and to not leave the scraps to go to waste. Doubtless unethical note of social responsibility that is patient of many applications, says d a Carson. That's how theologians talk.

It's really tedious. But he's right. He's basically saying, you have my permission to apply this to your church. So what's a good application? Here's one.

Don't follow my bad example. I like to be I like creative involvement on the front end of things. Idea generation, that's my thing. I don't like so much follow through. Not where I'm strong.

I don't like the day to day kind of maintaining what God has given us, making sure it's all happening, running on time. The trains are running on time. That's not what I love. Now that is no good. That's not enough.

We have to be willing as a body to learn to steward the good gifts that God entrust to us, just as these disciples picked up every scrap of bread that was left over. We have a great building to steward. We have our money to steward. We have the creative output of many people, musicians and writers in our church. We have that to steward.

We have our reputation to steward. We have one another's gifts to steward. We have our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to us to steward faithfully. God's entrusted these tremendous blessings and so much more to us. And it's our job to figure out how to not let it go to waste.

And Jesus be trusted to meet our needs. Yes, he provided super abundantly in the wilderness purpose of this provision? It's the last thing. Of his true and real significance in their life. That's what the miracles were given for.

Did it work here? Well, the people here are clearly excited about Jesus. They're in awe of him. But it turns out that this awe is misguided. It's a worldly sort of rejoicing in the Lord.

Who they thought Jesus was is not who he knew himself to be, who he had come to prove to them. Dangerously different things. And Jesus is going to spend the rest of this chapter trying hard to guide these people into a true understanding of him. He's gonna press it so hard, so far, that they're going to lose heart. They're gonna be offended.

They're gonna It's gonna be so clear. Okay. This is not what I signed up for at all. That many people are going to leave him the next day. Look at verse 14.

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 is a reference to, the law of Moses, Deuteronomy chapter 18, where Moses prophesies that God's going to raise up a prophet from their midst and that they're to listen to him. God's going to put his own words in his mouth to to teach them heavenly things. That's what had been prophesied from of old and they're seen here. They're convinced by this miracle, by by Jesus words, this is the guy.

Deuteronomy 18 · chapter mention

This is who we've been waiting for, who has been promised. It's peace fulfilled. He's come right in our midst. Whether they're not whether or not they're connecting the idea of the prophet with the Messiah is debatable. People debate that.

But regardless, they are definitely ready to start doing some big things. They got some big plans building in their heads about Jesus. They want to make him their literal immediate kin actually set him up on a throne to rule and to conquer and to deliver. They see Jesus as the answer to all their pent up aggression against the Roman occupiers, restorer of their dignity, with power like this to lead us. Surely, we can do it, is what they're thinking.

And Jesus knows what they're thinking. And he doesn't like it at all. And perceiving that they're about to come and take him by force and make him Jesus withdraws again to the mountain by himself. Verse 15. Why?

Good opportunity. Take the field. You got supporters. Why? Why withdraw?

Why sneak away? What's at stake? Well, everything is at stake. The spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom upon which all our salvation rests was at stake in that design for him. The success of their plan would be the ruin of his.

Spiritual kingdom. He came to earth in the flesh as a deliverer, as a liberator, but as a liberator from sin, from the tyranny of Satan to set us free from bondage of fear and slavery to Satan, all our lives, so that we could live under God. To do that, Jesus had to die. To do that, Jesus had to die. He had to die.

He had to bear the wrath of God against all of our sin on in his own body on the tree. That's how he would deliver us. And as happy and excited as this multitude was, for the sake of his mission and for their eternal good, he had to he had to disappoint them. We've been asking the question, can Jesus be trusted to meet our needs? I hope you can genuinely answer, yes.

I know I can trust him to meet my needs. But the question here starts to become a little bit more refined, a little bit deeper. It becomes more like this. Can you trust him to know your needs better than you do? Your true needs, are you willing to let him define Especially when that crosses your flesh desires, are you willing for Jesus to tell you what's best in the circumstances of your life?

Jesus to you? Is he a savior? Or as Bob Dylan famously said, is he just an errand boy to satisfy your wondering desires? To satisfy your wondering desires? Can you trust him with hard things?

The things you don't understand? Are you willing to follow him when things get tough? When you face challenges and it's difficult, when it involves him doing strange things, unexpected things, like taking up a cross and dying. Follow after me, are you willing to follow him to your death? That's the real question here.

And that's the question Jesus is going to keep driving at to the rest of this chapter. Done with these people. He's going to meet up with them the next day, back across the waters at the synagogue in Capernaum. And he's going to deliver a long speech there. And he's going to try his best to bring them to a true understanding and appreciation for him, for what he really has to offer them.

He's going to tell them, Don't work, guys, for the food that perishes, but for that which endures to be true or you're working for what's your interest really in Jesus Christ?

Who is he to you? Those are the questions we're going to take up next week, and I hope that you'll come back and hear more from Jesus Christ. He

that you'll come back and hear more from Jesus. He's not done giving out bread. He's only just begun. Let's pray. Gracious heavenly father, we thank you so much for your amazing word, your rich word, your true word, your satisfying word.

And I pray that Lord we would genuinely earnestly desire it more than even physical bread. I pray Lord that we would put your kingdom first in our lives. Help us to do that trusting you to provide for our needs. And Lord, feed us heavenly bread. We need to be sustained in faith.

Give us Jesus, we pray. In his name, amen.