The Feeding Of The Five Thousand

In John 6 there is a remarkable story that is told about Jesus feeding a crowd of thousands. He takes a kid’s lunch and turns it into a miraculous buffet. Specifically feeding 5,000 men, and who knows how many women and children? This is a stunning miracle that gives us several thoughts to grab hold of.
One, for the Jewish crowd this miracle would have drawn their thoughts back to manna in the wilderness that God provided to Israel after delivering them from hundreds of years of slavery. If you have hosted a big family gathering, you know the challenges of feeding a large group of people. Imagine feeding thousands and yet God does it in a wilderness day after day and year after year, and Jesus does it here. The message is unmistakable; God is our provider. Fairbanks is a tough place to live--with high energy costs, large heating fuel prices, exorbitant food and housing costs. It can be distressing. We need to be reminded that God is our ultimate provider.
Two, God often starts with what is in our hand. In this story he starts with the lunch of a kid--5 small barley loves and 2 small fish. This seems pathetic and inadequate, but Jesus multiplies it. What do you have? Like many of you I remember our early marriage with four small children and completely broke years. I had plasma, I gave that for grocery money. I had energy, I worked multiple jobs at a time. God gave us money out of nowhere many times. Maybe you have a knack for numbers, you are good with your hands, you can lead people, what is in your hand that God can use? God is the provider, but his primary way is partnership with us. A kid’s sack lunch doesn’t look like much but even the littlest thing in the hands of Jesus is powerful.
Third, God offers us gracious abundance. I want to be careful here; I strongly disagree with the “prosperity gospel” that promises God will always heal you or make you financially rich; I think that message is a lie. But I do think God loves us and often offers an abundance out of that love for us. In this story from John, he “distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted” (John 6:11). In addition, after everyone was finished, the disciples collected twelve baskets full of leftovers (John 6:13). This is a picture of abundance. The heart of the good news of the Bible is that through the cross and resurrection we are offered forgiveness of our sins. This is the core. However, God offers more: the Scriptures-- God’s truth in black and white, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, adoption into God’s family, answers to prayer, you become a new creation in Christ, just to name a few of His many blessings.
Fourth, and most importantly this passage reveals who Jesus is. Remember the purpose of John’s book is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). For that original crowd the miracle of feeding the 5,000 reminded them of an Old Testament promise (Deut. 18:15-19) and they concluded, “Surely this is the Prophet that is to come into the world” (John 6:14). The crowd realized that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah! God had kept his word. This miraculous meal reveals great spiritual truths and points us to Jesus. This is another of John’s signs, a miracle story that shouts Jesus is the Son of God, believe in Him. So, the question is, do you?

Pastor Derek Dickinson
Journey Christian Church