John 6:1-12 Feeding 5,000
Also in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9
The Fourth Sign: Feeding 5,000
1After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias ). 2And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing by healing the sick. 3So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples.
4Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. 5Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, “Where will we buy bread so these people can eat? ” 6He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.
7Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a little.” (A years wages)
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9“There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish — but what are they for so many? ”
10Then Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”
There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated — so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.
12When they were full, He told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” 13So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the needs you see in the world/in your community/in your neighbourhood or your family?
Do you ever think that you are not enough or that you don’t have enough/what is needed to make a difference?
That’s exactly how the disciples felt in this situation; tasked with feeding 5000 men - between 8-10,000 people in a remote location. All they had was 5 barley loaves and 2 fish.
They thought ‘It’s not enough’. ‘It’s impossible’. ‘I can’t do this’. Is that how you feel when you look at the needs around you?
But look what happened when they gave the loaves and fish to Jesus.
What did Jesus do?
He lifted His eyes to Heaven; He gave thanks to God His Father (and OURS) and began to break the 5 loaves and 2 fish for distribution among 8-10,000 people.
Jesus used what the Disciples had available and did what they couldn’t.
I want to encourage you today, that right now, you are exactly where God planned for you to be and that he is waiting for you to bring to him, whatever you have in an act of obedience and faith.
What is it that Jesus is asking you to do?
What is it that you have, for Him to use?
Matt 6 “Bring them here to me,” he said…He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them.”
When we bring what we have to God, he will multiply it to meet the needs around us, to bring glory to Him and to build His Kingdom on earth.
History is full of examples of ordinary people who saw a need, and God asked to use their ordinary skills and possessions to do something extraordinary.
In 1867, Josiah Spiers brought the Bible to life as he shared ‘God’s big story’ with 15 children in London. Josiah wrote ‘God is love’ on the sand of a Welsh beach during the summer school holidays of 1868 and invited the children playing on the beach to decorate it with seashells. God turned Josiah Spears creative flair and small children’s ministry into what later became Scripture Union.
Since then, SU has been inviting children, young people and their families to discover life in God’s big and unfolding story in more than 120 nations around the world – including Australia.
In 1955, a young Dutchman, Anne Van de Bajl went to Warsaw and discovered the existence of a church that was oppressed, isolated and apparently forgotten.
With a passion for the oppressed church, and a blue VW, Brother Andrew, a name chosen to protect his identity, obeyed Gods call to bring life to the persecuted church. And from 1955 to 1967 he travelled throughout Eastern Europe in his blue VW, delivering Bibles, encouraging those he met, and recruiting others to help him smuggle Bibles to Christians in communist countries.
Today, that small Dutch mission has become international ministry Open Doors, at work in more than 60 nations to strengthen the persecuted church.
Ordinary people, doing what they couldn’t because of an extraordinary God.
I want to encourage you, that when we partner with God in the seemingly small and simple, He will do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. He may not turn your passion into an international ministry, but he will use it to bring glory to Him and to build His Kingdom on earth.
Your passion to cook for our church family may be the reason someone stays to fellowship and connects into the church family. God will use your baking to create connection, friendship and belonging.
Your bible study could be the foundation for generations of faith filled families in the coming decades, the seed God will use to inspire future bible teachers.
Your willingness to train and disciple the music ministry team has a far reaching impact – by making a place for us to encounter God in worship and for training those who God will send to support, grow and build worship ministries in other places.
To each of you here today; you may not see the far-reaching impact you have now and in the future just because of your demonstration of faith in the everyday. But those around you are watching and listening and through your words and actions, God will do what you can’t in the lives of those around you. He will even open doors you could never imagine will open.
No matter where you are, or what you do; if you let him, Jesus will use what you have to bring glory to God and to grow the Kingdom of God here on earth.
So, what are you passionate about?
OR, What is it that Jesus is asking you to do?
John 6:11Then Jesus took the 5 loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated — so also with the 2 fish, as much as they wanted.
12When they were full, He told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” 13So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
Imagine that – leftovers!
God has an infinite ability to increase whatever you have to bring glory to Him and to expand His kingdom.
So in the words of Brother Andrew “Don’t be safe! Take risks!” and you will see God do what you can’t.