John 6:4-15

[0:00] Good afternoon. What a joy to be able to celebrate in love of God, love a God who is more than enough for us all, shall we pray.

[0:14] Heavenly Father, thank you that you satisfy the very longings of our souls. You are more than enough for us.

[0:25] So, feed us, Lord, with your manna, your word from heaven. And may these lips be your instrument, this heart be your instrument.

[0:40] Lord, for speaking this day is our prayer in Christ's name. Amen. I'm glad that you have joined us, whether you have come from near or far, to be a part of our worship service on this afternoon.

[0:58] Last Saturday, I attended an inaugural banquet in honor of a friend who had been elevated to the office of bishop in his denomination.

[1:14] From youth, this man has been a man of honor. And, praise God, he continues to be so today.

[1:25] So, it wasn't surprising to see that this particular individual was elevated to this particular position of stature in his church.

[1:39] Everybody who was there on that day, last Saturday, received a multicolored booklet, probably 40 pages, that included pictures of the honoree, his family, various honors and recognitions that he had received, both in the secular as well as the sacred domains.

[2:02] He was a degreed engineer, worked for a utility company, traveled around the country for a while with Monsanto before he settled into a church in Kansas City.

[2:16] Quite a memento. I mention this because on the back page, not the back cover, but the back page, which also was a position of honor in this particular booklet, was the picture of Patty Justice.

[2:34] Patty Justice was our Sunday school teacher when we were children. Mother Justice, as we called her. Faithful every Sunday, she was there on her post.

[2:49] Taught the little ones. She was a piano player. Hers was a voice that could be heard among other voices, in singing and in worship.

[3:03] She was a lover of Jesus and a lover of children. And this lady has impacted many of us today.

[3:15] She's been with Jesus for years, but that very special place, and then there was her picture, and then on the side was the words and verses to the song, Jesus loves me, this I know.

[3:33] A woman who left her impact. I bring this up because it was probably from Mother Patty Justice that I first learned about Jesus' fishes and loaves.

[3:48] You know those Sunday school charts that you turn over pictures of Jesus? You see him there doing various kinds of things? And it was likely during those years that I was first exposed to the story in our text, and perhaps some of you are like that.

[4:09] You first learned about this little lad, as it were, and his fishes and his loaves in Sunday school.

[4:20] Now, while a point could be made that Jesus uses little children, that's probably true, he uses children and adults, a closer look at the text helps us to see that the little lad is not at all the centerpiece of this particular account.

[4:41] The centerpiece is none other than the Lord himself, the life giver. My prayer on this afternoon is we look in this particular text at this particular sign, that you and I would see the sufficiency of Jesus and the fact that he is more indeed than enough for your earthly as well as your eternal life.

[5:14] Because the sign ultimately points to him, doesn't it? What a picture we have before us on this afternoon.

[5:25] One of the seven signs that John gives in his gospel that point to the fact that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. He was the Son of God and is the Son of God, and that believing that we might have a life through his name then, as well as now.

[5:49] He makes some truths or states some truths in John chapter 1 in the prologue, and he goes on to follow those up with some various testimonies about who he is, Son of God, Messiah, Son of Man, and then he goes on to demonstrate, in chapters 2 through 12, what he has stated about him in chapter 1.

[6:15] He begins to demonstrate that, lays those out through the seven signs that we see in John chapters 2 through 12. These miraculous deeds that Jesus did were then followed by discourses, teaching that went on to explain the true significance of his miraculous deeds.

[6:41] So, as we look at this particular sign today in John 6, we don't want to stop at the sign itself. We've got to ask ourselves, what's the significance of what we see here?

[6:55] Look at the text with me, would you please? John chapter 6. According to verse 4 in our text, you see it there, it's Passover time.

[7:07] Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. This great feast celebrated Israel's, ancient Israel's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt.

[7:21] And there it was under Moses' leadership. God's people were instructed to secure a lamb, one lamb per household.

[7:33] They were then to slay that lamb and put the blood over the doorpost. And where the blood was found, on that last plague in Egypt, the death angel passed over and spared the household where that blood was not found.

[7:52] The firstborn of the household was indeed slain. If you know anything about John, you know that earlier, John chapter 1, twice, John lets us know, through the lips of John the Baptist, behold, the Lamb of God, that's Him, that takes away the sin of the world.

[8:14] There's some things you need to know about Passover time in ancient Israel. There was a heightened sense of nationalism and patriotism during the time of Passover.

[8:25] One source puts it this way, Passover was a time when the Jews expected the prophet to provide manna from heaven in the same way that Moses had done.

[8:40] Again, so you catch the time of what was going on, what was in the air at that particular juncture. Think in our day of July 4th.

[8:52] July 4th, 1776. is forever etched in our national consciousness. And each year, that particular event, the declaration of our independence as a nation, the war that we were led into then, again, it comes to mind.

[9:13] Fireworks, flags, and all of that to really demonstrate, boy, we're true blood Americans. thoughts and visions of freedom were in the air during Passover time.

[9:29] The freedom of yesteryear, ancient Israel, was not the freedom of that particular day. Like some in the Middle East and other places today, Israelites were prisoners in their own land.

[9:44] And all in their minds, all for a Moses-like leader leader to appear on the scene to get us out of this mess that we're in.

[9:59] And could it be that the very one who had displayed his might among them, could it be that this was actually the one who would bring present-day deliverance during that period?

[10:14] And guess what? There was a crowd, friends, of 5,000 men at least, and they're following Jesus in hopes that he might be the Moses-like leader, the prophet that Moses spoke of.

[10:36] If you'll look back in verses 1 through 3, you see the setting. We won't say anything, little or nothing about that, but I want you to help you to see that. They were in Galilee. Galilee, this area in northern Palestine that bordered and went around the lake area, the lake or the Sea of Galilee.

[10:55] The setting was Galilee as we looked in verse 4. The season was Passover, a time when nationalistic hope had risen, was very, very high.

[11:06] But then, in verses 4, 5 through 14, we see the sign. What was the sign in this text? Miracles.

[11:21] Miracles are very much a part of the fabric of Scripture as well as the Christian faith. We believe in miracles.

[11:33] We know that many are skeptics and don't embrace that God can break into present-day time-space history.

[11:45] Certainly, we see that on the pages of the Bible. And there were certain eras or periods in which miracles were more prominent than others. Among those the God of heaven has used to perform these mighty acts, Jesus stands right at the top of the list.

[12:05] he's at the head of the class. Philip Yancey in this book, The Jesus That I Never Knew, includes a chapter that he calls miracles. These are snapshots of the supernatural.

[12:19] And these are signs, just like signs that we may have today. The sign is not the endgame. The sign points to something that is more significant.

[12:31] We don't misinterpret the sign for the destination. It's just pointing you in the right direction to something more significant than the sign itself.

[12:45] And here we have in this particular text the sign was in fact the multiplication of the loaves and fishes as recorded by all four gospel writers.

[12:56] Look at Jesus' question in verses five and six. Check this out. where are we going to buy bread so that these people may eat?

[13:08] We notice in verse six Jesus knew what he was going to do. I mean he had things under control. He had a plan but he presented this question not necessarily for information but he wanted it for interaction amongst those that he was speaking to.

[13:27] in Mark's gospel we get more of a wide angle view of what was going on. Mark doesn't list the particular names but in John we get a more close up picture of this particular scene and we get to see amongst his disciples we get names and faces of the disciples that Jesus was in dialogue was in conversation with and the first person who comes into view is Philip huh?

[14:02] So Jesus Jesus said to Philip in verse verse five where are we going to buy so that these people may eat?

[14:13] Now this is one of several cameos that we get of Philip in John's gospel but according to verse six our Lord Jesus had a vision already of what he was going to do and what his words amounted to Philip they were really a test going to sort of check his spiritual pulse beat so to speak to see how he would respond it was our Lord's way of involving this particular disciple how easy it would have been for Jesus just to sort of swung into gear and get everything set the table and all of that no but he wanted his disciples engaged with him as well as with the people huh?

[15:02] This was not only a teaching time on the hillside friends this was also a training time for Jesus with his disciples and these were the men that Jesus was going to leave in charge of his ministry they needed to know they needed to understand who he was huh?

[15:22] They needed to see him to trust him and to understand him Philip or are we going to get bread to feed all of these people?

[15:33] How would you respond to that? Think about it you're on the museum campus or promontory point and there's a whole bunch of people out there to be fed and you didn't bring your picnic and nobody did because they thought they were going to otherwise be provided for it how are we going to feed these?

[15:58] Duh huh? How are we going to take care of them? How would you have responded? Listen to Philip's words you see that? 200 denarii 8 months wages for common laborer that day would not check this out buy enough bread for each to get a little buy enough for each to get a very very small they're not going to get filled up but they might just get a little taste huh?

[16:31] Philip's words remind us of what we read in the days of Elijah this woman this this little woman that came and this woman she had a handful of flour and a little oil in a jug and she was gathering a couple of sticks she and her son were going to eat and then they were just going to die huh?

[16:57] Oh but God miraculously through his prophet provided what was needed in that day Jesus here would do the same thing huh? Would you have gotten out your iPad and presented a business plan for how this multiplication thing would have worked Lord I think we will do this wait a minute you don't have time for all of that these people are hungry you ever been around some hungry people huh?

[17:25] It's time to eat and you know how it is sometimes at Thanksgiving then somebody prays one of those long prayers huh? Time to eat let's get on with that huh? Our Lord had a vision for what he was going to do he wanted to involve his disciples in this process huh?

[17:46] In order to satisfy their physical hunger huh? Now friends we must not fail to see Jesus for who he is sometimes we lose sight of who he is and like Philip we can be a little bit slow on getting it but this wasn't the only time that the Lord had checked Peter you remember in John 14 where Philip asked him Lord show us the father we'll be saying oh Philip Philip Philip haven't I been with you so long a time and you don't know me yet when you look at me you get a glimpse of the father huh?

[18:26] The followers of Jesus must see Jesus as he sees himself as all sufficient for all things both earthly and eternal you see him that way followers of Jesus must see Jesus as Jesus sees himself as all for sufficient for all things both earthly and eternal is that the way that you view him today?

[18:59] Look at verses 9 and 10 enter Andrew the camera shifts from Philip to Andrew doesn't it? He had come up with a lad a young man with food what he had what this young man had was so so simple there's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish but notice what the turn that Andrew takes what are they among so many they're not going to really do much barley bread was the cheapest of all bread and in Roman times it was the common food for the poor and likely these fish were sardine like and had been dried or preserved or pickled really wasn't much now think about this kind of meal in our gourmet oriented big portion mindset hardly an appetizer for the way that some of us put it down this wouldn't have been prepared for the main meal we would be tempted to say back in the day they had this where's the beef commercial you know where is it we be tempted to push these kinds of things aside and we would seek something else we would dismiss the possibility of something good coming from something so small something so trivial you remember

[20:44] John chapter one we found the Messiah can any good thing come out of Nazareth that sort of off the beaten path despised kind of place something good come from something so trivial isn't that the way the world looks at your Lord and mine but their vision was different from the vision that Jesus had in mind had these men who had walked with Jesus dismissed the previous times when the glory of Jesus the Father's glory had been already manifested the water made wine manifested his glory the healing of the noble man's son manifested his glory the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem manifestation of his glory had they forgotten but look at verses 10 through 14

[21:48] Jesus goes to work look at verse 10 you notice there have them there was much grass in that place have the people sit down on this green hillside so Jesus tells them to sit there and he this is get ready kind of word if there is ever one of the lord is my shepherd I shall not want passages in scripture this is one of them this is one of those that is visualized he makes me to lie down in green pastures I shall not want so here at Jesus and we see this particularly in Mark's gospel he has already fed them with God's word and he refused to send them away hungry and he would give them also nourishment for their bodies the number of men there was about 5,000 and Matthew in chapter 14 verse 21 gives us this footnote there were women and children besides it was probably enough people to fill up the united center over 10,000 people or more that were there these meager vittles find their way friends into the hands of

[23:08] Jesus and what does one do with thousands before him and with appetizers in his hand you pray and that's what Jesus did wasn't it and probably using likely using a common words of thanksgiving of that day something like this blessed are you lord our god king of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth and bringing forth bread was exactly what he did listen to Isaiah chapter 40 verse 11 that so coincides with what we see here he will tend his flock like a shepherd he will gather the lambs in his arms he will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who were with him Lord my shepherd I shall not want notice the food goes from the master's hands to the hands of the mentees those that he's mentoring the disciples into the very hands of the masses from the lad to the lord to the leaders to the people that particular routing the meal on that day the word choices that we see in verses 11 through 13 help us to see how interesting this is as much as they wanted that's what they had they had eaten till their fill listen to the language there and add to these words in verse 13 filled 12 baskets with fragments that were left over more than enough he met them at the very point of their need there was more at the end that they started with the people were filled and so were the baskets and what a picture friends of

[25:08] God's sufficiency his overflowing grace his abundance his more than enough kind of provision this is the sign but it's pointing to something miracles that's what miracles do they point to greater realities and what's the greater reality that's before us John chapter six goes on to present Jesus the son of God as bread sent down for the very life of the world and Jesus mission called for death and subsequent resurrection according to verse two the people had followed our Lord because of the signs that they had seen on the sick again the crowds had gathered and they were following him and after seeing this particular miracle of multiplication their desire probably had intensified they saw our

[26:09] Lord as the solution listen to this the solution to their immediate dilemma not only the food but could this be the prophet that will help us in our national situation prophet that Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 15 predicted that the Lord raised up one like him and in the minds of some during the Passover season Jesus fit the profile the season the sign what about the significance the significance then as well as the significance now given that they were in Passover season of what Jesus was doing no wonder he did what we see he did in verse 15 look there with me perceiving them that then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king notice what

[27:14] Jesus did he withdrew into the mountain by himself here there was enough people for a movement thousands could have swayed him been swayed by Jesus signs and speech speeches oh he was that dynamic that charismatic but he was not in for a movement he already had his mission and his marching orders and would not be diverted from that his agenda did not call for a revolution it called for redemption redemption that demanded he continue to reveal who he was even friends as we do in this Lenten season as he made his way to the cross and resurrection huh it was then that would be fully realized what he demonstrated via the miracle this is what he demonstrated he was the bread of life he himself was the very bread of life the one who would give himself for the life of the world as matter of fact look at a couple look over in

[28:26] John chapter 6 look at verses 32 and following just want to bring these to your attention because here we had the sign the look at verse 32 Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven but my father who gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world look at their response in verse 34 they said to him sir give us this bread always Jesus said to them notice notice this I am the bread of life whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst but I say to you that you have seen me and do not yet do not believe all that the father gives me will come to me and whoever comes to me

[29:30] I will never cast out for I come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me and this is the will of him that sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day and this is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day just look across the page look at verse 48 again Jesus affirming reiterating his points I am the bread of life your fathers ate the man in the wilderness and they died this is the bread that comes down from heaven and so that one may eat of it and not die I am the living bread that came down from heaven if anyone eats!

[30:19] he will live forever the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh Jesus is the bread the sign pointed to the son as the source of sufficiency for the life of the world but it would take the cross for that to be realized and he would be should be embraced huh and so though Jesus was compassionate with the people compassionate enough to give them God's word compassionate enough to give them physical food he was mission minded enough to know where to stop as far as responding to the people he could have seized the moment for the movement but he was on mission the one who resisted the temptation in the wilderness was equally resolute here when potentially pressured by the crowd he was a man on mission huh we should see him not as a meal ticket or cast him in any role that's inconsistent with how he viewed himself or the way that scripture presents him oh how tempting it is to do that but as we see

[31:45] Jesus as the very bread of life who gave himself that you and I might have life and that we might have it more abundantly and that we are to be people on mission with him some of us need to adjust our focus for how it is that we're actually viewing him how we're actually seeing him and passages like the one that we see here today help us to cast him in the right kind of biblical life what we see here is a snapshot of the sufficiency of Jesus the sufficiency of his plan the sufficiency of his provision in this you and I see amazing grace and the very more than enough provision of Jesus this sign points to sufficiency that he is more than enough and even as a meal friends of barley and fish is so easily snubbed so the son of

[32:53] God but friends you and I must not despise what he has given we must embrace it fully even his son his life despised he is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows acquainted with all grief and we hid as it were our faces from him we did not esteem him let's not be in that particular vein that particular camp oh think of the words of the great song oh the old rugged cross listen to this the old rugged cross so despised by the world has a wondrous attraction for me for the dear lamb of god left his glory above to bear it to dark calvary jesus despised by the world despised when when his influence comes to bear people reject him don't want him they will take his substance i mean the shell all kinds of stuff but really the substance of who jesus christ really is have you embraced that the son of the living god beyond the sign have you embraced the substance of who he is is your life oriented to serve him to love him with all of your heart don't stop with the sign look at the substance because he's more than enough and finally here we see a glory revealing miracle the glory friends of the son of god is revealed and this sign points to him his efficiency to meet mankind at the point of their most basic needs just like we need food for life to fuel our lives even so for our spiritual and eternal well-being jesus meeting us at the point of our most basic we need him for that so the son of man for the well-being of our souls the forgiveness of our sins he satisfies friends all who come to him wholeheartedly and he gives as we see in the passage more than enough graciously abundantly wonderfully for you don't stop with the sign friend go on to the son and all of his beauty as he's revealed in scripture embrace him love him honor him for the well-being of your souls let's pray heavenly father thank you for your word this afternoon thank you for this glimpse this sign that points to the sufficiency of the son and truly all who come to him in truth find that he is indeed more than enough you know where our lives need adjusting you know where we're really some of us are really just on for the ride but we really haven't fully landed may each one land firmly with an understanding that you indeed are the bread of life and may we trust you for nothing less is our prayer in christ's name amen