God's generosity

Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.  Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.  The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,  "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself (John 6:1-15).

Jesus performed many spectacular miracles and the feeding of the 5,000 is one of the most famous.  Today we have before us John’s account of the event.  The people present that day were focused on just one thing—a miracle that filled their bellies.  They were not all that interested in what Jesus was trying to teach them.  John does not want us making the same mistake. 

John writes, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.  Jesus was the Son of God born in a human body.  He was full of grace and truth.  When He spoke, people were amazed at His great wisdom; he taught as one who had authority, not like their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:29).  But this crowd of 5,000 was not so much interested in His words as in what He could do.  They had seen Jesus heal people that were beyond medical help.  So they were curious—what would this miracle worker do next?  It was kind of like going to an Oprah show, hoping that everyone in the audience might get a new car.

Even though their motives for coming were suspect, Jesus still cared about this crowd who had traveled a long ways to spend time with Him.  The day was late, folks were hungry, and there were no towns nearby to go find a meal.  So Jesus made up His mind to feed the people right where they were. He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

As the Son of God, Jesus knows everything.  He knew what Philip was thinking, just as He knows what you are thinking.  Jesus knew how much faith Philip had in his heart, just as He knows how much you trust in Him right now.  Jesus did not test Philip to confirm what the Lord already knew; Jesus tested His disciple so that Philip would understand how much faith he had. 

Philip immediately threw up his hands in despair.  The situation was hopeless! "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" he said.  Philip did not have much faith in Jesus’ power.  That Jesus might perform a miracle never even occurred to him.  At least Andrew tried to find a solution—he went among the people looking for food and came back with this report: "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.”  But his faith was also shown to be lacking; “how far will they go among so many?"

Do you see yourself reflected in Philip and Andrew?  When life gets tough, do you throw up your hands in despair?  Do you ask how you can make do with the little that is available to you?   Or do you trust that Jesus will take care of you?  Do you pray for His help and guidance?  Who rules in your heart—fear or Jesus?

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.  Humble food—barley loaves and fish, nothing fancy, a working man’s lunch.  Maybe you don’t feel the need to thank God for a bologna sandwich, but Jesus did.  In Psalm 145 David praises God, saying the eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.  We are alive solely because of God’s loving care.  He caused us to be conceived.  He protected us through childbirth.  He gives strength to our hearts and lungs, and every bite of food is a gift from His table.  Without His constant attention, death would claim us in an instant.  So yes, we should thank God for that bologna sandwich!  When we pause to eat, we should thank God for giving us food—instead of grumbling about the menu.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over."  You know, we expect miracles to be flashy and dramatic.  We want Hollywood-style special effects, filled with blinding light and booming thunder.  We hope to see the loaves and fish grow and twist and split over and over again until there is a mountain of food, while the crowd responds with “Ooh” and “Aah”.  But most miracles are not like that; most of the time, God performs His miracles quietly as He did that day.  Mark records the event this way (chapter six): Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.  They all ate and were satisfied.  Jesus broke the bread and fish into pieces, giving some to each of the twelve disciples.  These men walked among the people, handing out as much as each person wanted.  The food did not run out, even though thousands of people ate their fill. A tremendous miracle—yet there was nothing exciting to see or hear.  

These kinds of miracles happen all the time—God does something remarkable, but does not dress it up with thunder or lightning.  Someone in a coma for years suddenly wakes up.  People with incurable conditions suddenly regain their health and the doctors cannot explain why.  But miracles are not restricted to hospitals and nursing homes.  Hardened criminals and life-long atheists repent of their sins and turn to Christ.  People who lost nearly everything through job loss or natural disaster find they have a better life after the tragedy.  God reaches into our lives and changes things, but a lot of the time we don’t give Him credit because He chose to perform the miracle quietly.

When the people were done eating, Jesus told His disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."  You know, I would hate to work in a restaurant.  All that food left on plates that gets thrown away—seeing how much is wasted would slowly kill me.  God gives us food out of love.  He wants us to be healthy; He also wants us to enjoy eating.  Speaking of paradise, Isaiah described it this way (chapter 25): the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.  Each meal you eat is a gift from above. 

So what does it say to God when you throw His food away?  Do you keep leftovers and eat them later, or at least give them to a family pet to enjoy?  Do you have so much old food in your refrigerator and freezer that you end up throwing it away unused because it’s gotten old?  Do you appreciate God’s gift of food or do you treat it carelessly? 

The disciples filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.  I want you to think about this.  Jesus fed the people through the hands of His 12 disciples who distributed the meal.  At the end, there were 12 basketfuls of leftovers—one for each of those men.  Jesus fed His people and gave them enough extra to share with the disciples.  The Church has followed this pattern ever since—God blesses His people and they use some of what God gives them to support pastors and missionaries. 

In every congregation I’ve belonged to, the budget is a nagging problem—there are always more bills than there is money to pay them.  The biggest expenses come from supporting pastors and mission work.  When fear about money grips a congregation, these expenditures come under attack.  But Jesus taught something important when He fed the 5,000—He gives His people enough to share with those who bring the gifts of God to them.  There was enough for the disciples because Jesus insisted that nothing be wasted.  If you did not waste God’s money on cigarettes or gambling, how much more would you have that could be shared with the Church?  If you did not waste God’s money on buying food you won’t eat; if you did not waste God’s money on eating out when you can cook more cheaply at home, how much would you have left over to give back to the Lord?  If you did not live wastefully and gave what was saved to mission work, would the church budget really be a problem?

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.  Does it surprise you that Jesus waked away from the adoring crowd?  It must have surprised the disciples.  After all, Jesus came to rule us all.  But the crowd misunderstood what Jesus came to do.  Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom where the weather is always nice and money grows on trees.  He was not interested a building the kind of world where everyone lazes around in hammocks all day, asking God to keep their lemonade glasses full.  Jesus cares about our earthly needs, yes, but He is more interested in feeding our thirsty souls than with shoveling food into our hungry stomachs. 

That crowd of 5,000 was made up of sinners, people who had angered God and needed His forgiveness.  But they didn’t come to Jesus to find out where they’d gone wrong; they didn’t come to plead for mercy.  They came because they were curious.  They came looking for a handout.  They wanted Jesus to be their King, their Social Security Plan, their entertainer.  But they were not interested in Him as their Savior from sin, death and hell.  Their focus was on the needs of the body, not the needs of the soul.  So Jesus walked away.

You are a sinner too.  You are a person Jesus suffered to forgive, died to redeem, rose to save.  He wants you to admit your sinful condition.  He wants you to trust in His loving care.  He wants you to make His priorities your own.  He has shown His power, power that can see to your needs regardless of the situation.  But none of this does any good if you don’t recognize Christ as the Savior sent by God to rescue souls from everlasting judgment.  Life is not worth living if you don’t know how to love and forgive.  Life is pointless if everything ends with eternal death.  Misery will squash all happiness if the Devil can push you around unopposed.  You need Jesus in your heart.  You need Jesus to guide and protect you.  You need Jesus to fix your mistakes and give you strength to do the right thing.  Your soul needs the Lord much more than your body does.