The Lord’s Provision
John 6:1–14
Faith Is Expectant Obedience (6:1–15)
When Jesus is in charge of a situation, available human resources are irrelevant.
Chapter 6 of John begins with hungry people, perhaps some of them living in poverty, but all of them expecting to eat. The crowds found Jesus the day after he had fed them with the bread and fish along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. But his opening statement penetrated to their real motives in seeking him: “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill” (6:26).
There is another kind of food that should have had higher priority in their thinking. Jesus wanted them to seek him for himself, not for what he could do for them. Eternal life is not the reward of work; it is always and only a free gift.
Just as it is difficult to motivate starving people to think about spiritual things, it is also difficult to motivate people who eat well to transfer their attention to something other than what they are eating. But he emphasized throughout the chapter that spiritual food and drink come directly from Jesus.
His comment about this being near the time of the Passover highlights the deeper meaning of this occasion. “A feast of the Jews,” he calls it, once again to help his Gentile audience (v. 4). Jesus could not deal with this great throng of hungry people without being deeply conscious of the time and setting. The sanctity of the Passover supper had been a part of His life since early boyhood. He was well aware that the most perfect animal available must be slain that its blood might be poured out on the horns of the altar and its flesh become the food His family would eat together. The memory of the Baptist’s ringing cry by the river, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World!” (John 1:29), identifying Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice must have surged through Him as He dealt with this crowd.
6:1–4. The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels.
Some scholars estimate there may have been as many as seven thousand to ten thousand people, since verse 10 talks about five thousand men. As we shall see, this chapter is about faith, but these people wanted food. Jesus talked about spiritual relationship, but the crowds were interested in physical showmanship. They focused on the lunch, not the love; on their bellies, not their beliefs.
Our passage first centers on people in need. Starvation is a stark and unpleasant reality in our modern world. Ten percent of the world’s babies die before their first birthday, and one of every four children suffers from malnutrition. Yet the problem of spiritual hunger is even more severe. Like the people gathering on the mountainside in Galilee, millions today need the living bread that only Jesus can provide.
At first we wonder why Philip was singled out, but then we remember he was a native of Bethsaida, possibly the closest town. If a local convenience store had been open at that hour, Philip would have known about it. Nevertheless, Philip did a quick assessment of what it would cost for each one to have a bite!
A denarius was a day’s wage, so 200 denarii would be worth at least 16,000.00.
So Jesus seems eager to welcome this host of people like a Father gathering His family for the Passover meal as they keep “coming toward Him.” He knows how He will provide for their needs, even though His disciples only point out how meager their resources are. It is fitting that Jesus should ask Philip where they could buy bread since he was from nearby Bethsaida. He answers that all the money they can gather up, the equivalent of two hundred days’ wages would hardly provide even a small scrap for each person.
Then Andrew, who earlier had brought his brother Simon, now brings a lad, who has but five barley loaves and two fish. This was bread eaten by the very poor, and the fish were little more than large dried minnows. No wonder Andrew questions “But what are they among so many?”
Now Jesus takes over! He commands the people to sit down like a great family invited to a sumptuous banquet. There is no white table cloth, but “much grass” for all to recline on (v. 10).
As He accepts the boy’s gift He gives thanks. And in the mystery of that blessing, the small becomes great. They all received “as much as they wanted.” With Jesus there is always enough and more! What a lesson in God’s sovereign, gracious provision for these timid, hesitant disciples who were now given the honor of bringing this meal out to group after group spread out on the hillside. Then Jesus commands them to gather up what had not been eaten that nothing be lost. The Creator does not squander His creation.
6:10–13. Like Moses’ ancient rod, Samson’s donkey jawbone, and David’s sling, this simple lunch shows again that seemingly useless things can become important in Jesus’ hands. He alone is all-sufficient. Everyone was satisfied, and each disciple had his own personal basket of leftovers as a reminder of the Master’s power. What a wonderful picture John paints of Jesus holding those five small barley loaves in his hands as he gave thanks.
That there were twelve baskets left is almost certainly significant: The Lord has enough to supply the needs of all.
This meal on the hillside was a sign foreshadowing that later eating and drinking which was to become a memorial of His sacrificial death. That “Last Supper” was to be a covenant that the offering of His flesh and blood, which seemed so shamefully insignificant to those non-believing bystanders, was God’s saving provision for the world’s salvation. Again what seemed so little became so vastly much.
The crowd responds to this “sign” by insisting that He must truly be “the Prophet who is to come into the world,” the return of Elijah or one greater (v. 14). Would not this new Prophet give them permanent physical security, full bellies, and instant healing, and supply all their fleshly needs? So they will make Him their king! What an irony that they believe they can pressure the One who is already King into being a king on their terms.
But Jesus has dealt with the temptation to use His spiritual power for self-centered earthly ends before when Satan asked Jesus to prove himself by turning stones into bread or calling down a legion of angels, which would draw a huge following quickly (Matt. 4:3–7). He will have none of this! So He simply walks away from the crowd to be alone again. He has come to call men to a radical, costly discipleship, not to a kingdom of bread. He will be King only of those who enter by the narrow door of spiritual surrender.
God Provides for Every Need When We Place Our Inadequacies in His Hands (John 6.10-11a)
The boy with five loaves and two pickled fish was the poorest of the poor. By any standard we could imagine, he is completely insignificant. We are not even told his name. He has hard-tack biscuits made from the grain usually given horses and two fish. Like having a thimble of grape juice to share with the congregation — why bother?
Have not some of you felt just that insignificant? All you have is so far below the bare minimum of what is needed as to be nothing. Maybe some of us have sensed it, but are afraid to admit just how small we feel facing the giants of our lives.
But watch this: the boy who has so little, gives his insufficient “nothing” to Jesus. What little he has he places into the hands of God.
It is not so hard to give up our strengths to God, is it? We feel some sense of pride about giving our best, about giving up what is really quite valuable, what “God needs.”
Jesus taught us this in reference to giving money to the church. He was at the temple, when he “looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’ (Luke 21.1-4).
When we give out of abundance, we are tempted to imagine that we have enriched God. But God does not need our gifts; he is after our faith in his goodness. It is when we give out of our poverty, when all we have to give is totally inadequate, a mere penny, then we realize that God is enriching us.
Elizabeth Elliot: “If the only thing you have to offer is a broken heart, you offer a broken heart. Realizing that nothing I have, nothing I am will be refused on the part of Christ, I simply give it to Him as the little boy gave Jesus his five loaves and two small fishes—with the same feeling of the disciples when they said, ‘What is the good of that for such a crowd?’ Naturally, in almost anything I offer to Christ, my reaction would be, ‘What is the good of that?’ The point is, the use He makes of it is none of my business; it is His business, it is His blessing. (Worldwide Challenge, January 1978, pp. 39-40.)
This little boy lost his lunch; but what is the result? He ends up eating more than he needs. He gave everything and ended up with more.
It is common to be paralyzed by inadequacy. We want much to offer before we offer anything. In a futile effort to get much, we grow discouraged and miss the joy of living for God. Unfortunately, many Christians and many churches miss the great workings of God because we are unwilling to accept the humility of giving what little we have. We hoard, hoping for enough to attempt a great work for God. But as William Carey, the great missionary to India reminds us, the attempting comes before the receiving: “Attempt Great Things for God and Expect Great Things from God.”
Let’s not wait until we have enough to give; let’s give what little we have knowing that it is not what we give but God’s miracle which changes the world. “Vision precedes resources.” We must learn not to wait on enough to do real ministry — we must go in faith, asking God to multiply and supply. Begin where we are and give what we have. God provides when we place our inadequacies in his hands.
Never doubt for a moment that the grace and gospel of Jesus is sufficient for every need for the whole world. Jesus does not perform this miracle to say that no one will ever starve. He multiples the food so that you will you know that he alone is the way to the God for whom you truly long.
4. Conclusion
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he came back only to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. Everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. “God, how could you do this to me?” he cried. “I had so little and you took it all.”
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
It’s easy to get discouraged when our resources are inadequate. But God is at work in our lives, especially in the midst of fear and doubt.
• We say, “It’s impossible”; God says: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
• We say, “I’m too tired”; God says: “I will give you rest.”
• We say, “Nobody really loves me”; God says: “I love you.”
• We say: “I can’t go on.” God says: “My grace is sufficient; my power is made perfect in weakness.”
• We say, “I can’t figure things out.” God says: “I will direct your steps.”
• We say, “I can’t do it.” God says: "You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you.”
• We say, “It’s not worth it.” God says: “I am working all things together for your good.”
• We say, “I can’t forgive myself.” God says: “I forgive you.”
• We say, “I can’t manage." God says: “I will supply every need according to my riches in glory.”
• We say, “I’m afraid.” God says: "Fear not, I am with you.”
• We say, “I’m worried.” God says: “Cast all your anxieties on me, for I care for you.”
• We say, “I’m not smart enough.” God says: “I give you the wisdom of my son, Jesus, and his righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
• We say, “I feel all alone.” God says: “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
The only thing you need is need; few have that. You have a need you cannot meet; will you offer it to God for his good and generous provision? Are you willing to place your trust in what you know about Jesus Christ? Are you willing to trust him with your little to nothing so that your life can help feed the multitudes? Amen.
