Trusting God for Provision and Safety
John 6:1-21
Introduction
- The gospel of John screams of the faith that we should have in Christ
-- It is the clearest example of living life FOR the one who redeemed you and I
- When it comes to matters of faith, sometimes seeing is believing
-- But other times, knowing is what really grows & strengthens our faith
-- This morning, we are presented with two unique stories from Jesus’s ministry
-- Both give us opportunity to pause and reflect on God’s ability to provide
- Read John 6:1-15 / Pray
∆ Point 1 – Feeding the 5,000
- Once again, we see Jesus and the disciples travel to another area
-- The reference to the Sea of Tiberias here should not confuse us
-- This particular body of water has been referred to by four names
-- Sea of Galilee, Sea of Tiberias, Lake of Gennesaret, Sea of Kinnereth
- And once again, a crowd of people has followed behind him
-- As we see in v2, they are following because of the works they’ve seen
-- Consider: These are more interested in the show, than what He offers
-- Re: Jesus has already said they don’t believe without a sign (Jn 4:48)
- Jesus finds a spot for them to sit and rest (v3)
-- With the Passover drawing near, many may have been here already
-- So Jesus, seeing the crowd, poses an interesting question to Philip
- Side note: Jesus already knows what the response is going to be
-- His question is to get Philip into thinking about the situation at hand
-- Philip, definitely showing some mathematical capabilities, answers (v7)
-- “It would be impossible to feed all these people at once!”
- The issue here with Philip is he is focused on the human realm
-- He does not grasp this truth: the impossible is possible with God
-- So instead, he is ready to give up knowing they cannot feed these people
- Andrew however, is a little more on the practical side (v8-9)
-- He, in doing a little research, finds a boy who has brought a sack lunch
- It is important to note what this boy is actually carrying
-- A barley loaf would probably be about the size of a large dinner roll
-- And these fish? Think sardines … Greek word is opsarion – literally tiny fish
-- So Jesus takes this boy’s sack lunch, and the disciples have everyone sit
- IMP: The purpose of what is about to happen is not so everyone can eat
-- John records that there are 5,000 men here before them
-- But this does not take into account women, children, and perhaps servants
-- Estimates have put this crowd at 15,000 or even 20,000 people
- Jesus then offers a blessing over the meal (v11) and distributes the food
-- Note: This miracle is the only one mentioned in all four gospels
-- And as we know here, each had more than their fill to eat
- God’s promise to provide is throughout scripture; here is one such example
-- And another: Jeremiah 31:14 says, “I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty," declares the LORD.”
-- APP: Jesus, who is God, always supplies more than we need
- Following lunch, the disciples were asked to collect all the left-overs
-- We should note that what is left over FAR exceeds what was actually needed
-- Matter of fact, there are 12 baskets of food remaining for them to collect
- But notice how the people, once again, want to label Jesus (v14)
-- Their desire is to immediately say, “Oh, this must be so and so because …”
-- But Jesus knew their intentions (v15); their INTENT was to force God’s hand
- They were ready to worship him, but as conquering king … not as Lord
-- APP: And most certainly, not as the LIFE they so desperately needed/required
- So, knowing their intention, Jesus once again slips from their presence
-- He goes off to the mountain to pray, to spend time with the Lord
-- Personal: What an opportunity we have today to go & get alone with God
- Read John 6:14-21
∆ Point 2 – God’s Presence Comforts
- At the end of the day, the disciples went to the lake to head to Capernaum
-- However, v17 tells them that Jesus was not with them (still on mountain)
-- Yet, notice there is a storm blowing in that obviously changes the calm
- What is not known is why Jesus is not with them; but we can infer one thing
-- There was some sort of agreement to meet Jesus perhaps on the other side
- Re: These are fisherman, these are experience men of these times
-- The storm would’ve been a concern, but not really a worry for them
-- Even though the waters would be treacherous, they still wanted/needed to go
- They would’ve been able to navigate … would’ve just taken more effort
-- While traveling at about 3-4 miles out, they notice something incredible …
- At just over the half way point (the sea is about 5 miles); they see Jesus
-- Except, not with a telescope, but with their own eyes walking towards them
- Let’s take a moment just to ponder this scene for a moment
-- They know where they are, they know what the conditions are
-- Yet, here is the Lord, walking on water, coming towards them in the storm
- On his approach, you might think they were shocked and possibly afraid
-- Jesus’s answer to them is perfect – much like something God says often (v20)
-- “It is I, don’t be afraid” – This is such a comfort when life makes no sense
- Expound … Life is never as expected, but Jesus is still constant
- When He identifies himself, they take him into the boat and notice …
-- Now consider this … after the King of Kings walked across the water
-- Do we really think he sat down, and the disciples began to row, again?
-- They immediately arrive at the shore! It happens literally in an instant!
- They had already rowed all night and it’s taken quite sometime
-- And here arrives Jesus, and they are going to row some more?
-- I believe, that word immediately, “eutheós”, means what it says
-- Their arrival happened at once, and their journey was complete
- TRANS: What should we see from these two events as takeaways for us?
∆ Big Idea
- The disciples experienced two critical things that we should learn from also:
1) When God provides, He provides with far more than is required
-- The crowd following was massive and feeding them would be impossible
-- With a boy’s sack lunch, Jesus does the impossible and the improbable
-- RE: There were 12 baskets of food left over for them to collect
2) When God shows up, the response is always one of comfort and peace
-- Miracles may be something to behold …
-- But our focus should always be on WHO performed the miracle
- EX: Jesus walked on the water – but that is not even recognized by Him
-- His response is “fear not … now let’s continue on our way together”
- God is not looking for our blind obedience, but our submission to Him
-- He is looking for us to desire more of Him, to turn to Him for everything
-- Psalm 14:2-3, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
-- But even in this, God is still faithful because His word says He is
- Our responsibility in life is to trust Him, to desire more of Him
-- To learn from the lessons being played out before us, and lean on Him
-- What you focus on when the issue is impossible is very telling
- We must learn to submit, and to trust fully in what God has promised
-- Deut 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- Pray
