The Five Loaves and Two Fish
John 6: 5-14)
Introduction:
This text was the first one I used after the Lord called me to preach. I hope the preaching has improved a little over the last sixty odd years. However the message remains the same. There are three main characters in our text. I want to spend some time looking at these three remarkable characters
1. Jesus
The first and most remarkable character of course is Jesus. If you put all four of the Gospel accounts together, this is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospel. This happened right after the beheading of John the Baptist. (Matthew 14:13) Jesus was disturbed by the death of John. Does that surprise you? The Bible says, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” (Heb. 4:15 Isa. 53:3&4) So, He was trying to get away with His disciples into the mountains for some R &R. (Mark 6:31b), but the crowd followed. Jesus didn’t have a secretary to say, “I’m sorry He can’t see you today he’s on a much-needed vacation.” So, He turned and began to teach them, to minister to their spiritual needs. He set and taught them all day. (Mark 6:34-35) I can hardly get by with teaching thirty minutes, but then I’m not Jesus.
Late that afternoon He became concerned about their physical needs. (John 6:5) Aren't you glad, that in theses uncertain days, we have a Jesus that cares about our physical needs as well as our spiritual need? Jesus cares that I have a roof over my head and food on my table. He cares about school clothes for my children, and shoe on their feet. He cares about our needs this morning whether they are spiritual or physical. He cares! “Oh yes, I know He Cares. His heart is touched by my grief,” (Frank E. Grief) No one ever cared for you like Jesus.. Whether your needs are physical or spiritual, if you'll come to Jesus, He'll supply your needs. I don’t know what your needs are, but if you’ll bring them to Jesus, He will not send you away hungry.
2. Andrew
Then there is Andrew. This disciple comes to center stage only three times in the Gospel of John. He is so insignificant that this text identifies him by saying he's Simon Peter's brother;(John 6:8b) What's so remarkable to me about Andrew is that on all three of these occasions he is in the act of introducing people to Jesus. On this occasion it's a small boy with a sack lunch. (John 6: 9), On another occasion some Greeks came desiring to see Jesus and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. (John 12:20-22) It was Andrew you remember that first introduced the great Simon Peter to Jesus. (John 1:40-42)
From the evidence we have I can assume that he spent his life introducing people to Jesus. What more could be said of any disciple than they spent their life introducing others to Jesus. I hope someone can write can that about me. Old Jesse spent his life introducing people to Jesus. Andrew didn't seem to find it difficult to introduce people to his Jesus We don’t have any trouble introducing our friends. Christian, if Jesus is our best friend why do we find it so hard to introduce people to him. Why do our hands get sweaty and we begin to stutter? You know it happens.
The exciting thing about introducing people to Jesus, is that you never know when are introducing a Simon Peter or the next Billy Graham. Think of the rewards that are laid up in heaven for the person who introduced Billy Graham to Jesus. He was a man by the name of Rev. Mordecai Ham. He will receive part of the reward for every soul that Billy has brought into the Kingdom.
3. The Lad.
This lad is one of my favorite characters in the entire Bible. He's the one I based my ministry on early in my life. (I was born with a speech impediment and a physical handicap.) Like this lad, I simply gave what I had to Jesus, my five loaves and two fish. He took them and used them beyond my greatest imagination
This lad didn’t boast or brag about what he would do with what he didn't have. He didn't say, boy if my credit. card wasn’t maxed out I would take this whole crowd down to Hardee's for supper. I don't believe the Lord is near as interested in what we would do with what we don't have, as He is in what we are doing with what we do have. I see the sign often, “The Lord is not interested in our ability, but our availability.' He just gave what he had.
Jesus used what he gave. Jesus took his little greasy sack lunch and blessed it, and then He broke it. (Luke 9:16) God never uses anything until he breaks it. Then he used it to feed five thousand men plus the women and children. There was about twenty thousand all together.
I have recently discovered something new about this text. The scripture says that they gathered twelve baskets full that remained after everyone was filled. (John 6:13) Wonder who got all the leftovers? Most of the commentators believe that the disciples got them. I can imagine this lad did. He went running down the road that evening dragging those twelve baskets of loaves and fish. Look mama, you know that lunch you sent with me this morning? I gave it to this man named Jesus. You what? Now son you remember this morning when I gave you that lunch, I told you that this was last food there was, and I didn’t know what we were going to eat tomorrow? Yes mama but look what He gave me in return. Now we can eat a long time. You see Jesus not only blesses others with what we give, He always gives back more than we give. The scripture says. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over.” (Luke 6:38a)
Conclusion;
Out beyond your doors is a world full of hungry people. All of them are hungry spiritually. Some of them are hungry physically. Jesus stands on the edge of this hungry world. He’s moved with compassion about their needs. He is looking for people just like you and me with five loaves and two fishes that he can take bless and break and use to feed the multitude. Will you give him yours?
