#96 Jesus Feeds the 5000
250 Events • Sermon • Submitted
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Would you give Jesus your lunch?
Would you give Jesus your lunch?
Introduction: This is the first time we have visited the Gospel of John in a long time. The last event that we looked at in the Gospel of John was event 44.
In prior events, Jesus sent out the 12 on their first missionary journey. He warned them of the persecution that would come upon them and they were out in the mission field.
Herod heard about all that the disciples were doing and all that Jesus was doing and he became concerned that John the Baptist had come back from the dead.
With Jesus and the disciples performing miracles, They were drawing big crowds.
Notice that Jesus and the disciples were in and among the people. They were not sitting around waiting on people to show up.
This is the 4th sign in the Gospel of John.
The missionary report. Even today, it is good when missionaries that we support give a summary of what all has taken place.
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.
13 When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
After these things is an opening to another chapter in Jesus’s life.
With the mention of passover in vs. 4, which is the second passover during the ministry of Jesus, it is known that about a year has passed by since the end of chapter 5.
Jesus was in Jerusalem for His first and third passover. He spent this second passover in Galilee.
Through our study of the 250 events, we know that Jesus was very busy during this time. We have looked at roughly 51 events during this period of time which included many miracles.
32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
It is really a hill by our standards. But the picture is that of Moses on Mt. Sinai.
4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
As mentioned earlier, this passover helps sholars work out a time line. It is the 3 passovers mentioned in the Gospel of John that indicates that jesus ministry was roughly 3 1/2 years.
It is also a reminder as Jesus provides food for these people that He will ultimately be their and out passover.
It His blood that we put over the doorpost of our hearts so that the death Angel will passover us.
II. The problem.
II. The problem.
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
Moved with compassion. Jesus was greatly concerned about these people. Instead putting His and the disciples needs first, He wanted to take care of the people.
34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus noted that the religious leaders were not meeting the needs of the people.
The disciples notice the problem and they decide to start giving Jesus advice on how to handle this situation.
From their perspective, there are too many people, not enough money and not enough time. Their solution is to send the problem away.
15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.
From the disciples perspective, it was hopeless.
Look what Jesus tells them to do.
16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.
37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
There was a young boy there who’s mother had more than likely packed him a lunch for the day.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
III. The provision
III. The provision
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
That little boy was willing to give his lunch to Jesus.
Jesus took all that the young boy had which would not of even fed a grown man and fed the whole multitude.
What if the boy had said, this is not enough to feed everybody so I will just keep it too myself?
Jesus knows how little we have to offer. But he wants us to offer it too Him.
Jesus will take our not enough and turn it into great and mighty things.
Did you ever think that your lunch would glorify God?
Would you have given Jesus your lunch?
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Notice that Jesus took that little boys lunch, He looked to God the Father and that the food be blessed and then he handed it too the disciples to be handed out to the people.
He is still doing that today. I need to point out that as a christian, a child of God a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are now the one that Jesus is handing out the bread of life out to you and you are to hand that bread of life to those around you.
Each disciple was assigned a group of people.
You are assigned a group of people.
Are you handing out the bread of life?
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
J. Vernon McGee suggests that it is not unreasonable to assume that each man had one wife and one child which would bring the total to at least 15,000. It could have been much higher.
These people did not just get a little something to eat, they were filled.
As we like to say in modern times they were stuffed.
This may have been the first time in many of their lives that they actually had their fill. Not only were they full the was leftovers.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Tom Constable points out this is a picture of God providing bread (manna) in the wilderness through His prophet Moses.
These people are making this connection.
They think that Jesus is fulfilling this messianic prophecy.
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
Jesus is seen here as a prophet and priest and then the people want to make Him king. The problem is that it was not time for Him to be King. He had to deal with the sin problem first. Secondly They were only wanting to make Him king for physical reasons not for spiritual reasons.
Application:
Are you willing to Give God what you have?
God will take your little and do much with it.
Do you like to give advice to God like the disciples did?
When it is hopeless would you have just sent the people away?
Since we can not change the whole world should we just sit at home and do nothing?
Does God ever ask us to do impossible thing?
Remember what is impossible for us is a cake walk for God.
He knows we have little to contribute. All that he asks is that we are willing to give or do what we do have.
Lastly, would you be willing to give God your lunch?