Sermon Tone Analysis
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Of all the many wonderful miracles that Jesus performed in his three-year ministry this one, was perhaps, the most marvelous of all.
Its shear magnitude obviously made a deep and lasting impression on the apostles.
It is the only miracle which is recorded by all four gospel writers.
Who wouldn't be impressed by such an awesome display of divine, supernatural ability?
The disciples had seen Jesus change water into wine.
They had been witnesses as he cast out demons.
They had seen Him cleanse the lepers, give sight to the blind, and strengthen the legs of the invalid.
He had even brought life back into the lifeless body of a little girl.
But now, to feed a multitude of thousands—surely only the Son of God could do this!
It staggers our imaginations that Jesus could perform such a miracle as feeding 5,000.
But we must stand in utter astonishment just as the disciple must have—when we realize that, in all likelihood, he fed far more than 5,000 people.
The gospels tell us that there were about 5,000 men.
Can we not also assume that women and children were very likely present as well?
It is very possible that Jesus more-than-likely fed as many as 8-10,000 people that day—all by miraculously multiplying a small boy's lunch of five Barley cakes and two small fish!
What does the miracle teach us?
Well, it teaches us that Jesus obviously had compassion.
When the crowds, which had followed him, grew hungry He fed them.
The miracle also demonstrated His supernatural power and divine authority to his disciples.
But the miracles which Jesus did always had a deeper meaning.
In fact, the Apostle John refers to them as signs.
His miracles were always meant to demonstrate spiritual truths and illustrate His teaching.
The 2nd line of the first stanza of the hymn /"People to People"/ asks: /"How do you tell a hungry man about the Bread of Life?"/
The answer is, /"You can't."/
All the hungry person feels is his empty stomach.
All he sees is his wasted body.
But once you feed him, then you have the right—even the obligation—to tell him about Jesus.
Once hungry stomachs have been filled, Jesus has a message for them.
The message is that he is the Bread of Life and all those who follow him will have their souls fed as well.
Let's look at this next Portrait of Christ and see what it has to teach us about Jesus.
!
I. JESUS TEACHES US THAT MAN'S SPIRITUAL NEEDS ARE OFTEN MASKED BY HIS PHYSICAL DESIRES
* vv.
1-2 /"Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick."/
#. did the crowds that followed Jesus do so because they believed he was the Messiah?
#. well, some thought He might—just maybe—might be the Messiah they had been waiting for
* /“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.”/
(John 6:14, NIV84)
#. that phrase the Prophet is a reference to Deut.
18:15 where Moses tells the people that some day, God will rise up a prophet—a Messiah—from among them who will lead them
* /“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.
You must listen to him.”/
(Deuteronomy 18:15, NIV84)
#.
Moses had led the Jewish people out of bondage and had fed them in the wilderness
#. now, Jesus has fed the people in the wilderness, maybe Jesus could lead the people our from under the bondage of the hated Roman Empire
#. at this moment the people are thinking to themselves, /Hey, maybe this is the guy we’ve been waiting for.
Why don’t we make Him our king?/
#. but the problem is that they didn’t understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was going to be
* /“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”/
(John 6:15, NIV84)
#. the enthusiasm of the crowd which followed Jesus is praiseworthy, but they are woefully misguided and nearsighted
#. the people saw His sign—they saw Him miraculously feed thousands with only five small barley cakes—but they did not perceive its meaning
#. they believed Him to be the Prophet, they wanted to seize Him and make Him King
#.
Jesus understood what they really wanted—they didn’t want a Messiah, the wanted a /font of physical blessing/
#. was Jesus a Prophet?
#. yes!
#. was Jesus a King?
#. yes!
#. but Jesus was also a Priest—a priest who would sacrifice himself as the perfect Passover Lamb to atone for the sins of the people
#. bottom line—most sought him out because of what He could do for them physically
* /“Jesus answered, “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.”/
(John 6:26, NIV84)
#. the real story of this miracle is what takes place the day after Jesus has fed all these people
#.
Jesus has gone up into the hills for solitude and instructed the disciples to row across the lake where he would meet them later
#. the next morning the crowd searches for Jesus, but cannot find him
#. they are hungry again, but they cannot find their provider
#. they look and look, but they are searching in the wrong place
#. how typical!
#. today's crowds are searching for fulfillment in all the wrong places
#. finally, they get into their boats to go to the other side of the lake looking for him
#. can you imagine the flotilla of boats this must have been?
#. here is the tragic spiritual story of man
#. searching everywhere for fulfillment, but always choosing the wrong thing to satisfy their desire
#. this crowd's greatest need was for /spiritual bread/
#. all they want was /wheat bread!/
#. they began by searching in the /wrong place/, now they are desiring the /wrong thing/
#. these people who had followed Jesus across the lake had confused /physical satisfaction/ with /spiritual fulfillment/
#. these folks are looking for Jesus, /NOT/ because they believe Him to be /the Christ who taketh away the sins of the world/ but they’re looking for Him because they don’t want to lose their meal ticket
#. let me ask you an important question: /Why do you follow Jesus?/
#. is it because He’s saved you from your sins and following Him is an act of love and worship?
#. or is it because of the blessings He so freely bestows upon His followers?
#. would you still follow Jesus if you never, ever received another blessing from Him?
{{{"
!! A. THE MULTITUDES WERE SEEKING PHYSICAL SATISFACTION, NOT SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT
#. the bible paints a pretty unflattering portrait of man’s basic appetites
#. we’re rarely—if ever—full
#. man is never satisfied
#. he is always searching, always desiring, always coveting what he has not got
* ILLUS.
A reporter once asked the wealthy industrialist J. Paul Ghetty how much money a person needed to really be happy.
Ghetty thought for a moment and replied, /"Just a little bit more!"/
#. that statement sums up man's most basic yearning—we always want a little bit more
#.
we assume that if we can acquire just "a little bit more" we'll be truly happy
#. but as soon as we acquire just a little be more, we usually discover that just /"a little bit more"/ never makes us really happy
#. our culture’s pursuit of the /comfortable life/ is a symptom of man’s deep dissatisfaction with life
#.
our materialistic binging masks our culture’s most important need
#. that most important need is a relationship with God and the deep-felt satisfaction of his spiritual needs for redemption and forgiveness
#. we live in a society where people are desperately searching for enjoyment, for satisfaction, for pleasures, for recognition
#. they believe that the /pleasures of this world/ will satisfy – and for a period they might – but soon the newness wears off, the pleasures fade and, the satisfaction dissipate
#. but none of these things can produce real inner fulfillment
* /“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.”/
(Isaiah 55:2, NIV84)
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