The miracle of five barley loaves and two fishes

John 6:1~15

1Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14After 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." 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.



I. Message:


Content:

1. The Lord Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee. Many followed Him after seeing His miracles (v. 1~2)
2. Jesus takes the opportunity in providing food to the crowd to test His disciples’ faith (v. 3~6)
3. Philip had no hope of feeding the five thousand following a careful analysis (v. 7)
4. Andrew did what he could by bringing in the child with five barley loaves and two fishes. He did not have much hope either in feeding the crowd (v. 8~9)
5. Jesus fed the five thousand with five barley loaves and two fishes. Twelve baskets of food were gathered afterwards (v. 10~13)
6. After the people saw the miraculous sign, they intended to make him king by force. Jesus withdrew to a mountain by himself (to pray and communicate with God). (v. 14~15)





Themes:

1. The miracle of five barley loaves and two fishes
2. Jesus is omnipotent



II. Who is God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit?

1. Jesus as a healer ad performer of miraculous signs (v. 2)
2. Jesus as a leader followed by the crowd (v. 2)
3. Jesus as a carer (v. 5)
4. Jesus as a provider (v. 5)
5. Jesus as a tester of his disciples’ faith (v. 6)
6. Jesus as a teacher (v. 6)
7. Jesus as a frugal user of resources (v. 12)
8. Jesus as a faithful agent (v. 15)
9. Jesus as a leader acclaimed by the crowd (v. 15)
10. Jesus as a victor over temptations (v. 15)



III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations and warnings)?

Intro

Other than Jesus’ resurrection, the miracle of feeding five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread is the only record shared by all four Gospels. Its significance is obvious without further emphasis. Through this miraculous sign, Jesus is teaching us that He is the provider for the mankind. He IS our bread.


1. Blind followers (v. 2, 14~15)

2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.（v2）
14After 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." 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.（v14-15）

According to the description in the Scriptures, the crowd’s reaction was direct. They saw him perform healing and followed. Later, they saw him feed five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread alone, even with food remaining. Eyes opened, they talked among themselves, saying: “This is the Messiah to come, whom we shall follow. With him, there’s no more hunger. Hail the king.” This understanding of Jesus and the corresponding reaction are both incorrect.

Reflection: What is my motif in following Jesus? Is it for miracles or for physical needs?


2. Test of faith

5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.（v5-6）

Jesus not only provided for the physical needs of the crowd by performing the miracle of feeding five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread, but he also took the opportunity to test His disciples’ faith, for the purpose of equipping them. Therefore, He sad to Phillip: “Where do we get food to feed the crowd?” After the question, we can notice three reactions:

1. Philip: he analysed the situation according to his experiences and said that even eight months wage won’t be enough to provide a small bite for each.
2. Andrew: Andrew was a little better than Philip. At least he brought forward a child with five loaves of bread and two fishes to the Lord. However, he still did not expect to solve the problem of feeding the five thousand.
3. Child: this child has an innocent mind. He did not carry much food but he was willing to share with others. In the end, Jesus performed a miracle with his tiny offering after giving thanks to God.



Reflections: Which type of person am I? Philip, i.e. everything must be done according to our reasoning and analysis; act according to our abilities; glorify God’s name by making sure every ministry is properly maintained. Or like Andrew, ready to serve and make contributions but still lack faith. Or like the child, offer and share without second thought.

3. Great achievement despites young age

Facing the test from Jesus, both Philip and Andrew did not pass the challenge even though they had different approaches. Philip believed the feeding was impossible based on his experience and analysis. Andrew thought the food he found from the child was no enough to accomplish the task. In essence, both disciples failed.

Furthermore, there must have been other people carrying some food on them. However the child was the only one willing to share with others. Jesus performed the miracle with the child’s offering.

There’s a saying, “little soldier achieves greatness”. This child is a perfect example. This reminds us Paul’s encouragement to Timothy, “12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Tim 4:12). Jesus also said, “3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 18:3). Therefore we cannot rely on our experiences on the way to the Kingdom of God. We must remember this child and learn from his offering.

Reflections: have we tried to rely on our experiences accumulated over the years to solve problems in faith? Have we ever considered unable to serve or possessing little abilities and then refused to make offering?

4. The almighty Jesus

Jesus is central to the happening of the miraculous sign, because He is the living God. He can increase few to many and create everything from nothing. He is infinite, and with Him are infinitely many possibilities. Jesus once said: “27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."” (Mark 10:27)

The servants of God shall know about this. That is, we shall never depend on our own experience and reason without leaving room for Jesus to participate in our service. We shall never think nothing is possible without financial and human resources. The belief itself is rejecting Jesus in our lives.

Reflection: Do I always depend on my experience and reason? Am I always over-calculating to ensure everything under control? Do I leave room for Jesus to perform His work? Am I rejecting God in my decisions and policies?

5. Knowing His mission to overcome temptations


15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.（v15）

Jesus knew why He came to us. He was here to carry the cross and bear our sin. He was not here to be a political leader or star. The crowd was thinking differently. They saw Jesus heal and feed with miraculous power and wanted to make Him king by force. This is such a deadly temptation, one with absolute power. For many, this is only a dream, but Jesus was not moved at all. He overcame the temptation completely.

Reflection: While serving, do I know clearly what I have received from God and carry it through, just like Jesus? Do I overcome the temptation of power and status?

6. Leaving the crowd to draw near to God

15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.（v15）

When Jesus realized that the crowd would make Him king by force, He was not cheering up for it but withdrew to a mountain. But, why withdraw? What was He going to do on a mountain? There is no direct description in the Scriptures. However, based on His past behaviors, He probably decided to pray to God alone. Here are two examples to support it.

Example 1: Before Jesus chose His disciples, He went to a mountain to pray to God all night. (Luke 6:12)

Example 2: Based on the record of the Transfiguration, Jesus took Peter, John and James to a mountain to pray, for eight days. (Luke 9:28)

Therefore, Jesus went to a mountain almost always in order to pray alone and to seek God. He set a good example for us. That is, while facing temptations, our best defense is prayer to seek God, believing that God will certainly help us overcome temptations.

Reflection: Are we facing temptations often? When temptations arise, how do we deal with them?



Translated by: 顏偉哲