John 6:1-14
Key Verse 6:5
This story was recorded in all four gospels. So it was apparent that this event gave a great impact in the lives of his disciples. In John’s Gospel, the presentation of the story is somewhat different from Mark’s. In Mark Jesus commanded his disciples, ‘You give them something to eat.’ But in John, Jesus asked one of his disciples a question, ‘where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ This question was critical to understand the difference from Mark and the purpose of this passage.
The focus was that Jesus could and would feed 5000 people. By doing so Jesus demonstrated that Jesus had ability and will to feed 5000 people. Then what is the meaning of Jesus’ power and will to feed so many? The answer to this question was hinted in the fact that this happened near the time of the Passover. In anticipation of the Passover, Jesus felt a necessity to feed such a large crowd. Why did Jesus feel the “necessity to feed 5000 people”? By questioning Philip Jesus implicitly demanded that his disciples must know why and how they should feed such a large crowd. A Feeding of 5000 people was not just a demonstration of Jesus’ power. It was demonstration of His will and the will of the Father. This will was rooted deeply in compassion and love for people helpless in sin and death. Jesus is demanding from us that we must share the same will of the Father and we must find the way to feed such a large crowd. Will to feed and way to feed 5000 people. Further by feeding 5000 people Jesus demonstrated that He was the giver and sustainer of life.
1 A large crowd (1-4)
It happened near the Sea of Galilee. It was a fresh water lake, 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. In the west side of the lake, there lived many Galileans, among whom Jesus performed many miracles and healings. On the west side there was much plane and fertile land. So it was populated by many. But on the East side, there was very narrow strips of sea side plane and backed by mountains. So in this area was populated sparsely by Gentiles. Collectively these little cities along the side of East coast were called Decapolis. At this occasion Jesus and his disciples went across the lake to the other side, the East side. Why did they go to this remote region? According to Mark, this happened soon after disciples return from the mission journey. The 12 disciple in pair went about every towns and villages of the entire area of Galilee, healing the sick and driving out demons and pronouncing of the coming kingdom of God. This mission journey created a new hope in peoples’ mind. In this hope a large number of people went after Jesus and his disciples wherever they went. To take a break from this crowd, Jesus took his disciples to the other side of the lake by boat and went up uphill to the mountain. In order to cut off the chase of the crowd, Jesus took two difficult steps; one going across the lake by the boat and further he led his disciples to the mountain. For such a large crowd these two were great obstacle. How can 5000 people cross the lake by boat as Jesus and his disciples did? How can 10000 people including women and children go up on mountain to follow Jesus? Yet not long after Jesus and his disciples went up on mountain, they saw a large crowd coming up toward them. For them to come to this far, they had to go on foot around the lake. It was a long journey. This was somewhat unexpected. Actually it was a great surprise to Jesus. Why did the crowd pursue so intensely? It was their need. A need for shepherd! They were in hunger for truth and they were in hunger for compassion and love from God. They needed someone who could save them from the misery of life under Roman rule. An immense crowd of more than 10,000 was coming up toward Jesus as he was having a quite time in this remote area.
Here a simple note about time was made. The Passover feast was near. The Passover was one of the major feasts for Jews. Since the feast was getting near, people’s minds were engaged in the matters of the Passover. What came to their mind as they thought over the coming feast; the Passover? Three things; Moses, and sacrifice of lamb and exodus. If they were in the same predicament that their ancestors were in Egypt, they needed another Moses, another lamb and another exodus. This hope was heightened now than ever before. If this hope was in the minds of the immense crowd, if a tinge of this hope is expected from Jesus, and if they were driven by this hope, this crowd of more than 10000 was far more significant. Did Jesus read the mind of these people?
2. Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?
V5. 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?"
In this question, Jesus implicitly expressed his will and determination to feed the crowd. The question was not about if feeding such an immense crowd was necessary. Feeding was presumed to be a must.
Jesus was asking where they could buy bread for the crowd. Jesus was asking about a place where they could find enough bread for this crowd. Jesus did not ask if they had enough money to buy bread for them. Jesus did not ask if they needed to feed the large crowd. Jesus was asking about a place. Here in US, there are many super stores; like Giants or Safeway. Even if one whole Giant store carries enough food for 10,000 people, I doubt. How about in this remote place, mountain slope? Finding such place like Giant was impossible. The chance of finding one is nil!, zero!
Then what was the purpose of this question?
v6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Strangely this question was direct to Philip, not Peter, not John , not Andrew. Jesus knew each of them. Certainly he knew Philip, his mind, his feelings and his understanding, his hope. When we test someone, we like to reveal if the examinee has certain qualities or not. Through the test, he could learn what he lacks. We can find this in his answer.
7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages[a] would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Jesus asked where. But He answered that they did not have enough money to buy bread for the crowd. Simply put, for him it was impossible to buy food. The major problem was lack of money! It is true that $20,000(2/3 of $30,000/year wage) was not an ordinary can have at hand. Actually it was huge sum of money. It was even impossible to have such money for Jesus and his disciples! Why did he answer like this? His mind was heavily weighted down by lack of money. He liked to live affluent life, like kings and nobles. He needed enough resources at hand to serve others. This is true for any human affairs. Last week about 200 guest came to our chapter for sight-seeing and fellowship. Many of them spend a night with members of our chapter. Feeding such a large crowd wasn’t easy one. Several thousands of dollars were spent to buy food. There was no way to get around such need. This is very normal thinking. Philip’s way of seeing things is the way we live every day.
But Philip failed the test. First he failed to answer correctly to the question. Jesus asked where but he answered about money. This was because his mind was hung on one thing, so much money needed to buy food.
Philip’s answer makes a good contrast to Andrews.
V8. 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?"
Andrew was known as the brother of Simon Peter. This means that his role among the disciples were not significant. He was one of the least among 12. He brought a boy who had 5l and 2f. His answer was very different from Philips.
He looked for what they had. Actually there was nothing to eat among themselves. But he found a boy with 5l and 2f among so large crowd. He searched for something to eat among the crowd. His search was not just scurry look but he made an intense search. Only thing he found was what the boy had. So he could not take 5l and 2f from the boy. He brought the boy to Jesus. This says something about Andrew. He believed that even little food ,if he found, possibly do the work for more than 10000 people. So he was determined to bring the boy to Jesus because of such belief. Actually his faith was not in the small amount of food but in Jesus who would and could do the miracle. His proposal reflected what he had in his mind. Here is a boy with 5l and 2f. But how far will they go among so many? Not much! But you! Jesus can do something about it. His answer was that Jesus was the place to find food for such a large crowd!
Jesus asked where to buy. Through his answer Andrew put everything on Jesus’ lap. He was saying that Jesus was the only place where they could buy food for this large crowd. The correct answer was Jesus. It was the answer that Jesus was looking for.
In these answers, one from Philip and the other from Andrew, we can find three distinctive differences in approaching the presumptive demand that Jesus buried in this question. The demand was that we are going to feed this crowd. As we mentioned from the beginning, this was never an issue for discussion. It was Jesus’ will. Jesus had to feed this people. But interesting thing was that Jesus used the word ‘buy’? If we rephrase Jesus’ question a little differently, the meaning of the word ’buy’ becomes more distinctive. ; Where can we get or find food for these people? How can we feed this people? If Jesus wanted his disciple to know that Jesus only could feed these people, then the question could have been phrased as these. But Jesus used the word ‘buy’. In this way Jesus interjected a notion that to feed these people, we, Jesus and his disciples’ must pay for the food. In this sense, what Philip’s answer directed to the core of the problem the disciples faced. Simply they did not have any resources, money, to feed them. The size of the crowd was too big for them to handle. The need of the crowd was overwhelming the resources that the disciples had. But to feed them, the payment must come from somewhere since they were starving and might even collapse on the way!
This was the predicament that his disciples faced. More specifically, the disciples never sensed that they were in such predicament. But Jesus laid this upon the disciples. It is composed of two facts; there was an immense size of crowd, probably more than 10,000. The disciple had very little or no resources to buy food for them.
This is the situation for all who follow Jesus. In His love we are compelled to feed the hungry sheep. But we know how scanty resources we have. I have only 24 hours a day. Out of 24, about 10 hours I must set apart to work for bread. Another 7 I must serve my body with rest in sleep. Another few hours, I spend to meet many needs of my daily living. That means that I have one or two hours that I can give away in service for others. How about material resources? The money I make is just good enough to get by the daily need of me and my family. Can I as an individual or can we as a collective body, meet the needs of several thousand?
We know all too well that the need of men is so great and even with abundance of all riches of the world, the need cannot be met fully.
Philip’s answer leads us to the keen realization that we do not have resources to feed such a large crowd though there is a demand.
Andrews’ answer leads us to belief that there is a way despite of the impoverished situation that we are under.
1. Jesus fed 5000 men. (10-13)
As Andrew brought a boy with 5l and 2f, Jesus did what he planned to do. Jesus told his disciples to have the crowd sit down in groups. He prayed to the father for the bread in thankfulness to the Father. Then Jesus gave them to distribute to the crowd, more than 10,000 people. He did again of the fish.
They all had as much as they wanted. Still 12 basketful of bread and fish were left. There was an abundance of food enough to feed more than 10,000 and still there was some left over. If there were another crowd, they still could be fed. Amazing abundance of food ! Jesus fed them all!
2. Who is Jesus? (14-15)
The crowd was hungry in this remote place. They never expected to eat so much and so delicious food in this place. But Jesus fed them all to their full satisfaction. The only event that matched up to this miracle was that in the time of Moses. Moses gave Israel manna in the desert. Actually it was God who rained down manna from heaven. God fed them over several hundred thousands of people in the middle of desert for 40 years! In this way God demonstrated that God was the sustainer of their lives. Their lives were in God’s hand! So is true here. Jesus fed more than 10,000 people in this remote place. As God fed Israel in the desert, Jesus fed such a large crowd. No man can do that. Only God can do that. In this way, Jesus demonstrate himself as the Son of God. Jesus is the life. He has the life and he gives life. He sustains life. Feeding 5000 is the proof of his power and his will to give life. In Mark and Matthew there are two episodes of feeding such a large crowd; one 5000 as described here, and later 4000 in the setting of Gentile area. These two feeding had great impact on the disciples' understanding of who Jesus is. This eventually lead Peter to confess that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. As God fed Israel in the desert, Jesus can and will! Then how much do you share his will to feed such an immense crowd? Jesus saw the need and Jesus was determined to feed them. It is possible in and through Jesus. Believe that we can feed 5000 people. But one thing we must know that we have little but Jesus can and will. In Jesus’ blessing we can feed even such an immense crowd! It starts when we bring 5l and 2f.
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