The Feeding of the Five Thousand - John 6:1-14

This miracle is the most public of all the miracles of Jesus. It is the only one of the miracles that appears in all four gospels.

Because of the many miracles at the hand of Jesus, His popularity was growing to such an extent that large crowds began to gather. Weired by the crowd, Jesus decides to get away to a private place. He and the disciples board a small boat and sail across the Sea of Tiberius to Bethsaida. The people see their direction of travel and they follow them along the shore.

I. The Problem: A Hungry Multitude (V1-5)

According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus saw the crowd and He was so moved with compassion, because they were like shepherd-less sheep. Israel was no longer sovereign. They were under the control of Rome. They were looking for a messiah-king
After some time, Jesus brought the issue of the crowds lack of food to the attention of the disciples.

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." Mark 6:35-36

Jesus uses this situation to demonstrate His sufficiency to the disciples… and to us.


II. The Question: A Test of Faith (V5-6)

Jesus turns to Phillip and poses a question designed to test his faith. We know from previous accounts that Phillip was from the area where this miracle took place. When he had come to Christ, he told his friend Nathanael about him.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. John 1:45

III. The Answer (V7-9)

Phillip responds with an "F" answer. He fails the faith test. Phillip never really answers the question. He just gives statistics. He goes to the bottom line - the size of the crowd. He looked at the size of the crowd and came to the conclusion that they did not have the resources to feed the multitude. Even if we has eight months worth of income (200 denarii), they couldn’t make a dent on this crowd

Phillip was a man who always wanted physical evidence. We see this from earlier glimpses into his life. In John 1:46 - he says to Nathanael - “come and see”
In John 14:8, in the Upper Room he says to our Lord,"Lord show us the Father and that is enough for us."• He required visual evidence.


Remember what he said to Nathanael - We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Apparently, he had forgotten that God had fed Israel, under Moses for 40 years
He also had forgotten that God thru Elisha had fed the sons of the prophets

"And Elisha said,(to his servant) "Give to the men, that they may eat." 43But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" So he repeated, "Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and have some left.'" 44So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the LORD."

So Phillip flunks the faith test.

Andrew weighs in on the subject. On the surface Andrews response appears to be an improvement, at least he has been out searching the crowd to see what they have
But then he joins Phillip - what is this among so many? We don’t have the resources so send them away, we can’t feed them and they should have prepared better.

IV. The Miraculous Solution (V10-14)

The five barley loaves are significant. Barley was always regarded as simple fare, more often fit for animals than for men. In the Talmud, there is a passage where one man says, "There is a fine crop of barley" and another man answers, "Tell it to the horses and donkeys."

The miracle resided in the hands of Jesus, not in the distribution.

It multiplied as He broke it. (Mark 6)

Little is much in His hands.

Look at the ways he shows His sufficiency here. He is able to multiply the little
He takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary, barley bread apparently became very tasty in his hands. v.12 "Filled" literally means "glutted." He takes that which is dead and brings life from it. Bread comes from grain, which has the power of multiplication and reproduction within itself. But when it is made into bread, the grain is crushed, making it "dead" - no one ever multiplied wheat by planting flour. Jesus can bring life from death.

What an amazing miracle!

We need to think about what this miracle means to us today.

Are we not prone to calculate? Are we not haunted by feelings of inadequacy.. insignificance? I can easily identify with the lad who brought his loaves and fish. More than likely you can as well. If the only thing you have to offer God is a broken heart, you offer a broken heart. If before you stands an enormous challenge offer Him that. We must learn to simply give what we are and what we have to Him as the little boy gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes - even with the same feeling of the disciples when they said, “What is the good of that with such a crowd.”

I find that in almost everything I offer to Christ that is my reaction.

But here’s the point - The use he makes of it is none of my business; it is His business, it is His blessing. So, the challenging task,the grief, the loss, the suffering, the failures, this pain - whatever it is, which at the moment is God’s means of testing my faith.. a test which results in my recognition of who He is,
this is what I give, believing

YOUR NOTHING.. PLUS GOD… IS EVERYTHING!